PANAJI
Goa-origin Msgr Stephen Fernandes was ordained as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Bombay at the Our Lady of Salvation Church in Dadar, Mumbai, on Saturday.
The Eucharistic Celebration was presided over by the principal consecrator, Apostolic Nuncio to India and Nepal Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli. The co-consecrators were Archbishop of Bombay John Rodrigues and Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio, former nuncio to India and Nepal and President of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in the Vatican.
The occasion was graced by the presence of over 30 bishops and archbishops, including Archbishop of Goa Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão (President of both the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences and the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India), Archbishop Andrews Thazhath (President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India), and Archbishop-Emeritus of Bombay Cardinal Oswald Gracias.
Faithful from across the Archdiocese, along with members of the diplomatic corps, gathered in large numbers to witness the episcopal ordination ceremony.
Pope Leo XIV had appointed Fr Stephen Fernandes as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Bombay, with the announcement made public by the Holy See Press Office on October 25, 2025.
Bishop Fernandes was born in Mumbai on September 20, 1961, and while his father, John, was from Calangute, his mother, Palmira, was from Santa Cruz. He was ordained a priest on March 31, 1990, for the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Bombay.
In his homily during the ordination ceremony, Archbishop John Rodrigues emphasised the journey of the wise men in search of Christ, their encounter with Jesus, and their choice to return by a different path, drawing parallels to the spiritual path of the newly ordained bishop.
The Archdiocese of Bombay has rejoiced in the ordination of Bishop Stephen Fernandes and assures him of its fervent prayers as he embarks on this new chapter of service to the Church.
Bishop Fernandes, who previously served as a local collaborator with the Apostolic Nunciature in India, in New Delhi, from 2018 till December 2025, is a moral theologian and an expert in the Church’s social teaching and medical ethics, having presented scholarly papers at national and international seminars. He also served in various administrative and teaching positions in the Church in India.
