Media Release
Mysuru, Apr 17: Fr Dr John Francis Sequeira, OCD, has been elected as the provincial superior of the Discalced Carmelites of the Karnataka – Goa Province during the XVI Provincial Chapter held at Dhyana Sadhana, Bogadi, Mysuru, on Friday, April 17. He succeeds Fr Silvestre D'Souza, OCD, who has served as provincial superior for the past three years.
Fr John Francis Sequeira hails from Agrar parish in the diocese of Mangalore. A distinguished academic and spiritual guide, he holds a master’s degree in philosophy from Karnataka University, Dharwad, and a second master’s degree in philosophy from the University of Vienna, Austria, where he also pursued studies in German Linguistics. He earned his doctorate in philosophy from the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), Rome, specializing in Hermeneutics - the interpretation of classical texts.
A respected scholar, Fr John serves as a visiting professor in several undergraduate and postgraduate institutes. Beyond academia, he is well known for his contributions to Human Resource Development and for his deep engagement with Carmelite spirituality and mysticism. His reflections on ‘Inner Silence and Divine Intimacy’ have inspired many.
He has been instrumental in establishing two contemplative centres: ‘Ryshivana’, a Centre for Inner Silence and Contemplation in Mangaluru, and ‘Divine Springs’, a prayer centre for youth and families at Xellim, Canacona, Goa.
Fr John is also a prolific writer and editor. He was the founder and chief editor of ‘Dhyana’, a journal for religion and spirituality, and the founder-editor of ‘Jeeva Jala’, a Kannada spiritual journal. He has contributed widely to reputed journals in philosophy and spirituality.
Among his notable publications are Discipline of Dialogue (2001), Transforming Formation (2002), Combating Terrorism (2004), Thache Mogal Vengenth (2024), In His Abiding Love: Simple Steps to Contemplative Prayer (2024), Climbing the Mountain of the Lord: A Thirty-day Retreat on Contemplative Carmelite Spirituality (2025), and Beyond the Horizons of Love: St. Thérèse for Our Times (2026).
Fr John continues to be actively engaged in research and writing in the fields of philosophy, human resource development, and mysticism.