Diocese of Tiruchirapalli

The Diocese of Tiruchirapalli traces its origins to 1836, when Pope Gregory XIV established Madurai as an Apostolic Prefecture, later raised to an Apostolic Vicariate in 1846 and entrusted to the Jesuits. In 1886 it became the Diocese of Tiruchirapalli with Msgr. Alexis Canoz, S.J. as its first bishop, followed by Bishops Barthe and Faisandier. Over time, major territorial reorganizations occurred: in 1932 Pope Pius XI created the Diocese of Tuticorin, and in 1938 Pope Pius XII carved out large areas to form the Diocese of Madurai, after which Msgr. J.P. Leonard was transferred there and Msgr. James Mendonca became the first Indian Bishop of Tiruchirapalli. Leadership then passed to Msgr. Thomas Fernando (1971), Bishop Sengole Lawrence Gabriel (1990), and later to Bishop Peter Fernando as Apostolic Administrator (1997). Bishop Antony Devotta took charge in 2001, followed by Bishop Devadass Ambrose as Apostolic Administrator in 2018, until Bishop S. Arokiaraj, a native of the region, was appointed and consecrated in 2021. Today, the diocese spans taluks across Tiruchirapalli, Karur, and Pudukottai districts, bordered by the river Cauvery, and comprises 73 parishes organized into five vicariates.