He was the former Secretary General of the Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council (KCBC).
The new Bishop was received at St Michael's Church, West Hill, and later escorted to the main venue of the ceremony conducted by Vatican Ambassador to India Salvatore Pennacchio.
A large number of priests and heads of various congregations from the state and outside were present.
Born on February 7, 1953 at Malapallipuram in Thrissur district, he joined the seminary at Mangalore after schooling. He was ordained priest on April 2, 1981 in Mother of Gold Cathedral, Calicut. During 1986 and 1991 he did his doctorate in canon law from Pontifical Urban University, Rome, and was appointed Bishop on November 5, 1998, to be later consecrated as the first Bishop of Kannur on February 7, 1999.