Media Release
New Delhi, Aug 15: His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Francis Serrao, SJ (66), as the new Bishop of Mysore. The appointment, announced on August 15, comes while Bishop Serrao is serving as the Bishop of Shimoga in Karnataka and as chairman of the CCBI Commission for Ecumenism.
Bishop Serrao, a Jesuit, was appointed Bishop of Shimoga on March 19, 2014, and was ordained on May 7 of the same year. Born on August 15, 1959, in Moodbidri in the Diocese of Mangalore, he entered the Society of Jesus on January 3, 1979, at Mount St Joseph, Bengaluru. His philosophical and theological studies took place at Jesuit institutions — Satya Nilayam in Chennai and Jnana Deepa Vidya Peetha in Pune—followed by a Licentiate in Theology from Vidya Jyoti College, Delhi.
He was ordained a priest on April 30, 1992, and made his perpetual profession in the Society of Jesus on May 1, 1999. Over the years, his ministry has spanned pastoral service, social action, academic leadership, and community formation. He began with pastoral ministry in Mundgod in the Diocese of Karwar, before serving in social development work at Loyola Vikas Kendra in Mundgod.
He later directed the Regional Theologate in Bengaluru, led St. Joseph Church in Anekal as parish priest, served as superior of the Jesuit community in Bejapur, and was rector of St. Aloysius College in Mangaluru.
His episcopal journey now takes a new turn as he prepares to shepherd the Diocese of Mysore, bringing with him decades of pastoral experience, Jesuit formation, and a deep commitment to ecumenism.
Bishop Francis Serrao is the ninth Bishop of the Diocese of Mysore. The diocese became vacant in 2024, and Archbishop Bernard Moras was appointed as its Administrator.
The Mysore Mission was separated from the Vicariate Apostolic of Pondicherry on March 16, 1845 and made a Pro-Vicariate, later elevated to a Vicariate Apostolic in 1850.
In 1886, Mysuru became a diocese with Bengaluru as its headquarters. Bengaluru was separated as a diocese in 1940, followed by the creation of Ootacamund Diocese in 1955 and Chikmagalur Diocese in 1963, both carved out of Mysore.
Today, the Diocese of Mysore comprises the districts of Mysuru, Mandya, Kodagu, and Chamarajanagar, bordering the dioceses of Bangalore, Ootacamund, Salem, Mananthavady, Kannur, Calicut, Mangalore, and Chikmagalur. It has a Catholic population of 1,34,000, served by 93 parishes, 140 diocesan priests, 108 religious priests, and 893 religious sisters.