London: An Indian-born priest has been ordained the bishop In Church of England At a ceremony held at St Paul’s Cathedral in London on Tuesday.
Aged 43, Saju is now the youngest bishop in the Church of England, but not the first of Indian origin as the current bishop of Bradwell, Bishop John Perumbalth, was also born in Kerala.
RT Revd Malayil Lukosay Varghese MuthalayaKnown as Saju, St. Mark’s Gillingham, now Vicar of Kent, was born in Kerala and grew up in a leprosy hospital in Bengaluru. He was consecrated by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin. Welby In the Diocese of Leicester, as the next Bishop of Loughborough.
Families, friends, colleagues and supporters from India, Dubai and Britain gathered at the service where two others were ordained as bishops and two of Saju’s children – Zip and Abraham – prayed.
Welby later congratulated Saju in Hindi on Twitter. In English he tweeted: “A wonderful, exciting, beautiful day for @churchofengland – a diverse, global church brought together in the joy of Jesus Christ.”
His parents live in Kollam, Kerala. “Our father said that God has given him an opportunity to serve beyond limits and he should utilize it well. Our parents – aged 90 and 83 – missed the opportunity to watch the ceremony due to the pandemic,” said his brother Siji Malayillo, an advocate in the Karnataka High Court.
As Saffragan Bishop, Saju would share oversight of the diocese with the Bishop of Leicester, Rt Revd Martin Snow. Ice Said: “Leicester can be proud of our track record of giving gifts to the wider Church bishops who represent diverse ethnic groups and will help the Church reflect on the fullness of life in Christ.”
Saju, who now carries the staff of a diocese made of Indian rosewood, will be officially installed as Bishop of Loughborough at a service at the Brockington Church of England Academy in Enderby, Leicestershire, on 5 February. The event will be live-streamed on YouTube.
He was born in the backwaters of Kerala into a Syrian Orthodox Church family that traces the spiritual and cultural lineage of St. Thomas the Apostle. He said his priorities are people-centric and helping the poor and marginalized to thrive.
He said: “I spent most of my childhood in a leprosy hospital in Bengaluru, where my mother was a nurse serving some of the most excluded and rejected groups in the world. From my earliest memory, my heart has bowed to those living in poverty. Poor people are not just poor people; They are mothers, artists, talented leaders, friends, people who are passionate about the environment.”
He will have oversight of intercultural communities and racial equity strategy as well as priestly businesses.
Muthally moved to Loughborough just before Christmas with his wife, Katy, whom he had met in a gap year in England, and their four children. He said, “When I am with Katy, my kids and our eclectic collection of pets, I am never at home. I am also happily at home when I am playing a beautiful game of cricket. I firmly believe that the game of cricket is the most beautiful contribution of the British to the world.” He also enjoys running, playing the guitar and cooking.
After attending Cambridge School in Vijayanagara, he did his PU (Arts) at Christ PU College in 1996, after which he attended South Asia Bible College in Bengaluru and trained for ministry at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. He was ordained a priest in 2009.
He left for England at the age of 20. “He could have left for England in his teens … He was an ethnic minority there … He is a self-made man, he built his own career and thus is an inspiration to us. This process ( Installation) is a long process at the end of which the British Prime Minister decides. It is a proud moment for all of us,” said Siji, his brother.
Muthalli grew up in Bangalore in the 1980s and 90s and lived in HBR Layout with his parents, elder brother and sister. With Sunday Mass and Sunday School it was a way of life and a matter of discipline. We were taught values,” Siji said.
(with inputs from Bangalore)
Aged 43, Saju is now the youngest bishop in the Church of England, but not the first of Indian origin as the current bishop of Bradwell, Bishop John Perumbalth, was also born in Kerala.
RT Revd Malayil Lukosay Varghese MuthalayaKnown as Saju, St. Mark’s Gillingham, now Vicar of Kent, was born in Kerala and grew up in a leprosy hospital in Bengaluru. He was consecrated by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin. Welby In the Diocese of Leicester, as the next Bishop of Loughborough.
Families, friends, colleagues and supporters from India, Dubai and Britain gathered at the service where two others were ordained as bishops and two of Saju’s children – Zip and Abraham – prayed.
Welby later congratulated Saju in Hindi on Twitter. In English he tweeted: “A wonderful, exciting, beautiful day for @churchofengland – a diverse, global church brought together in the joy of Jesus Christ.”
His parents live in Kollam, Kerala. “Our father said that God has given him an opportunity to serve beyond limits and he should utilize it well. Our parents – aged 90 and 83 – missed the opportunity to watch the ceremony due to the pandemic,” said his brother Siji Malayillo, an advocate in the Karnataka High Court.
As Saffragan Bishop, Saju would share oversight of the diocese with the Bishop of Leicester, Rt Revd Martin Snow. Ice Said: “Leicester can be proud of our track record of giving gifts to the wider Church bishops who represent diverse ethnic groups and will help the Church reflect on the fullness of life in Christ.”
Saju, who now carries the staff of a diocese made of Indian rosewood, will be officially installed as Bishop of Loughborough at a service at the Brockington Church of England Academy in Enderby, Leicestershire, on 5 February. The event will be live-streamed on YouTube.
He was born in the backwaters of Kerala into a Syrian Orthodox Church family that traces the spiritual and cultural lineage of St. Thomas the Apostle. He said his priorities are people-centric and helping the poor and marginalized to thrive.
He said: “I spent most of my childhood in a leprosy hospital in Bengaluru, where my mother was a nurse serving some of the most excluded and rejected groups in the world. From my earliest memory, my heart has bowed to those living in poverty. Poor people are not just poor people; They are mothers, artists, talented leaders, friends, people who are passionate about the environment.”
He will have oversight of intercultural communities and racial equity strategy as well as priestly businesses.
Muthally moved to Loughborough just before Christmas with his wife, Katy, whom he had met in a gap year in England, and their four children. He said, “When I am with Katy, my kids and our eclectic collection of pets, I am never at home. I am also happily at home when I am playing a beautiful game of cricket. I firmly believe that the game of cricket is the most beautiful contribution of the British to the world.” He also enjoys running, playing the guitar and cooking.
After attending Cambridge School in Vijayanagara, he did his PU (Arts) at Christ PU College in 1996, after which he attended South Asia Bible College in Bengaluru and trained for ministry at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. He was ordained a priest in 2009.
He left for England at the age of 20. “He could have left for England in his teens … He was an ethnic minority there … He is a self-made man, he built his own career and thus is an inspiration to us. This process ( Installation) is a long process at the end of which the British Prime Minister decides. It is a proud moment for all of us,” said Siji, his brother.
Muthalli grew up in Bangalore in the 1980s and 90s and lived in HBR Layout with his parents, elder brother and sister. With Sunday Mass and Sunday School it was a way of life and a matter of discipline. We were taught values,” Siji said.
(with inputs from Bangalore)
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