FR. ABRAHAM MUTHOLATH
Fr. Abraham Mutholath was the first Knanaya
Catholic Vicar General and the first director of Knanaya Region in the
St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Chicago. He took initiative
in starting Knanaya Catholic missions and parishes in the United States.
He was the first director of some of those missions and the first pastor
of some of the Knanaya Catholic parishes in the United States.
As a priest ordained and incardinated in the
Archdiocese of Kottayam, Fr. Mutholath served in the parishes and
institutions of the Archdiocese of Kottayam. He authored five books in
Malayalam and has been a youth trainer. He authored many articles in
English and Malayalam and was editor of souvenir books of the
Archdiocese of Kottayam and of some parishes. Fr. Mutholath is a public
speaker and prepares homilies based on Sunday Bible Readings and on the
feasts of saints that he makes available to priests, preachers, and
Bible students through his website.
While in the United States, Fr. Mutholath served as
hospital chaplain and parish priest. As a social worker, he donated land
and building for Agape Bhavan for the physically and mentally challenged
(differently abled), Good Samaritan Resource Centre for the Blind and
Deaf, Mutholath Auditorium to financially support the projects for the
Agape and Good Samaritan centers at Cherpunkal and Impact Centre for
residential camps for the benefit of the differently abled. He has also
been supporting missionary dioceses in Northeast India, especially the
Diocese of Miao. He established Fr. Abraham Mutholathu Foundation to
continue his legacy.
CONTENTS
1
Biography
1.1
Education
2
Highlights
4
Wikipedia
5
External links
6
Books by Fr. Mutholath
Fr. Mutholath was born in October 1954 to
traditional Catholic parents in the Mutholath family in the state of
Kerala in India. He has one brother and five sisters. He is US citizen
and lives in Chicago.
Fr. Mutholath’s primary education was at
Puliyannnoor New Government Lower Primary School and at Holy Cross Upper
Primary School in Cherpunkal. From sixth grade to tenth grade, he
studied in English Medium section of St. Mary’s High School Kidangoor.
After high school, he joined St. Stanislaus Minor
Seminary at Sacred Heart Mount Kottayam. During his three years of
training there, he attended CMS College Kottayam for pre-degree course.
Then he was admitted to Pontifical Institute of Philosophy and Theology
at Alwaye in Kerala state. The course included three years of philosophy
and four years of Theology courses.
After seven years of pastoral experience, Fr.
Mutholath went to Los Angeles, California, USA, in November 1987 for
studies in Communication and Fine Arts. While staying at St. Jerome
Parish in Los Angeles he studied at California State University,
Dominguez Hills, for a certificate program in Journalism and TV
Production. Then he studied at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) and
secured an M.A. degree in TV Production in 1992.
Fr. Mutholath studied Clinical Pastoral Education
at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles in 2001–200. Later he studied at
DePaul University in Chicago for MPS (Master of Science in Public
Services) in 2004.
Fr. Mutholath was ordained as a priest by
Archbishop Mar Kuriakose Kunnacherry on December 21, 1980, at Christ the
King Cathedral Kottayam. He was then appointed as assistant vicar
(associate pastor) at St. Stephen’s Forane Church, Uzhavoor, for 15
months. Then he was vicar (pastor) of St. Michael’s Church, Veliyanad,
for three years from 1982 to 1985. From there he was transferred as
pastor of St. Mary’s Church, Pachira, for another three years before he
went for his higher studies in Los Angeles.
After his return from the United States, Fr.
Mutholath was chaplain of Knanaya Catholic Youth League (KCYL), the
youth ministry of the Archdiocese of Kottayam, from 1992 to 1999. He
also served as the director of Chaithanya Pastoral Centre of the
Kottayam Archdiocese at Thellakom near Kottayam from 1994 to 2000.
Fr. Mutholath went to Los Angeles in December 2000
to serve as chaplain at Robert F. Kennedy Medical Center in Hawthorne,
Los Angeles. He served the Kerala Catholics in Los Angeles by offering
Mass for them. Later he initiated Knanaya Catholic Mission in Los
Angeles and served as its first mission director.
Fr. Mutholath has been the director of Knanaya
Catholic Mission in Chicago since July 1, 2004. He founded Sacred Heart
Knanaya Catholic Parish in Maywood and St. Mary's Knanaya Catholic
Parish in Morton Grove. Bishop Mar Jacob Angadiath appointed him as the
first pastor of Sacred Heart Knanaya Catholic Church in Maywood in
September 2006 and as the first pastor of the St. Mary's Knanaya
Catholic Church in Morton Grove in July 2010.
