Dennis Kuruppassery new Auxiliary Bishop of Kannur

Monsignor Dennis Kuruppassery was consecrated as the Auxiliary Bishop of Kannur on November 10, 2024, at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Kannur, South India. The episcopal ordination ceremony was led by Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio, with Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay, and Archbishop Joseph Kalathiparambil of Verapoly serving as co-consecrators. Bishop Varghese Chakkalakal, the first prelate of Kannur, delivered the homily.

In his welcome address, Bishop Alex Vadakkumthala, the current Bishop of Kannur, highlighted the significance of the occasion. Noting that Archbishop Pennacchio had previously ordained him as the second bishop of Kannur, he called it a “divine plan” that the same archbishop returned to ordain Kannur’s first auxiliary bishop. Bishop Alex also pointed out the uniqueness of the moment, as Monsignor Kuruppassery is the seventy-fifth priest ordained as a bishop by Archbishop Pennacchio - a record in itself.

The event saw participation from numerous church dignitaries. Speakers offering felicitations included His Beatitude, Cardinal Cleemis, Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Church; Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, the Apostolic Nuncio to India and Nepal, and Archbishop Mar Joseph Pamblani, Synod Secretary of the Syro-Malabar Church. The occasion was further graced by Archbishop Kevin Stuart Randall, Apostolic Nuncio to Bangladesh; Archbishop Thomas Netto of Trivandrum; and Bishop Joseph Mar Thomas, Vice President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India.

Around 190 priests from the dioceses of Kannur, Kottapuram, and other regions concelebrated, alongside approximately 30 bishops. A congregation of about 7,000 people gathered on the cathedral campus to witness this historic event, celebrating the appointment of their new auxiliary shepherd, appointed by Pope Francis on August 15, 2024.

Biography

Born on August 4, 1967, in the Basilica parish of Our Lady of Snow in the Diocese of Kottappuram, Monsignor Dr Dennis is the fourth of seven children of the late Stanley Kuruppassery and Shirly Stanley. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Theology from the Pontifical Institute in Alwaye and a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy from the University of Kerala. He later earned a Master’s and Doctorate in Canon Law from the Urban University in Rome.

Ordained a priest on December 23, 1991, for the Diocese of Kottappuram, Monsignor Dr. Dennis began his ministry as an assistant priest at St. Francis Assisi Church in Thuruthipuram. He later served as Priest-in-Charge and Parish Priest at Holy Cross Parish and St. Antony’s Parish in Pulloot, near Kodungallor. From 1997, he took on the roles of Chief Editor of “Didimus,” the diocesan monthly magazine, and Director of the Catechism Department and Kerala Catholic Students’ League.

In 2001, Monsignor Dr. Dennis, joined the Vatican diplomatic service, with his first appointment in Burundi. He subsequently served in various Vatican embassies, including those in Egypt, Thailand, the Czech Republic, and Gabon. In 2017, he was appointed as First Assistant at the Vatican Nunciature in the United States of America. Prior to this appointment, Monsignor Dr Dennis was serving as the First Assistant at the Apostolic Nunciature of the Vatican in Malta.