DIMAPUR, AUGUST 5: On 5th August Salesian Fr. Kuruvachira Jose was installed as the 7th Provincial superior of the Salesian Province of Dimapur (comprising the states of Arunachal Pradesh, upper Assam, Manipur and Nagaland, headquarted at Dimapur) during the Eucharistic celebration presided over by Bishop George Palliparamabil of Miao Diocese in Arunachal Pradesh.
Present on the occasion were the outgoing Provincial Fr. Nestor Guria and his council, Most Rev. Bishop Dennis Panipitchai (Auxiliary Bishop of Miao), Fr. Kanaga Maria Arokiam (Regional Councillor for South Asia), Fr. Nirmal Gomes (Salesian Provincial of Kolkata Province), Fr. Alex Benny (Financial Administrator of Guwahati Province), Fr. George Maliekal (former Provincial of Shillong Province), Sr. Elizabeth George (Provincial of the FMA Province of Shillong), many religious and diocesan priests, men and women religious as well as members of the Salesian Family.
Fr. Kuruvachira was born on 7th March 1958 in Kerala. He officially joined the Salesian (Don Bosco) Society on 24 May 1978 and was ordained priest on 29 December 1988. From 1989 till 1997 he was posted in Salesian College of Higher Education (SCHE), Dimapur. From 1997 to 2002 he was in Rome and obtained Ph.D. degree in Vocational Pedagogy. From 2002 to 2019 he was back in SCHE, Dimapur. From 2010 till date he was Professor of Indian Philosophy in the Pontifical Salesian University, Rome. In April 2018 there was an election to choose the successor to the outgoing Provincial of Dimapur Province, Fr. Nestor Guria sdb. In June 2018 Rev. Fr. Angel Fernandes Artime sdb, Superior General of the Salesian Congregation, headquartered in Rome, declared Fr./Dr. Jose Kuruvachira sdb as the successor to Fr. Nestor Guria.
During the installation of Fr. Kuruvachira as the new Provincial of Dimapur province, Fr. Kanaga Maria Arokiam, representing Rev. Fr. Angel Fernandes, wished the new Provincial God’s blessings and success in guiding the destiny of Dimapur Province for the next six years. The new team to assist Fr. Kuruvachira consists of : Fr. Nazarius Lakra (Vice Provincial), Fr. Nebu Mathew (Financial Administrator), Fr. Alex Pulimoottil, Fr. Kottarathil Mathai, Fr. Kreni Salew Peter, Fr. Paul Panii and Fr. Selvaraj Stanislaus (Provincial Council members).