Fr. Mutholath took the initiative of establishing
Visitation Convent in Los Angeles by bringing four sisters from
Visitation Congregation at Kottayam in India to serve at Daniel Freeman
Memorial Hospital in Inglewood, CA. He also helped in the establishment
of St. Joseph’s Convent in West Covina, Los Angeles, by bringing five
sisters of St. Joseph's Congregation from Kottayam in India to serve at
a hospital in West Covina. Later he helped to start Visitation Convent
in Chicago in July 2010.
Mar Jacob Angadiath, the bishop of St. Thomas
Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Chicago, appointed him on October 3,
2001, as the Syncellus (Vicar General) of the Eparchy. At the request of
the bishop he moved from Los Angeles to Chicago in February 2003.
Fr. Mutholath founded new Knanaya Catholic Missions
and parishes in the USA. He was the first mission director of Los
Angeles from 2002 to 2003. Bishop Mar Jacob Angadiath established
Knanaya Catholic Region in his diocese on April 30, 2006. Fr. Mutholath,
as Vicar General of the diocese, was appointed also as the director of
this region. Fr. Mutholath, with the support of the lay people, started
the Sacred Heart Knanaya Catholic Forane Parish at Maywood, Illinois, in
September 2006 and St. Mary’s Knanaya Catholic Parish at Morton Grove,
Illinois, on July 18, 2010. Bishop Angadiath appointed him as the first
pastor in both parishes. Fr. Mutholath was the motivating force behind
establishing many of the Knanaya Catholic Missions and parishes when he
continued to be vicar general until February 8, 2014. As of March 2017,
Fr. Mutholath continued to minister at Sacred Heart Knanaya Catholic
Forane Parish at Maywood, Illinois.
Fr. Mutholath has published five books in
Malayalam, some of which went into many editions:
You Too Can be a Leader
(നിങ്ങൾക്കും നേതാവാകാം)
published first by Janatha Books, Thevara, Kochi and later two
editions by Current Books, Kottayam.
Leadership Training (നേതൃത്വ
പരിശീലനം) Two editions, Published by D.C. Books, Kottayam.
Bible Games (ബൈബിൾ
ഗെയിംസ്) Two editions, by Janatha Books, Thevara.
Priestly Leadership Today, Tomorrow
(വൈദിക നേതൃത്വം ഇന്ന് നാളെ)
by Deepika Book House, Kottayam.
Annamma Cheduthy Amerikkayil (Annamma in America -
A satire novel in Malayalam)
അന്നാമ്മാച്ചേടത്തി അമേരിക്കയിൽ (ഹാസ്യ നോവൽ) by Yes Press
Books. Perumbavoor, Kerala.
Fr. Mutholath was the chief editor of the
following Souvenir publications:
Platinum Jubilee Souvenir of the Diocese of
Kottayam published in 1986 by Jyothi Book House Kottayam.
Jubilee Smruthi, Episcopal Silver Jubilee Souvenir
of Mar Kuriakose Kunnacherry, published in 1993 by KCYL and distributed
by Jyothi Book House, Kottayam.
Managing editor of Silver Jubilee Souvenir – 2008
published by Sacred Heart Knanaya Catholic Parish Chicago.
Managing editor of Dasavarsha Smruthi, Tenth
Anniversary Souvenir of the Sacred Heart Knanaya Catholic Parish Chicago
published in 2016.
Managing editor of "Vayal," Anniversary Souvenir of
Veliyanad YMCA - 1984 published by Veliyanad YMCA.
Besides authoring five books and editing the
above-mentioned souvenir publications, Fr. Mutholath authored the two
booklets with the history of St. Mary’s Church Pachira and Sts. Peter
and Paul Church, Cherpunkal.
He authored articles in various periodicals and
professional publications. A few examples are the following:
“Church and Social Work”, Religion and Thought
(Malayalam: “സഭയും സാമുഹ്യ പ്രവർത്തനവും”,
മതവും ചിന്തയും), A Philosophico-Theological
Bimonthly in Malayalam, March–April 1978, Pontifical Institute, Aluva.
Pages 156-175.
“Priestly Ministry in the Church History”, Religion
and Thought (Malayalam: “പൗരോഹിത്യ ശുശ്രൂഷ
സഭാചരിത്രത്തിൽ”, മതവും ചിന്തയും), A
Philosophico-Theological Bimonthly in Malayalam, January–February 1981,
Pontifical Institute, Aluva.
“Preservation of the Ecclesial Nature of Knanaya
Community in North America”, Centenary Symposia, Archdiocese of
Kottayam, 2014, pp. 497–505.
Fr. Mutholath was chief editor of Apna Des, a
Malayalam fortnightly of the Archdiocese of Kottayam. While he was
serving in that capacity from 1985–1987, he professionalized the
periodical and made it popular with a high volume of subscribers.
