Bishop Mar Simon Stock Palathra, (87) CMI, Bishop Emeritus, Syro Malabar Diocese of Jagdalpur, in Chhattisgarh, Central India, passed away on Saturday 19 November, 2022 morning at 1.30 am, MPM Hospital, Jagdalpur.
The funeral will take place on Tuesday 22 November 2022 at 2 pm at St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Jagdalpur. His mortal remains will be kept in St. Joseph's Cathedral, Jagdalpur for paying homage from 10 am today.
Bishop Simon Stock was born on 11 October 1935, in Changanacherry, Kerala. He was ordained a priest on 1 December 1964.
On 28 January 1993, Mar Simon Stock Palathra CMI was appointed the second bishop of the eparchy and was ordained on 19 March 1993.He was the diocesan procurator before his appointment as the diocesan prelate.
He retired from the active episcopal ministry after completing 75 years of age in 2013. He is a priest for 57 years and a bishop for 29 years
Mar Simon Stock Palathra CMI was a man of simplicity and missionary zeal. His motto was “for God and his people”. Mar Simon Stock Palathra contributed to the growth of the eparchy tremendously. MPM Hospital, Jagdalpur, was established in 1997 for the health care of the people of this remote area. Diocesan minor seminaries were established at Parpa in 1998 and at Kondagaon in 2000. To coordinate the pastoral and evangelization ministries of the eparchy, the Good Shepherd Pastoral Centre was established at Aghanpur in 2009.
Mission stations at Chottebettia, Kutni, Junawar, Boregaon, Charama, Bandam, Mardum, Palnar, and Bhairamgarh were opened in his period. He invited several institutes of consecrated life to work in the Eparchy of Jagdalpur.
Jagdalpur Syro-Malabar Diocese
The Bastar division of Central India was part of the Diocese of Mylapore till 1806. Then it was included in the Vicariate Apostolic of Madras. In 1845, Bastar became a part of the Vicariate Apostolic of Vishakhapatnam. On 15 August 1966, this region was added to the Prefecture Apostolic of Raipur. The Pilar Fathers (SFX) were entrusted with the missionary activities in this area. They gave a good start by establishing a school at Kirandul and a social welfare centre a Jagdalpur to help the people.
On 23 March 1972, Jagdalpur was made a Syro-Malabar exarchate and was entrusted to the St. Joseph's Province of the
On 26 February 1977 Pope Paul VI elevated the exarchate of Jagdalpur to the rank of an eparchy and Mar Paulinus Jeerakath CMI was appointed its first bishop. He was ordained on 11May1977.
Mar Simon Stock served as Bishop from 1993- 2003.
On 16 July 2013, Mar Joseph Kollamparampil CMI was appointed as the third Bishop of Jagdalpur and was ordained on 17 September 2013.
The diocese has around 10,000 Catholics, served by over 100 priests, 350 sisters in sixty plus parishes and mission stations.
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