Prominent Figures of the Kerala Church -121
Fr. George Velipparamban
Fr. George Velipparamban, the founding leader of the Kerala Latin Catholic Association, spiritual guide, prominent journalist, and President of the International Catholic Press Association, was born on October 19, 1930, in Cheranalloor village. His father, a well-known temple architect, was a renowned figure in the region. His mother, Mary, hailed from the families of Eloor Vadassery and Kottuvally Kaloor. The Velipparamban family had settled in Cheranalloor about two hundred years ago, originating from the ancestral home in the ancient Nazreth parish in Kochi. His ancestors include Chacko Velipparamban, a significant figure in the 1599 Udayam Perur Synod, who served as the main secretary, bilingual interpreter, and canonist for Archbishop Dom Alexis Menezes of the Syro-Malabar Church.
Fr. George’s forefather, Peruvin, was a disciple of the renowned architect and modern construction expert, Brother Leo O.C.D., who also worked on the renovation of the Warappuzha St. Joseph Cathedral in 1924. This familial connection to architecture and church building is noteworthy. Peruvin played a key role in several significant construction projects such as the Warappuzha Church, Mangalappuzha Seminary, and other churches, large and small, including Milagres Church in Vypin, Our Lady of the Pillar Church in Pallippuram, the Vallarpadam Ransom Church, and St. Anthony’s Church in Panangatt.
Fr. George, the third of eight children born to Peruvin and Mary, completed his primary education at the Cheranalloor Little Flower U.P. School. He then enrolled in the St. Joseph Minor Seminary in Warappuzha during 1945-46, followed by studies at St. Albert’s High School in Ernakulam. He passed the SSLC examination in 1949 with first-class honors and then pursued his pre-university studies at St. Albert’s College, Ernakulam, where he specialized in mathematics, physics, and chemistry. In 1951, he ranked first in his Intermediate course and graduated in 1952 with a first-class degree in Mathematics from the same institution.
After a year of Latin language studies, Fr. George entered the Aluva Apostolic Major Seminary in 1954-55, where he completed his philosophy and theology studies. On March 17, 1961, he was ordained as a priest by Bishop Joseph Attipetty of Warappuzha. He was the top graduate in his batch from the Carmelgiri Seminary and earned a Bachelor of Divinity degree with first rank. Even from a young age, George demonstrated a remarkable aptitude for writing in both Malayalam and English. In 1945-46, after finishing the seventh-grade exams, he went with his mother to watch the movie Balan, which inspired him to adapt it into a play. He then gathered his friends and, with the support of the local community, performed it on a public stage, achieving great success.
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