Francis Serrao was born on 15 August 1959 in
Moodabidri,
Karnataka, India, one of eleven children born to Piedade Serrao and Gracy Mary Serrao. He has five brothers who are priests and a sister who is a religious. Serrao joined the
Society of Jesus on 3 January 1979. He completed his philosophy and theology studies at the
Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth in
Pune and then earned a master's degree in theology from
Vidyajyoti College of Theology in New Delhi. He took his final vows as a Jesuit on 1 May 1999. He was ordained a priest for the Society of Jesus on 30 April 1992 by Bishop
Basil D'Souza of Mangalore. He worked in the Jesuits' social apostolate for the dalit and tribal people at Mundgod mission in the Diocese of Karwar in 1991/1992 and from 1994 to 1997. He was pastor of St. Joseph Church in
Anekal from 2000 to 2004, and then superior of the Jesuit Mission in
Bajapur for 2003/2004. He served as rector of
St. Aloysius College in
Mangalore, an institution with more than 11,000 students, from 2004 to 2009. He was provincial of the Karnataka Jesuit Province from 2009 to 2014. He received his episcopal consecration on 7 May 2014 from Archbishop
Salvatore Pennacchio, Apostolic Nuncio to India. On 15 August 2025,
Pope Leo XIV named him bishop of Mysore. He was installed on 7 October 2025. == References ==