Fr. Varghese Payapilly to be declared Venerable

Fr. Varghese Payapilly, the founder of the Sisters of Destitute (SD), will be declared Venerable at a function at St John Church, Konthuruthy, near here, on April 26.

He will be the first from the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese and the fifth from the Syro-Malabar Church to attain Venerable status, Auxiliary Bishop of the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese Mar Sebastian Edayanthrath told the media here on Tuesday.

Born in 1876

Fr. Payapilly was born at Konthuruthy on August 8, 1876 and ordained as priest after training at the Candy Papal Seminary.

He served as vicar in many churches and provided spiritual guidance to numerous priests and nuns.

The great floods of 1924 saw him reach out to thousands of affected people and provide help.

He began special homes for the aged and the destitute at a time when there was little institutional help for them.

The SD community of nuns is now spread over 11 countries, providing help to the needy and the powerless. The process for conferring the Venerable status on him began when Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil was the Major Archbishop of the church.

The mass in which Fr. Payapilly will be conferred the Venerable status will be led by Cardinal Mar George Alenchery.