On Saturday 25 March, the small Catholic Community of Buxar will witness the installation of their new Bishop, Most Reverend James Shekhar.

The diocese was being administered by Archbishop Emeritus William D’Souza from 2020. The diocese was erected in 2005.

His Holiness Pope Francis appointed the 55 year old Fr. James Shekhar as new Bishop of Buxar, Bihar. This appointment was made public on Saturday, 4 February, 2023 in a message from Rev. Dr. Stephen Alathara Deputy Secretary General, CCBI

The diocesan territory of 11,298 square kilometers covers four districts of Bhojpur, Buxar, Kaimur and Rohtas in the southwestern part of Bihar state, known as the Shahabad region. The total number of Catholics in the diocese are about 28,000, and form just 0.2 percent of the population. It has a total of 13 parishes.

Background

Rev. James Shekhar was born on 23.09.1967 in Singamparai, Tirunelveli District, in the Diocese of Palayamkottai (Tamil Nadu).

He speaks Tamil, English, Hindi, Italian & German. He was ordained priest on 26.05.1996 for the Archdiocese of Patna.

From 1984 to 1985 he studied at Masihi Gurukul Minor Seminary,Muzaffarpur, from 1986 to 1989 he studied Philosophy at St. Joseph’s Regional Seminary, Allahabad, and from 1991 to 1995 he studied Theology at St. Joseph’s Regional Seminary, Allahabad.

He holds a Licentiate in Biblical Theology from St. Thomas Aquinas University, Angelicum, Rome (2003-2004) and a Doctorate in Biblical Theology in Innsbruck, Austria (2005-2008).

After his ordination, from 1996 to 1997, he was assistant parish priest at Mokama, in the Archdiocese of Patna.

From 1998 to 2003 he was Director of the Diocesan Commission for Youth, Professor of St. Mary’s Seminary, Chakaram, and ministering at St. Mary’s Parish, Chakaram; from 2009 to 2013, he was Secretary of the Archbishop of Patna, Deputy Secretary of the “Bijhan Regional Bishops’ Council”, external professor at St. Albert’s College, Ranchi, and external professor at Morning Star College, Barrackpore, Calcutta.

From 2015 to 2020 he has been Deputy Secretary of Bihar Bishops’ Council.

From 2021 he has been the Diocesan Director for Social Work (Patna Archdiocese)and Director of Bihar Social Forum.

Short History

The first Christian presence in the Buxar diocesan area seems to date back to 1887, when the Methodist Episcopal Church was founded. Baptists later established some centers, including the Sawtelle Memorial High School (1918) and a hospital.

Invited by some Protestant converts to Catholicism, missionaries from Patna established the first mission in Shahabad in 1937, at Ara. Other mission centers followed and Christian communities grew around them, especially in Piro, Shahpur, Buxar, Dumraon, Itarhi, Chenari, Koath, and Sasaram. As the number and size of the these communities increased, Church institutions and organizational structures grew with them, leading to significant socio-cultural change among the majority Dalit (formerly called “untouchables”) Christians of the area.

  Buxar, Buxar Diocese, Catholic Church, James Shekhar