He was also the editor of Sacred Heart Monthly, the
official periodical of the Archdiocese of Kottayam from 1985–1987.
During the same period he served as the manager of
Catholic Mission Press and Jyothi Book House owned and operated by the
Archdiocese of Kottayam.
Fr. Mutholath served as the director of
Communication Media in the Archdiocese of Kottayam from 1992 to 2000. He
started Kottayam Communications to train young artists for TV and Film
industry. He also produced and directed videos on social issues with
artists from Malayalam Film industry along with young artists as
talents.
Fr. Mutholath wrote a screenplay in 1993 for a
Malayalam film titled Dollar directed by Raju Joseph Pralel. The film
was released in the theaters in India and was exhibited in some theaters
of the United States for people from India. The movie deals with the
issues of Indian immigrants in the United States.
Fr. Mutholath was the director of Social Services
of the Archdiocese of Kottayam and secretary of Kottayam Social Service
Society (KSSS) from 1994 to 2000. He transformed KSSS from a charitable
and welfare approach to developmental approach. He organized 565
self-help groups of the weaker sections of the community. At that time,
he had seven office staff and 109 field staff as well as hundreds of
volunteers.
He also introduced Community Based Rehabilitation
Programs in Kerala through KSSS. Fr. Mutholath also started Chaithanya
Karshika Mela at Chaithanya along with Self-help Group Festivals that
are still held towards the end of every year. He also was the founding
director of Caritas Ayurvedic Hospital at Thellakom, Kottayam. KSSS
gradually became a model social service society in India.
Returning to the United States in 2000, he started
Agape Movement in 2001, a non-profit corporation in the United States.
Through his corporation, he and many others help charitable and
Christian missionary efforts in India and in the United States.
Fr. Mutholath purchased land at Cherpunkal and
built a building called Agape Bhavan (home) that functions primarily as
a center for the physically and mentally challenged or differently
abled. This was his gift to Kottayam Social Service Society when he
celebrated the Silver Jubilee of his ordination in 2005. Agape Bhavan
also has a notebook-making unit and paper bag-making unit that give
employment for the differently abled and local self-help group members.
Notebooks and paper bags are supplied from the center to the local
educational institutions and hospitals. KSSS is running this
institution.
Fr. Mutholath helped the mission Diocese of Miao in
Arunachal Pradesh in India personally and encouraged others. Through
Agape Movement, he and others support formation of seminarians and the
construction of churches, dispensaries, and educational institutions.
Fr. Mutholath also donated 1.7 acres of his family
property that he inherited for social service purposes. This property is
adjacent to a highway and the Meenachil river. He personally donated
from his earnings a major portion of money to construct Good Samaritan
Centre at the land he donated at Cherpunkal. Later he donated money to
construct Mutholath Auditorium near Good Samaritan Centre to financially
support the on-going programs for the blind at Good Samaritan Centre, as
well as an acre for more parking space. The Archdiocese of Kottayam
named the campus as Mutholath Nagar. Later he donated money to construct
Impact Center at the Mutholath Nagar for residential training programs
on social service. Archbishop Mar Mathew Moolakkatt inaugurated the
Impact Center on December 13, 2020.
1.7 FR. ABRAHAM MUTHOLATHU FOUNDATION
Sacred Heart Knanaya Catholic Forane Parish and
Mutholath Family celebrated the Ruby Jubilee of the priestly ordination
of Fr. Abraham Mutholath at Sacred Heart Knanaya Catholic Church on
December 19, 2020. Bishop Mar Jacob Angadiath was the main celebrant of
the Holy Mass along with Bishop Mar Joy Alappatt, vicar generals and
priest representatives of the diocese. In the felicitation meeting that
followed, Bishop Mar Jacob Angadiath inaugurated Fr. Abraham Mutholath
Foundation and Bishop Mar Joy Alappatt released the website of the
foundation.
Fr. Abraham Mutholath Foundation, established by
Fr. Abraham Mutholath, is continuing the charitable and missionary
services of Fr. Abraham Mutholath under the leadership of its board of
directors. The foundation is a tax-exempt private foundation
incorporated in the state of Illinois on September 17, 2020.
The proposed programs of Fr. Abraham Mutholathu Foundation:
Continuation of the legacy of Fr. Abraham Mutholath
by financially supporting social service programs. Importance will be
given to projects for the differently abled.
Promotion of philanthropists and social workers
through awards.
Organize symposia on the latest scientific concepts
of social service.
Encouraging Self-help groups, Community Based
Rehabilitation (CBR) for the differently abled, and social workers.
Support to Catholic Missionaries and their
charitable activities.
First Knanaya Vicar General of the St. Thomas
Syro-Malabar Diocese of Chicago.
