vijayapuram diocese former bishop’s

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:”

Pope Pius XI bifurcated the Archdiocese of Verapoly and erected the Diocese of Vijayapuram, on July 14, 1930 with its headquarters in Kottayam town. The administration was entrusted to Carmelites of Navara Province, Spain. As there was an Oriental Catholic diocese named Kottayam since 1887, the founding fathers of the diocese decided to rename it as the diocese of Vijayapuram, which was part of the city and also the centre of the mission activities in the diocese. Brother Rocky OCD, was the pioneer of mission work in this region. The diocese comprises the civil districts of Kottayam, Idukki and parts of the districts of Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Pathanamthitta. The highest mountain in South India is situated in the diocese, so also the lowest part of the State is within the boundary of the diocese. The demographic structure is characterized by its diversity as it includes migrated Christians from the Archdiocese of Verapoly and the Dioceses of Cochin and Quilon.