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Born of Joseph Perumthottam and
Annama on 5th July, 1948, at
Kongandoor (Punnathura), Joseph (Babycahn)
had his education in St. Joseph High
School, Punnathura and St. Berchmans’
College, Changanacherry. Completing
his seminary studies at St. Thomas
Petit Seminary, Changanacherry and at
St. Thomas Apostolic Seminary, Vadavathoor, Kottayam, he was
ordained priest on 18 December 1974
by Archbishop Mar Joseph Powathil,
then auxiliary bishop of
Changanacherry. After his ministry as
assistant parish priest for a few
years has was appointed Director of
Sandesanilayam, the Catechetical Centre of the Archdiocese and
chaplain of Catholic Workers’
Movement of the Archdiocese in 1979.
In the catechetical field, he
introduced many training programmes,
including Catechetical Leaders’
Training (CLT), which is being
continued to
this day by Sandesanilayam. In 1983 he was sent
for higher studies at Gregorian
University, Rome, where he took
doctorate in Church History. Back
from Rome, in 1989 he was appointed
professor of St. Thomas Apostolic
Seminary, Vadavathoor and Missionary
Orientation Centre, Manganam,
Kottayam and Vicar of St.
Sebastian’s Church Kodinattukunnu.
During this period he was
instrumental in starting Mar Thoma
Vidyanikethan at Changanacherry, the
higher institute of religious
sciences for the laity at the
initiative and active support of
archbishop Mar Powathl. This
institute is affiliated to Paurastya
Vidyapeetam, Vadavathoor, conferring
P.G. Degree recognized by the
Congregation for Catholic Education,
Rome. Rev. Dr. Joseph Perumthottam
had been at its helm for a decade.
Simultaneously he has been vicar of
Mar Sleeba Church, Ponga. He was
nominated auxiliary bishop on 24th
April 2002 and was ordained bishop
by archbishop Mar Joseph Powathil at
St. Mary’s Metropolitan Church,
Changanacherry, on 20th May 2002, the
116th anniversary of the
Archdiocese. His motto is “In Spirit
and in Truth”
When the resignation from office
submitted by His Grace Mar
Joseph Powathil on reaching the
age of 75 was accepted by His
Beatitude Varkey Cardinal
Vithayathil, the Major
Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar
Church, Mar Joseph Perumthottam
was appointed, with the consent
of the Synod of Bishops of the
Syro-Malabar Church held at
Kakkanad at the Major
Archiepiscopal Curia at Mount
St. Thomas from 8-12 January
2007, as the new Metropolitan of
the Archdiocese of
Changanacherry which was made
public on 22 January 2007. He
was enthroned as the
Metropolitan Archbishop of
Changanacherry on 19 March 2007.
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