PASTORAL LETTER ON KUNJACHAN

VARKEY CARDINAL VITHAYATHIL, the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church, to the Archbishops, Bishops, priests, Men and Women Religious and Lay Faithful of the Syro-Malabar Church. Blessings and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ!

Venerable Brothers and Beloved Children,

A day of great joy and honour for the Kerala Church is at hand. After the beatification of Bl. Chavara Kuriakose Elias, Bl. Alphonsa and Bl. Mariam Thresia, a fourth person is going to be declared a Blessed. Thevarparampil Kunjachan, belonging to the parish of Ramapuram in the eparchy of Palai will be declared a Blessed on 30^th April 2006. As the children of the Kerala Church are raised to the honours of the altar, one after another, it is only fitting that the Universal Church in general and the Kerala Church in particular feel honoured and rejoice and above all give thanks to Almighty God.

Thevarparampil Kunjachan was a humble priest who worked hard for the downtrodden Dalit brethren of the society. He was known only in his native place Ramapuram and its neighbourhood. He served as one of the Assistants in his own parish for forty-seven years. Although his actual name was Augustine, everyone called him Kunjachan since he was not even five feet tall. He was born on 1 April 1891 at Ramapuram in the Thevarparampil family. He was the youngest of five children. After primary education, he completed his priestly formation in the minor seminary of Changanacherry and in the seminary at Puthenpally. On 17 December 1921, he received priestly ordination from Mar Thomas Kurialacherry.

He served as an Assistant Parish Priest for one year at Ramapuram and for about three years at Kadanad. Later, due to ill-health, he returned to his own parish to take rest. It was during this period that he found by chance a new field of activity. During the annual retreat in Ramapuram parish, the retreat preachers gathered about two hundred Dalit brethren in the church and taught them the truths of our faith. Having received this religious instruction, they showed readiness to receive baptism. Kunjachan came forward to dedicate himself to the service of these people. This decision on his part eventually made Kunjachan the leader and emancipator of thousands of poor people of that village.

He continued his apostolate for the Dalit brethren till the end of his life. In the words of St. Arnold Janssen, the founder of the Society of the Divine Word, the first and foremost act of love towards the neighbour is to make known to him the Good News of Jesus Christ. Kunjachan found his fulfillment in serving others with patience and compassion, especially those abandoned by the society, seeing in them the face of Jesus. For nearly forty years he worked hard for the all-round progress of the Dalit brethren. It was a time when the social standards of the Dalits were very pathetic due to the rampant untouchability and discrimination based on colour. Not a single person among them was literate. As a result they were steeped in superstition and were doomed by the society to perform the menial duties of slaves. All these factors made Kunjachan’s ministry to them very difficult.

Kunjachan was not an outstanding person with extraordinary talents or charism. His was a simple life-style of an ordinary parish priest. He did not receive any honours or special recognition for his tireless service for the uplift of the poor. He made house-visiting a permanent feature of his daily programme. He met many of the poor people at their places of work. His only helper was a catechist. Yet, through his personal relationship, he brought many to God. Nevertheless, he had to face the opposition and severe criticism not only from the upper castes of the non-Christians, but even from the traditional Christians. But, none of these could dampen the missionary zeal of Kunjachan. He could bring more than 5000 people into the bosom of the Church.

Kunjachan established a very strong bond of personal relationship with the people he served. Because of this, he used to call them “my children” and they would call him “our priest”. He was so close to them that he could call everyone by name, from children to the old people. He maintained a spiritual register in three volumes with precise details regarding them such as the relationship among members of each family, children born, details of marriages, deaths, annual confessions, etc. He made tireless efforts to bring back those who had fallen away from the faith and those who had been unfaithful in marital fidelity.

Kunjachan’s aim was not merely the spiritual uplift of the Dalit brethren. His aim was also their social, cultural, intellectual and artistic progress for which he worked very hard. He won over the opposition with his calm and pleasing nature. He did not lose heart when the Government at the time denied privileges to the Dalits who became Christians. The constant grace of God gave him strength and courage. Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament was the source of his strength. He was also a great devotee of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He obeyed his parish priest and the bishop with great humility.

The words of our Divine Lord, “Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” (Mt 25:40) were deeply imprinted in the heart of Kunjachan. Worn out by old age and sickness, Kunjachan died on 16 October 1973. The grave of Kunjachan who was regarded as a Saint while still living, became a place of pilgrimage. The process for Kunjachan’s beatification and canonization was formally started in 1987. He became a Venerable in June 2004 when Pope John Paul II decreed that Kunjachan practiced the theological and moral virtues in a heroic manner. The process for the beatification of Kunjachan was completed on 19 December 2005 when Pope Benedict XVI approved the miracle that took place through the intercession of Kunjachan.

The Holy Father has authorized me to declare in his name Kunjachan a Blessed on Sunday 30^th April 2006 at Ramapuram. This is indeed a great blessing to the Syro-Malabar Church. Let us thank God for this marvelous grace. Let us also pray that Kunjachan may before long be numbered among the Saints of the Church. The ultimate goal of our life in this world is to acquire holiness. May the saintly life of this diocesan priest, Kunjachan, inspire not only diocesan priests, but the faithful in all walks of life, to lead a holy life.

Invoking God’s blessing upon you, in the name of + the Father and of + the Son and of + the Holy Spirit,

+Varkey Cardinal Vithayathil

Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church

Given at Kakkanad from the Major Archiepiscopal Curia of the Syro-Malabar Church at Mount St Thomas on 10^th March 2006.

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N.B: This pastoral letter is to be read out during the Holy Mass on Sunday, 23 April 2006 in all churches and Institutions where there is Sunday Mass for the public.