The announcement was made public on Wednesday 9 at 12.30 pm at Vatican and Ranchi simultaneously.
Currently, bishop-designate Fr Mascarenhas is working as an official at the Pontifical Council for Culture, as the head of the departments for Asia, Africa and Oceania and the chairman of the Vatican Cricket team, ‘Saint Peter’s Cricket Club’.
Fr Mascarenhas becomes the second bishop, after Bishop Alex Dias of Andaman and Nichobar Islands (appointed bishop in 1984), from the Society of Pilar.
The episcopal ordination of Fr Mascarenhas will be scheduled along with another Bishop-elect Fr Telesphore Bilung, SVD, provincial superior of India East Province of the Society of the Divine Word, also the Auxiliary Bishop of Ranchi and Titular Bishop of Rutabo who was appointed on May 6.
Hailing from Camurlim-Salcete, Fr Mascarenhas has two brothers and a sister. One of his brother, Sebastiao Mascarenhas is a priest in the Society of Pilar, presently working as the Mission Superior of at Daman.
the Mission of Daman of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman.
The Archdiocese of Ranchi, with an area covering 5,299 sq. km. with 1,35,744 Catholics, has embraced St Francis Xavier as its patron.
The Society of Pilar was present in the Agharma-South of Ranchi since 1977. Today, there are seven Pilar Fathers working in the Archdiocese.
Fr Mascarenhas is visiting Professor for Old Testament Studies at Pilar Theological College, Goa, India, Gregorian University, Rome and St. Thomas D’Aquino University (Angelicum) Rome.
In March 2010, Fr Mascarenhas was appointed by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI as the member of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses. Fr Mascarenhas has served three Popes in the Universal Church – John Paul, Benedict XVI and Francis.
Known as one who has a flair for languages, Father Theodore can speak fluently English, Italian, German, French, Hindi, Punjabi and Konkani. Father Theodore mastered Hebrew, Greek, Syriac, Latin, Aramaic as part of Biblical Language Studies.
