Joseph Kallarangatt

Joseph Kallarangatt ܡܵܪܝ ܝܵܘܣܹܦ ܟܲܠܲܪܲܢܓܵܛ
Bishop of Palai
Province	Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Changanassery
Diocese	Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Palai
See	Palai
Predecessor	Joseph Pallikaparampil
Successor	Incumbent
Other post(s)	Chairman of the Doctrinal Commission, CBCI Chairman of the Syro-Malabar Synodal Commission for doctrine Chairman of the Theology Commission of KCBC Former President & Vice Chancellor, Paurastya Vidyapitham
Orders
Ordination	2 January 1982
Consecration	2 May 2004
Personal details
Born	(1956-01-27) 27 January 1956 Kayyoor, Kottayam District, Kerala, India
Nationality	India
Denomination	Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
Residence	Bishop's House, Palai
Alma mater	St. Thomas Apostolic Seminary Vadavatoor, Gregorian University Rome

Joseph Kallarangatt (born 27 January 1956 at Kayyoor, Kottayam district, Kerala) is a Syro-Malabar Catholic bishop and theologian. He currently serves as the Bishop of the Syro-Malabar Eparchy of Palai (also known as Pala), which has among the largest concentration of Syro-Malabar Catholics.

Rite of Renewal of Holy Leaven (Malka) by Joseph Kallarangatt

Early life

After his school studies, Kallarangatt joined Good Shepherd Minor Seminary, Palai. Later he went on to the Saint Thomas Apostolic Seminary Kottayam, where he studied philosophy and theology. He was ordained priest by Bishop Joseph Pallikaparampil on 2 January 1982, at Christuraja Church Kayyoor.

Ecclesiastical and academic career

After a short period of fruitful apostolate at Aruvithura and Ramapuram, Kallarangatt was sent to Rome for higher studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University. In 1989, he secured a doctorate in systematic theology (The title of the thesis: The Holy Spirit, bond of communion of the churches: a comparative study of the ecclesiology of Yves Congar and Nikos Nissiotis). On his return to India, he was appointed professor of Dogmatic Theology at St. Thomas Apostolic Seminary and at Paurastya Vidyapitham (Pontifical Oriental Institut of Religious Studies), Kottayam On 18 March 2004, while serving as the president of Paurastya Vidyapitham, Kallarangatt was named as the third Bishop of Palai. On 2 May 2004, he received his episcopal consecration from Archbishop Joseph Powathil and the same day he was enthroned as Bishop of Palai by the Syro-Malabar Major-Archbishop Varkey Vithayathil.

Kallarangatt was a participant in the XIII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, (Rome, 2012). In 2014, he led his diocese to host the 31st plenary assembly of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India.

Besides Malayalam and English, Bishop Kallarangatt speaks German and Italian languages. He is scholarly competent in ancient East Syriac language. He has in his credit more than 30 books on theology and Oriental liturgy and has written a large number of systematic theological articles. He has published extensively on secular topics as well.

Chairman of Doctrinal Commission

Kallarangatt is considered to be an authority in Ecclesiology and Oriental Theology; he has authored 30 books and a good number of articles related to Ecclesiology and Eastern theological studies. Currently, he is the Chairman of the Doctrinal Commission of The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India and the Chairman of the Syro-Malabar Synodal Commission for Doctrine as well as member of the Syro-Malabar Synodal Commission for Liturgy. Kallarangatt serves also as a member of the Biblical Commission of Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council.

Works in English

1. The Holy Spirit: Bond of Communion of Churches, Roma, Pontificia universitas Gregorianum, 1989.

2. Pneumatocentric Eccesiology in Nikos Nissiotis, Kottayam, OIRSI, 1999.

3. Reflections on theology and Church (ed), Kottayam, OIRSI,2001.

4. " The Ecumenical Theology of Nikos A. Nissiotis", in Christian Orient 11, Dec. 1990, p. 173-86.

5. " THe First Sunday of the Period of Qayt ( The Feast of Apostles)", in Journal of Eastern Christian Studies, Vol. 56, Issues 164, 2004, p. 303-317.

6. " Windows to HEAVEN " Contours of an Ecclesial and Oriental way of life : April 2018

WORKS IN MALAYALAM

7. Beth Purkhana. OIRSI

8. Ennale Paranjathu- Deepanalam Publications Pala