Church mourns death of Malabar monsignor

Published Date: June 30, 2009

The Church has mourned the death of Monsignor C.J. Varkey, who served Christians, Hindus and Muslims in Kerala state´s Malabar region for nearly six decades.

About 10,000 people attended the funeral of Monsignor C.J. Varkey

Some 10,000 people attended the priest´s funeral on June 27 at Kulathuvayal, a village in Kozhikode (formerly Calicut) district. The priest died three days earlier at the age of 88.

Monsignor Varkey´s death was “a great loss for the Indian Church,” said Bishop Paul Chittilappilly of Thamarassery, the diocese covering Kulathuvayal.

According to the prelate, the late priest´s contributions to spiritual and social development in the region were remarkable. “He was one of the most admired figures in Kerala Church and a leader of the charismatic renewal movement in the state,” Bishop Chittilappilly said.

In 1976, Monsignor Varkey started the Malabar region´s first charismatic retreat center that now attracts thousands of people. He also founded the Missionary Sisters of Mary Immaculate in 1962 that now has 123 houses and 750 members working in various parts of the world.

“He was a man of great vision, spirituality and farsightedness,” said Sister Joyce, the congregation´s current superior general.

The funeral services were held at Nirmala Retreat Centre in Kulathuvayal. Retired Archbishop Jacob Thoomkuzhy of Trichur, Archbishop George Valiamattam of Tellicherry and Bishop Lawrence Mukkuzhy of Belthangady joined Bishop Chittilappilly at the services, along with hundreds of priests and nuns.

Monsignor Varkey, popularly known as Varkey Achan (”Father” Varkey) was based in Kulathuvayal, about 50 kilometers east of Kozhikode town, and for 58 years he worked across four northern districts of Kerala.

He came to Kulathuvayal in 1951 when the region was an underdeveloped hill area with no roads, schools or churches. Most Christians in Malabar are migrants. Migration began during the economic Depression of the 1930s and continued for decades.

Pope Benedict XVI gave the priest the honorary title of monsignor in 2007 in recognition of his service to the Church.

Appachan Kumblani, a 57-year-old Catholic layman said that soon after his arrival, Monsignor Varkey began organizing people of all religions to build roads and bridges. He started the first school in Kulathuvayal in 1954 and encouraged other parishes in the diocese to open schools before building churches. “Schools were a great blessing for all as they accelerated the region´s development,” he said.

Monsignor Varkey (file photo)

Archbishop Thoomkuzhy, the former prelate of neighboring Mananthavady diocese, noted that the late priest always encouraged lay initiatives. Monsignor Varkey “empowered lay people, guided and directed them well,” he told UCA News.

Johnson Poovathinkal, 46, a Catholic lay leader and bank manager, said he was inspired by Monsignor Varkey to become a Gospel preacher. “It is he who guided me over the past 15 years,” he said.

Benny Punnathara, 46, chairman of the Shalom Media Foundation, hailed the late priest as the “patriarch of the charismatic renewal in Malabar.” Shalom Television, the first Gospel-based channel in Kerala, was Monsignor Varkey´s brainchild, Punnathara said.

People from other religions also recalled the priest´s services. Ahmed Kodiyeri of Kulathuvayal says no person who has associated with Monsignor Varkey would forget him. “He was a great man who organized Christians, Hindus and Muslims and made the material and spiritual development of this region possible,” said the 64-year-old Muslim vendor.

Kunhikrishnan Nair, a Hindu who came to pay his respects to the priest, said “Varkey Achan” had fought to develop Malabar. “He helped everyone who approached him without any consideration of their religion. He was a man who walked and worked with all kinds of people.”

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