Saju Muthalaly
Saju Muthalaly | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Loughborough | |
| Church | Church of England |
| Diocese | Diocese of Leicester |
| In office | 2022 to present |
| Other post(s) | Assistant Bishop of Coventry (November 2023–present) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 2008 (deacon) 2009 (priest) |
| Consecration | 25 January 2022 by Justin Welby |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Varghese Malayil Lukose Muthalaly 1979 (age 44–45) |
| Denomination | Anglicanism |
| Spouse | Katy |
| Children | Four |
| Alma mater | Southern Asia Bible College, Bangalore Wycliffe Hall, Oxford |
Varghese Malayil Lukose "Saju" Muthalaly (born 1979) is an Indian-British Anglican bishop. Since 2022, he has been the Bishop of Loughborough, a suffragan bishop in the Church of England's Diocese of Leicester.
Early life and education
Muthalaly was born in 1979 in South India.[1][2] He grew up in a leprosy hospital in Bangalore, where his mother was a nurse.[3] His family were part of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, and he "committed his life to Christ" as a teenager.[3] He studied at the Southern Asia Bible College in Bangalore, graduating with a Bachelor of Theology (BTh) degree in 2001.[2][4] Having moved to the United Kingdom in 2001,[5] he trained for ordination at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, an evangelical Anglican theological college, and graduated from the University of Oxford with a further BTh in 2008.[2][3]
Ordained ministry
Muthalaly was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 2008 and as a priest in 2009.[2] From 2008 to 2011, he served his curacy at St Thomas' Church, Lancaster, a charismatic evangelical church in the Diocese of Blackburn.[1][2] He then moved to the Diocese of Carlisle, where he was an associate vicar at St Thomas' Church, Kendal and St Catherine's Church, Crook from 2011 to 2015.[1] In 2015, he joined St Mark's Church, Gillingham and St Mary's Island in the Diocese of Rochester as priest in charge.[2][4] He was made vicar of St Mark's Gillingham in 2019.[2]
On 12 November 2021, it was announced that Muthalaly had been appointed the next Bishop of Loughborough, the suffragan bishop of the Diocese of Leicester, in succession to Guli Francis-Dehqani.[1] He was consecrated a bishop by Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, on 25 January 2022 at St Paul's Cathedral;[6] reportedly becoming the youngest bishop in the Church of England.[4] On 9 November 2023, he also became part-time Assistant Bishop of Coventry during the coinciding vacancies in the diocesan See and the See of Warwick; in that role, he assists Ruth Worsley (Acting Bishop of Coventry) one day a week.[7]
Personal life
Muthalaly is married to Katy; together they have four children. In his spare time, he is a keen cricketer and has represented the Canterbury & Rochester (Rocherbury) Diocesan team and West Farleigh CC where he has shone as a big hitting all-rounder.[8] He captained the Diocesan team to the Semi Finals of the Church Times Cup in 2017.[9][3][5]
References
- ^ a b c d "Suffragan Bishop of Loughborough: 12 November 2021". GOV.UK. Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street. 12 November 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Varghese Malayil Lukose (Saju) Muthalaly". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Next Suffragan Bishop of Loughborough Announced". Diocese of Leicester. 12 November 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
- ^ a b c Davies, Madeleine (12 November 2021). "Kerala and Kent provide the next Bishop of Loughborough". Church Times. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
- ^ a b "Meet the Trustees". Simeon's Trustees and Hyndman's Trustees. Archived from the original on 28 November 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
- ^ "Bells ring out as Saju and Lusa are consecrated bishops at St Paul's Cathedral". Diocese of Leicester. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
- ^ "Bishop Saju to support Coventry Diocese during Vacancy-in-See". Diocese of Leicester. 13 September 2023. Archived from the original on 16 November 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "West Farleigh CC". wfarleigh.play-cricket.com. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
- ^ "Cricket: Lichfield and London to meet again in Cricket final". www.churchtimes.co.uk. Retrieved 24 December 2021.