| Fr. Varghese Palakkappillil (Payyappilly) | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 8, 1876, Konthuruthy, Kerala, India |
| Died | October 5, 1929 (aged 53), Alwaye, Kerala, India |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Feast | 05 October |
| Part of a series on Christianity in India | |
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| Background | |
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Nasrani | |
| People/Saints | |
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St. Thomas the Apostle | |
| Churches | |
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Syro-Malabar Catholic Church | |
Servant of God Varghese Palakkappillil (Malayalam: വര്ഗീസ് പാലയ്ക്കാപ്പിള്ളില്) was the founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Destitute. He is widely known as Fr.Varghese Payyappilly.
Life[]
Fr.Varghese was born as Kunjuvaru on August 8, 1876, at Konthuruthy, Kerala to Palakkappillil Lonan and Kunjumariam. He belongs to the Palakkappillil family (also known as Palakkappilly or Payyappilly) which is a Syrian Malabar Nasrani family.
He started his primary schooling in Perumanoor and had his high school education at St. Albert's School, Ernakulam. He learnt Latin from Puthenpally Seminary. He received his religious training at the Papal Seminary, Kandy, Sri Lanka and was ordained a priest on 21 December 1907. He served as parish priest in Kadamakkudy (1909-11), Alengad (1911-13) and Arakuzha (1920-22). During his tenure in Arakuzha he started a school there. He also purchased 12 acres of land in M.C.Road for constructing the Meenkunnam Church.
He was manager of St.Mary's High School, Alwaye (1913-20,1922-29). It is wll known that in his time, the School and Boarding was a seedbed of priestly vocations as testified in the autobiography by Cardinal Joseph Parecattil. The concern and the care for the poor and the suffering, for which Fr.Varghese was well known throughout his life, were noted particularly, the way he helped the victims of the flood of the year 1924.
Fr.Varghese founded the Congregation of the Sisters of the Destitute in Chunangamvely on 19 March 1927. Now it is spread over 4 continents in 54 dioceses.
He died an untimely death on 5 October 1929, falling a victim to typhoid. He is buried in St. John Nepumsian Church, Konthuruthy.
A road near the Provincial House of Sisters of the Destitute in Chunangamvely is named after Fr.Varghese[1].
Servant of God[]
The Cause of the Beatification of Rev.Fr.Varghese Palakkappillil was initiated by His Eminence Mar Varkey Cardinal Vithayathil, Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly in a ceremony held at the motherhouse of the Sisters of the Destitute on 6 September 2009[2].