Diocese of Palayamkottai
About
The Diocese of Palayamkottai was established by Pope Paul VI through the Bull Romani Pontifices on 17 May 1973, becoming the 13th diocese of Tamil Nadu and a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Madurai; it was officially inaugurated on 9 September 1973, when its first bishop, Rev. S. Iruthayaraj, took canonical possession and was consecrated shortly after. Bishop Iruthayaraj served for 26 years, leading the diocese in spiritual, pastoral, educational, and social growth until his retirement in 1999, after which Fr. Susai Marian served as administrator until Rome appointed Fr. Jude Paulraj as the second bishop, consecrated on 8 December 2000 and guiding the diocese until his retirement in 2018. On 20 November 2019, Pope Francis appointed Msgr. Antonysamy Savarimuthu as the third bishop, consecrated on 15 December 2019. Long before its erection as a diocese, the region was evangelized from the time of St. Francis Xavier in 1542 and later served by renowned Jesuit missionaries—such as St. John de Britto and Fr. Constantine Beschi—and diocesan priests of Tiruchirappalli, with significant contributions from the Madurai Jesuit Province and the Brothers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in shaping the early Christian community.
