ASIA/BANGLADESH - Appointment of the Bishop of Dinajpur

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The Holy Father Benedict XVI appointed Rev. Sebastian Tudu, of the clergy of Dinajpur, Vice Rector of the Holy Spirit Major Seminary in Dhaka and Diocesan Director of Pontifical Mission Societies as Bishop of the Diocese of Dinajpur (Bangladesh) on October 29, 2011.
Rev. Sebastian Tudu was born on June 17, 1967 in Changura in the District of Gaibandha, in the diocese of Dinajpur. He completed his secondary education at St. Philip's High School in Dinajpur, residing at the Minor Seminary of Dinajpur, and then attended Dinajpur Government School. He then continued his education at Notre Dame College in Dhaka, with residence at St. Joseph's Minor Seminary in Dhaka, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts. He later studied at Holy Spirit Major Seminary in Dhaka for the ecclesiastical formation. He was ordained a priest on 30 December 1999 and incardinated in the diocese of Dinajpur. He subsequently held the following positions: 2000-2003: Assistant priest at St. Francis Parish in Dinajpur; 2003-2007: Studies for a Ph.D. in Missiology at the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome, residing at the Pontifical College of St. Paul; 2007-2009: Assistant priest at Fatima Rani Church in Ruhea. Since 2009 he has been Vice-Rector of the Holy Spirit Major Seminary in Dhaka.
The Diocese of Dinajpur (1927), suffragan of the Archdiocese of Dhaka, has an area of 17,500 square kilometers and a population of 16,529,090 inhabitants, of whom 46,578 are Catholics. There are 15 parishes and 18 mission stations served by 56 priests (34 diocesan and 22 religious), 7 religious brothers, 141 nuns, 8seminarians and 36 catechists. (SL) (Agenzia Fides 31/10/2011)