Shillong, July 8: Pope Francis appointed Fr. Ferdinand Dkhar (59), currently the Administrator of the Diocese of Jowai, as the Bishop of Jowai, on Saturday.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Fr Stephen Alathara, Deputy Secretary General, CCBI said the Jowai diocese was without a Bishop after Bishop Victor Lyngdoh was appointed as the Archbishop of Shillong on December 28, 2020. Fr Dkhar will be the third bishop of the diocese after Bishops Vincent Kympat (2006-2011) and Victor Lyngdoh (20116-2020).
Fr Dkhar was born in Longkaluh, in the diocese of Jowai, on February 26, 1962. After attending the minor seminary in Upper Shillong, he studied Philosophy at Christ King College and Theology at Oriens Theological College in the Archdiocese of Shillong. He was ordained a priest on January 23, 1994 for the diocese of Jowai.
He has held the following offices: dean of studies at the minor seminary of Shillong (1994-1995); assistant parish priest of the Annunciation Church, Namdong (1995-2000); assistant parish priest (2000-2002) and then parish priest (2002-2007) of the Church of the Holy Spirit, Ummulong; parish priest of the Annunciation Church and principal of a high school in Namdong (2007-2009); procurator of the Diocese of Jowai (2009-2021). From 2021 until now he has been diocesan administrator of Jowai.
The diocese has 1,20,275 catholic population, 23 parishes, 30 diocesan priests, 41 religious priests, 83 religious sisters, and 313 educational institutions.
