Prominent Figures of the Kerala Church-115 Rev. Dr. Joseph Kannath

Prominent Figures of the Kerala Church-115
Rev. Dr. Joseph Kannath

The establishment of the Pastoral Orientation Center (POC) is a significant event in the history of the Kerala Catholic Church. It played a pivotal role in coordinating the activities of the Kerala Catholic Church, which is divided into three rites, and modernizing the Church according to the spirit of the Second Vatican Council. The leadership provided by the Pastoral Orientation Center is a source of pride. The research paper titled “Pastoral Orientation Center in Kerala,” written by Father Joseph Kannath, who participated in the Pastoral Catechetical Course in Brussels at the “Lumen Vitae” Institute, was instrumental in launching POC. This paper discussed the efforts to implement this vision in Kerala. As a result, the initial activities of the POC began in 1966. On February 18, 1968, Cardinal Maximilian Frstenberg, Prefect of the Eastern Ecclesiastical Congregation, inaugurated the POC at the Father Zacharias Memorial Hall at Aluva Pontifical Seminary. The event was witnessed by Pro-Nuncio Archbishop Caprio, bishops from Kerala, major superiors, and prominent lay leaders. Cardinal Parick was quoted saying, “This centre, as an effective symbol and instrument of the Church’s united Pastoral Service to the Kerala Region, is meant by to meet the challenges of the day.”

The subsequent activities of POC were exemplary. In April 1968, a Kerala Catechetical Consultation was held at Aluva Seminary. The prominent theologian Dr. Amalorbhavadas, addressing the gathering, remarked, “It is no flattery to say that a miracle is happening in Kerala. The church has started moving resolutely toward a radical renewal of Christian life in Kerala.”

From December 26 to 31, 1968, a regional seminar was held at Aluva to discuss how the decisions of the Second Vatican Council could be implemented in the Kerala Church. It was attended by 312 leaders, including bishops, major superiors, and prominent laypersons. The success of the seminar was entirely due to the leadership of Father Joseph Kannath. His organizational talent and leadership were recognized not only in the Kerala Church but in the Indian Church as well.

Father Joseph Kannath was born into the Anthony-Maria family at the Kannathu family in Puthukkad on July 20, 1930. He passed his SSLC with first class from Puthu Kad High School in 1949. Growing up in a farming family, he balanced his studies with farm work. After high school, he joined the St. Mary’s Minor Seminary in Thrissur Diocese, where he studied English, Syriac, Latin, and underwent spiritual formation. He later joined Mangalappuzha Pontifical Seminary in 1951, where he completed his philosophy and theology studies and was ordained a priest on March 13, 1958.

During his time at Mangalappuzha, Father Kannath established a cooperative store for seminary students, which was highly praised. After his ordination, his first appointment was as Assistant Priest at Lourdes Church. It was during this time that he took part in the liberation struggle against the Communist government. Father Kannath was involved as the District Organizer of the resistance committee based in Kandassankadavu. Later, he served as the priest at Kaipamangalam, Mathilakam, and Perumpadappu temples, leading construction efforts at Kaipamangalam Church.

Father Kannath also served as a member of the National Organizing Committee for the Divine Mercy Congress held in Bombay. These contributions gained him recognition as a prominent organizer at the national level. Between 1964 and 1966, he studied French at the Catholic University of Paris, following which he completed a pastoral catechetics diploma at the “Lumen Vitae” Institute in Brussels. His paper on the Pastoral Orientation Center in Kerala became the basis for its establishment. He worked on various initiatives to provide training for thousands of laypersons and developed religious study materials for all rites of the Church.

The POC continued to grow, with its headquarters moving from Aluva to Kaloor and later to Palarivattom. In 1973, Father Kannath left POC to pursue an M.A. in Sociology from Loyola University in Chicago. He returned to POC in 1975, taking leadership roles in various initiatives, including the establishment of the Palarivattom Community Development Trust. POC worked on various programs, including education, management, and leadership training.

After the regional seminar in Aluva in 1968, Father Kannath played a leading role in the 1969 seminar in Bangalore, which laid the groundwork for the formation of the National Pastoral Council. He also participated in an investigation into the issue of Kerala nuns being sent to European countries, which was a topic of discussion in the Church and Parliament. Father Kannath conducted a visit to 11 convents in European countries and submitted a report.

Between 1969 and 1979, Father Kannath served on the Liturgical Catechetics Commission of the CBCI. In 1970, land was acquired for POC in Palarivattom, and construction began. The chapel, auditorium, kitchen, dining hall, and accommodations were all built to be simple and acceptable for the community. During the inauguration of the POC building, Cardinal Parecattil remarked, “The history of the P.O.C in Kerala is the history of Kannath and vice versa.”

Father Kannath was also instrumental in the development of the POC constitution, which was approved by the KCBC in 1968. The same year, the Kerala Church decided to implement a curriculum, textbooks, and teachers’ guides for classes 1 through 7. A seminar on “The Church Today in India” was held in December 1968, with 312 leaders in attendance.

Father Kannath’s leadership extended to international forums, including the International Federation of Catholic Universities, and he contributed significantly to various pastoral initiatives. In 1972, he visited Pope Paul VI in Rome, participated in an international missionary conference in Lyon, and in 1976, his speech about POC’s activities was broadcast by Vatican Radio.

Father Kannath was instrumental in the publication of the POC Bible, with one lakh copies of the New Testament published in 1977. The complete Bible, including the Old Testament, was published in 1981. POC’s publications, such as the magazine Thalath, became widely popular.

In 1979, Father Kannath traveled to Toronto, Canada, for further studies and continued his involvement in international conferences. After completing his doctoral thesis, he returned to Kerala in 1984 and resumed his work with POC. However, due to leadership changes at POC, he returned to Canada, where he served in various parishes.

Father Joseph Kannath has been an influential figure in the modernization of the Kerala Church, actively involved in various initiatives and conferences, promoting growth and renewal. As of now, he continues his ministry at Sacred Heart Church in Parkhill, continuing to implement innovative methods in the Church’s development in Kerala.