Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Cochin (Fides Service) - Cardinal Varkei Vithayathil Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church will preside the Mass for the beatification of Fr Augustine Thevarparampil on 30 April in Ramapuram, Kerala. Present for the occasion papal nuncio Archbishop Pedro Lopez Quintana, Cardinal Telesphore Toppo, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, about 100 bishops and thousands of priests, religious and lay Catholics.
“I consider it a great honour and blessing that I have been asked by the Holy Father to preside this Beatification, a very special event for Syro-Malabar Catholics”, said Cardinal Vithayathil.
“While the world looks only at beauty and wealth- he continued- the Church gives importance to those who live natural and supernatural virtues. The Church tells the world that these are the real heroes who can inspire our actions, they are the holy people which the world fails to recognise or even despises”.
Fr Augustine Thevarparampil was born in 1891 in the village of Ramapuram, diocese of Palai, Kerala, where there is a large community of Syro-Malabar Catholics. He devoted his entire life to serving people excluded from society, ‘untouchables’, dalits, promoting human and spiritual development and this is why he is remembered as Kunjachan ‘little priest’ and ‘apostle of dalits’.
Fr Augustine died on 16 October 1973 and since then his burial place has been a place of pilgrimage. The beatification cause started in 1987 at the diocesan level. In 1993 the information collected was sent to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. Fr Augustine Thevarparampil will be the fourth Syro-Malbar Blessed with Sr Alfonsa of Baranaganam, Fr. Kuriakose Elias of Chavara and Mother Mariam Threisa of Ollur. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 26/4/2006 righe 26 parole 265)
