Fr. Leslie D’Souza appointed new Bishop of Udupi Diocese

Fr. Leslie Clifford D’Souza, parish clergyman of the Our Lady of Health Church successful Shirva, was appointed the Bishop of Udupi Diocese by Pope Leo XIV connected Saturday.

The assignment follows the status of Bishop Gerald Isaac Lobo (76) from Saturday. Bishop Lobo served arsenic the Bishop of Shivamogga from 2000 to 2012 and arsenic Bishop of Udupi from 2012 to 2026.

Born connected August 19, 1962 successful Uchchila (Yermal) of Udupi territory to Lawrence D’Souza and Cecilia, Fr. D’Souza belongs to a ample household of 8 siblings. He had the superior acquisition astatine Saraswati Mandir Higher Primary School, Uchila, followed by secondary acquisition astatine Government Fisheries High School, Yermal . He completed pre-university acquisition astatine Poorna Pragya College, Adamar.

Fr. D’Souza studied doctrine astatine St. Joseph’s Inter-Provincial Seminary, Mangaluru, a B.A. grade from the University of Mysore, a Bachelor of Theology grade from the Pontifical Urbaniana University, Rome, M.A. successful English Literature from University of Mysore, a Diploma successful Depth Psychology and Formation from the Bangalore Institute of Psychology and Training, a Licentiate successful Theology and a Doctorate successful Moral Theology from the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium.

He was ordained a clergyman for the Diocese of Mangalore connected May 10, 1990. He served astatine the Holy Rosary Church, Kundapur and the Holy Cross Church, Kulashekara, arsenic an adjunct priest. He besides served arsenic a prof and trainer of motivation theology astatine St. Joseph’s Inter-Provincial Seminary, Mangaluru.

He was besides the Chaplain of St. John the Evangelist Church, Pangla/Shankarapura and Mount Rosary Church, Kallianpur-Santekate. Since June 2022, Fr. D’Souza has been serving astatine the Shirva Church. He was the Secretary of the Council of Priests from 2022 to 2025, and presently serves arsenic the Principal Priest of Shirva Zone.