Media Release

Mangaluru, Jun 18: The diocese of Mangalore has officially appointed Fr Naveen Pinto as the new coordinator for pastoral commissions, marking a strategic leadership shift in diocesan pastoral governance. The appointment comes into effect today.

Fr Naveen currently serves as the judicial vicar at the bishop’s house (since 2023). He was also administrator of St Joseph Seminary, Jeppu from 2022 to 2025 and continues to serve as a visiting faculty at the seminary. He will now additionally coordinate and streamline the activities of all diocesan-level pastoral commissions. He resides at Angelore Parish.

The pastoral commissions are integral to the mission of the diocese, encompassing areas such as catechetics, youth apostolate, social concerns, interreligious dialogue, liturgy, and family life, among others.

He succeeds Fr Faustine Lucas Lobo, who served as diocesan coordinator since May 29, 2023, while also serving as parish priest of Kinnigoli and later appointed as the director-designate of Father Muller Charitable Institutions, Kankanady. He has now officially taken charge as the director of Father Muller Charitable Institutions, a major healthcare and educational network in the diocese.

Fr Faustine, who previously served as the national director of the pontifical mission organizations, brought a wealth of experience in mission coordination and pastoral planning. During his tenure, he strengthened synodal structures, promoted collaboration among commissions, and streamlined their functioning at the parish, deanery, and diocesan levels. Notably, he also published the second edition of the diocesan pastoral plan (2024–2026), providing strategic direction for pastoral initiatives across the diocese.