First Director of the Knanaya Catholic Region in
the United States.
First pastor of Sacred Heart Knanaya Catholic
Forane Parish, Chicago.
First pastor of St. Mary’s Knanaya Catholic Parish,
Chicago.
First Director of St. Pius X Knanaya Catholic
Mission in Los Angeles.
Motivating force behind starting various Knanaya
Catholic missions and parishes in the main cities of the United States.
Took leadership to start convents of Visitation and
St. Joseph Congregations in Los Angeles and Chicago.
Started Knanaya Catholic Parish Cemetery sections
for Sacred Heart and St. Mary's Knanaya Catholic parishes of Chicago.
Started Agape Movement, a non-profit corporation in
the United States for charitable and pastoral support.
Donated land and building of Agape Bhavan at
Cherpunkal for the physically and mentally challenged to Kottayam Social
Service Society as the Silver Jubilee gift of his ordination.
Donated land and building of Good Samaritan
Resource Centre to Kottayam Social Service Society to train the
Blind-deaf.
Donated Mutholath Auditorium to Kottayam Social
Service Society to financially support the CBR projects at Good
Samaritan Resource Centre.
Donated fund for the construction of Impact Centre
for residential training programs on social service.
Sponsored Churches in the Mission Diocese of Miao
in India.
First Director of Chaithanya Pastoral Centre at
Thellakom, Kottayam
Started Chaithanya Karshika Mela (Agricultural
Festival) at Thellakom, Kottayam
Introduced Developmental Approach with self-help
groups and Community Based Rehabilitation program at Kottayam Social
Service Society (KSSS).
First Director of Caritas Ayurvedic Hospital.
Screenplay writer of Malayalam feature film,
“Dollar.”[26]
Author of five Books.
Popularized Apna Des, the fortnightly of the
Archdiocese of Kottayam.
Chief Editor of Platinum Jubilee Souvenir of the
Archdiocese of Kottayam.
Chief Editor of the Silver Jubilee Souvenir of
Archbishop Mar Kuriakose Kunnacherry.
Started the Lower Primary School at Veliyanad
Church in Kuttanad, Kerala.
Organized Veliyanad YMCA in 1982 and was the
founding president.
Publishes homily resources for priests, preachers
and Bible students on website.
Webmaster of various websites.
The founding president of Knanaya Global Foundation
and leader of Knanayology Team.
The first president of Priests' Provident Fund in
the Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Chicago.
“Fr. Abraham Mutholath Syncellus (Vicar General)”.
Chicago, IL: Souvenir Committee, Syro-Malabar Catholic Convention. 2001.
p. 142.
Consecration Souvenir, Cherpunkal New Church
(Malayalam), February 14, 1993.
Karakkatt, Bijo (Executive Editor), Tenth
Anniversary Souvenir of Chicago Sacred Heart Knanaya Catholic Forane
Parish, 2016.
Mathrusmruthi (മാതൃസ്മൃതി),
Church establishment Souvenir, St. Mary's Knanaya Catholic Parish,
Chicago, 2010.
Silver Jubilee Souvenir – 2008, Sacred Heart
Knanaya Catholic Parish, Chicago.
Souvenir 2011, St. Pius X Knanaya Catholic Church,
Los Angeles, January 2012.
St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Diocesan Bulletin, p. 31.
Thottapuram, George, "Chronology of Events in the
Knanaya Catholic Parish in Chicago," Silver Jubilee Souvenir – 2008,
Sacred Heart Knanaya Catholic Parish Chicago, pp. 61-68.
Vazhayil, V.J. Kuncharia (1984). Origin and of
Veliyanad YMCA, VAYAL, YMCA Veliyanad - 1984. Veliyanad, Alleppy Dt.:
YMCA Veliyanad. pp. 31–33.
Sacred Heart Knanaya Catholic Church, Chicago
St. Mary's Knanaya Catholic Parish, Chicago
St. Pius X Knanaya Catholic Parish, Los Angeles
Fr.
Abraham Mutholathu Foundation
Sacred Heart
Knanaya Catholic Parish
St. Mary's Knanaya Catholic Parish
BOOKS BY FR. ABRAHAM MUTHOLATH
Book
"YOU TOO CAN BE A LEADER' in Malayalam (FLIP BOOK)
Book
LEADERSHIP TRAINING in Malayalam (FLIP BOOK)
Book
BIBLE GAMES in Malayalam (FLIP BOOK)
Book
PRIESTLY LEADERSHIP in Malayalam (FLIP BOOK)
Satire
Novel Annamma Cheduthy Amerikkayil ഹാസ്യനോവൽ അന്നാമ്മച്ചേടുത്തി
അമേരിക്കയിൽ
