People's Pastor Jerome Dhas: In Memoriam - A Tribute to Most Rev. Jerome Dhas Varuvel, SDB (1951–2026)

People's Pastor Jerome Dhas: 

In Memoriam - A Tribute to Most Rev. Jerome Dhas Varuvel, SDB (1951–2026)

By Rev. Robert John Kennedy

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The history of the Catholic Church in Tamil Nadu is written in the lives of its shepherds, but the history of the Diocese of Kuzhithurai will forever be inscribed with a single, foundational name: Bishop Jerome Dhas Varuvel. On March 24, 2026, as the Church prepared for the solemnity of the Annunciation, our first Bishop Emeritus made his final "Fiat" to the Eternal Father. He did not merely leave behind a diocese; he left behind a spiritual family that he birthed through prayer, sweat, and an unwavering Salesian joy.

The Son of Don Bosco

To understand Bishop Jerome was to understand the heart of St. John Bosco. His journey was never about the miter or the crosier; it was about the Oratory. Whether he was guiding young novices at Idaya Deepam in the Yelagiri Hills or serving as a Provincial Counselor, his philosophy remained constant: “Education is a matter of the heart.” He brought this "Pedagogy of Presence" to the rugged terrains of Thalavadi and later to the coastal reaches of Kanyakumari. He believed that the Church’s greatest asset was not its land or its gold, but its youth. Within the Tamil Nadu Bishops' Council (TNBC), he was the architect of a modernized youth ministry, insisting that our young people be "honest citizens and good Christians" in an increasingly digital world.

Building a House on Rock

In 2014, when the Diocese of Kuzhithurai was carved out of the venerable Diocese of Kottar, the task ahead was Herculean. Bishop Jerome was handed a mandate with no central office, no established curia, and the immense pressure of rising expectations.

Yet, he moved with the quiet confidence of a master builder. His administration was a masterclass in Synodality long before the term became a global priority. He didn't just appoint officials; he empowered the laity. He established the commissions—not as bureaucratic hurdles, but as lifelines for the fisherfolk, the marginalized, and the struggling students of our soil. He was a Bishop of the peripheries, preferring the humble parish feast in a remote village over the grand stage of the city.

The Liturgy of Silence

Perhaps his most profound homily was preached during his final years (2020–2026). As Parkinson’s disease and the weight of physical infirmity began to claim his voice and his mobility, Bishop Jerome entered into a "Liturgy of Silence." In the quiet rooms of St. Bede’s and the Salesian Citadel, he became the "Confessor Bishop." Even when he could no longer stand to celebrate the Mass with his former vigor, he sat for hours in the confessional, dispensing the mercy of God. He taught us that a priest’s ministry does not end when his strength fades; it simply transforms into a more perfect sacrifice. His suffering was his final gift to the Diocese of Kuzhithurai—a silent prayer for the priests and people he loved so dearly.

A Lasting Legacy

As we bid farewell to our pioneer shepherd, we do not say goodbye to his vision. We see his legacy in every rural school he strengthened, in every youth group he inspired, and in the very structural integrity of the Kuzhithurai Diocese. He was a man of the soil who reached for the stars, a scholar who spoke the language of the simple, and a Salesian who lived the "Joy of the Gospel" until his last breath.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.