Mar Joseph Kundukulam

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He was born on 26th September 1917 in a village called Parappur in the diocese of Trichur. His parents - Kuriyappan and Unicharu - were highly religious minded. He had two brothers and two sisters. Both the sisters joined the CMC Congregation.

He had his minor seminary formation in Thrissur and his study of Philosophy and Theology at St. Joseph’s Pontifical Seminary, Aluva. He was ordained a priest on 20th December 1942 by Mar Augustine Kandathil, the then Archbishop of Ernakulam. 

Afterward, he was appointed by Mar George Alappat, the Bishop of Trichur, as an assistant parish priest and afterward the vicar in a good number of parishes in the diocese of Trichur. His deep prayer life, apostolic zeal, and compassion for the poor made him very dear to all the people of the parishes wherever he served. In addition to that, he was a very popular and impressive preacher of the word of God so much so that he was often called for preaching retreats in the churches and giving talks in the various prayer centers of Kerala. 

Highly impressed by his holy of life, compassion for the poor, and zeal for the people of God, in the year 1958 he was appointed by Bishop George Alappat, as the Vicar of St. Ann’s Church, and the director of St. Ann’s orphanage at West Fort, near Thrissur. He worked hard for the all-round development of the parish; together with that he was concerned with giving utmost care and protection of the inmates of the orphanage. It was during those days that he came very close to Rev. Fr. Joseph Vilangadan, the future co-founder of the Nirmala Dasi Society. A new home with the name St. Christina’s Home was started in Pullazhy, near Thrissur, on 15th August 1967 at the initiative of Fr. Joseph Vilangadan.  Bishop George Alappat appointed Fr. Kundukulam as the director of the institute.  

After the retirement of Bishop George Alappat, Mar Joseph Kundukulam was appointed as his successor and Bishop of Trichur. His Episcopal consecration took place on 16th August 1970. During his period of administration, there was enormous development for the diocese in the spiritual, social, and apostolic fields. He was respected by all regardless of caste, religion, and position. He had a very close association with the civil authorities and leaders of the society. Above all, he captured the minds of the people as a very powerful speaker of the word of God and as an ambassador of Christ’s compassionate love and mercy for the poor. He was popularly called “Pavangalude Pithavu” meaning the Father of the Poor. He was made the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Thrissur on 21st August 1995.  

He was called to eternal rest on 26th April 1998 while he was on a visit to his daughters serving in Kenya and was buried in the Lourdes Metropolitan Cathedral Thrissur on 29th April 1998.  

The spirituality of Mar Joseph Kundukulam may be summarised in his own Episcopal motto “All for all.” After the example of St. Paul (1Cor. 9:22), he made himself a holocaust of love and sacrifice for all – for God, for the people, for the poor and orphaned, for the sick and derelict, for the widows, children, and homeless, and for his own spiritual daughters, the Nirmala Dasis. The most striking features of his holy personality are the following: Complete trust in God; union with God through prayer; fidelity to his priestly and consecrated life;  a life ‘for the poor, with the poor and like the poor;’ exceptional zeal in preaching the word of God; commitment to the missionary call of the Church to all the nations and peoples; a simple and sweet way of dealing with others; his insistence that his spiritual daughters, the Nirmala Dasis, should persevere in serving Jesus the poor by serving the poor with them (Mt. 25:34-40), in which he summarised the apostolic charism of the Society of the Nirmala Dasis which he founded.