The Most Reverend John Augustine

Archbishop & Metropolitan of India and The Primate

of the Church of India, C.I.P.B.C. (Anglican)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

The Most Reverend John Augustine is the Archbishop & Metropolitan of India and the Primate of the Church of India, C.I.P.B.C. — the historic, autonomous Anglican Province in India constituted under the Indian Church Act of 1927 (17 & 18 Geo. V, c.40) and continues under Article 372 of the Constitution of India.

He is the President of the Episcopal Synod (College of Bishops) and the Primate of the C.I.P.B.C and The General Council. The Church of India (C.I.P.B.C.) is the only mainline, original and historic Anglican body in India with roots dating to 1600.

ORDINATION & EPISCOPAL MINISTRY

ORDER / EVENT DETAILS

Born 25 June 1962, Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, India (born as John Baptist Augustine Shah)

Priestly Ordination 4 December 1995 (Feast of St. Clement of Alexandria) at St. Mary’s Church, Rajajipuram, Lucknow —

 by The Rt. Rev. James, Bishop Ordinary of the Missionary Diocese of Australia and Acting Metropolitan of India  (sub conditione)

Episcopal Consecration 22 October 2003 (Feast of the Martyrs of New Guinea) at the Synod of the Original Province, Anglican Catholic Church,

 Metairie, Louisiana, USA Principal Consecrator The Most Rev. John-Charles Vockler Co-consecrators The Rt. Rev. Mark Haverland (now Archbishop & Metropolitan of ACC – Original Province); The Rt. Rev. Rommie Michael  Starks; The Rt. Rev. William McLean Jr.; The Rt. Rev. Stanley Francis Lazarczyk Enthroned 24 February 2005 (Feast of St. Matthias) as Bishop of Lucknow and the Archbishop & the Metropolitan of India  at Christ Church, Lucknow

ANCESTRAL HERITAGE — THE SAH FAMILY OF BETTIAH

His Grace hails from the Sah Family of Bettiah, Bihar — one of the oldest Christian families of North India — with seven generations of unbroken Christian faith since 7 December 1745. [Shah]

In 1745, Raja Dhurup Singh invited Italian Capuchin Fr. Joseph Mary Bernini to establish the Bettiah Mission, blessed by Pope Benedict XIV on 7 December 1745. Among its first 1000 members was Ram Lal Sah (b. around 1720), Royal Goldsmith to the Raja.[Shah]

Lineage to His Grace:

1. Ram Lal Sah (Rami Sah) — b. around 1720 — Embraced faith 7 Dec 1745 — Royal Goldsmith, Bettiah Raj — Latin: Rami Sah.[Shah]

2. Joseph Sah (Shah) — b. around 1750 — Son of Ram Lal Sah — Latin: Josephus filius Rami Sah.

3. Casmir Sah (Shah) — b. around 1780 — Son of Joseph Sah.

4. Joseph Casmir Sah (Shah) — b. around 1815 — Father of Augustine Sah.

5. Augustine Sah (Shah) — b. around 1869 — Father of Zallasious.

6. Dr. Zallasious Augustine Sah (Shah) — b. on 3rd Oct 1901, Bettiah — Missionary in Allahabad, Varanasi & Ghazipur — Helped build Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Ghazipur.

7. The Most Rev. John Augustine — b. on 25th  June 1962, Ghazipur — Son of Dr. Zallasious — Seventh Generation — Archbishop & Metropolitan of India — Original family name Sah (Shah).

FAMILY AND EARLY LIFE

His Grace is the youngest of 13 children of Dr. Zallasious Augustine Shah and his mother, Catherine Augustine — native of Bettiah, Bihar, a dedicated Christian missionary who served the Catholic Church in Allahabad, Varanasi and Ghazipur for decades and helped to build and establish Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Ghazipur.

His father, who had raised a large family over nearly four decades of married life in dedicated Christian service, was called to eternal rest when His Grace was only four years old (in 1966). Left as the youngest child in a family of thirteen, His Grace was brought up in faith and discipline by his mother and elder siblings, imbibing missionary zeal and resilience from childhood in Ghazipur, in the very parish his father had helped to build — Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Ghazipur.

VOCATION AND FORMATION

At the age of 12, he responded to the divine call and entered St. Theresa’s Apostolic School (Minor Seminary), Ajmer, Rajasthan. He completed his academic studies at St. Anselm’s Higher Secondary School, Ajmer, and subsequently pursued his philosophical and theological formation at St. Joseph’s Regional Major Seminary, Allahabad (Prayagraj).

A TRUE WARRIOR OF CHRIST — MILES CHRISTI

The Church recognizes His Grace as a true Defender of the Faith (Defensor Fidei) and a Warrior of Christ (Miles Christi) in the lineage of St. Athanasius.

His sole life-goal and sacred vow is to restore the Church of India, C.I.P.B.C. to its true canonical position, protect and reclaim the historic properties and assets of the Church of India from unlawful encroachment by the Church of South India (C.S.I.) and the Church of North India (C.N.I.), and defend the flock from those who falsely claim episcopal authority without valid consecration or jurisdiction.

He stands as a Confessor of Orthodoxy, labouring to bring back the Church of India to true orthodoxy, apostolic order, and the fullness of the Catholic Faith as enshrined in the Book of Common Prayer, the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, and the Affirmation of St. Louis.

PRESENT MINISTRY

As Archbishop, he serves as Metropolitan of all India and Primate of the Church and Head of the General Council. Under his leadership, the Church of India (C.I.P.B.C.) is autonomous and governed solely by its own Episcopal Synod (College of Bishops) and by its own Constitution, Canons and Rules [C.C.R.].