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Diocese of Tirunelveli of the Church of South India

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See also: Anglican Bishop of Tinnevelly

Diocese of Tirunelveli
Location
CountryIndia
Ecclesiastical provinceChurch of South India
Statistics
Congregations718 in 2014
Members1.34,277 in 2014
Information
Established1859
CathedralHoly Trinity Cathedral, Palayamkottai
LanguageTamil, English, Malayalam
Current leadership
BishopA.R.G.S.T. Barnabas
Website
www.csitirunelveli.org
Holy Trinity Cathedral, Palayamkottai

The Diocese of Tirunelveli is one among the 24 dioceses of the Church of South India (CSI). It is based at Tirunelveli, in the state of Tamil Nadu, southern India.

In 2014, the diocese had 718 churches, 99 pastors, and a membership of 1,34,277;[1] it also ran 342 schools and fifteen colleges and hospitals. Holy Trinity Cathedral, at Palayamkottai is the Cathedral of Tirunelveli Diocese. The churches were established by the Church Missionary Society (CMS) missionaries and the Society for Propagating the Gospel (SPG) missionaries. In the year of 1919 Tinnevely Diocese Trust Association (TDTA) was formed by uniting both mission and also with Baptists and Presbyterians churches in the neighbourhood.

History

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In October 1896, Tinnevelly (the British name for Tirunelveli[2]) was separated from the Diocese of Madras and Rev. Samuel Morley was ordained as the first Bishop of the newly formed diocese.[3][4]

V. S. Azariah, the first Indian bishop, came from Tirunelveli Diocese.

Issues in 2015

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In November 2015, the Tirunelveli diocese increased the annual membership amount (in Tamil: Kanikkai) from Rs 100 to Rs 500. The retirement age of the pastors also increased by the CSI synod from 65 to 67, and a correction was made in the rule to permit pastors to remove someone from the diocese. Against all these decisions, members raised their voices. They requested to take a vote to implement these changes, but the Bishop ignored them and said that these changes are acceptable without proper voting. The members have thrown chairs to display their opposition. Due to the decision to increase the retirement age, J J Christdoss's retirement age also increased.[5][6][7][8]

Issues in 2014

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In 2014, one school teacher committed suicide as she was transferred. The diocese management was blamed for this.[9]

2008 Issues

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In 2008, the then administration led by a bus company owner rigged the election and but were eventually defeated in the election.[10]

Bishops of the Diocese

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  1. Samuel Morley (1896–1903)
  2. Arthur Williams (1905–1914)
  3. Edward Waller (1915–1923)
  4. Norman Tubbs (1923–1928)
  5. Frederick Western (1923–1928)
  6. Stephen Neill (1939–1944)
  7. George Selwyn (1945–1952)
  8. Augustine Jebaraj (1953–1970)
  9. Thomas Garrett (1971–1974)
  10. Daniel Abraham (1975–1984)
  11. Jason Dharmaraj (1985–1999)
  12. Jeyapaul David (1999–2009)
  13. JJ Christdoss (2009-2020)
  14. A.R.G.S.T. Barnabas (2021 onwards)

Educational Institutions under the Diocese

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  • Primary and Middle Schools -323
  • Higher Secondary Schools-13
  • Colleges -6
  • Teacher Training Institutes -3

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Official website, retrieved 2023-10-04
  2. ^ Biblical Studies website, Indian Journal of Theology, Volume 46, A Brief History of Missions in Tirunelveli by D B Daughrity, page 76
  3. ^ Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research, Genesis of the Tirunelveli Diocese Trust by Stella Mary, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University
  4. ^ Mission Studies website, A Brief History of Missions in Tirunelveli (Part One) by Rev. Dyron B Daughrity
  5. ^ Dinakaran (daily newspaper Tamil);13 November 2015;Page 2
  6. ^ "நெல்லை சி.எஸ்.ஐ., கவுன்சில் கூட்டத்தில் நாற்காலி வீச்சு: பிஷப்பிற்கு எதிர்ப்பு". Archived from the original on 5 January 2016.
  7. ^ "நெல்லை டயோசீசன் கூட்டத்தில் நாற்காலிகள் வீச்சு: போலீஸ் குவிப்பு". Archived from the original on 13 January 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  8. ^ "சி.எஸ்.ஐ., டயோசீசன் கூட்டத்தில் குழப்பம் ! உறுப்பினர்கள் சேர்களை வீசி ரகளை! - Dinamalar". www.dinamalarnellai.com. Archived from the original on 5 January 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. ^ "Tamil News, Tamil latest news, Tamilnadu news, தமிழ், தமிழ் செய்திகள், தமிழ் சினிமா, அரசியல், World news, Crime news, Business news". Archived from the original on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  10. ^ "நெல்லை பிஷப்புக்கு சரமாரி அடி, உதை - கார் உடைப்பு".
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