Fr Archangel - Remembering him on the feast of the Archangels

Sep.  29, 2024 Sunday - The Feast of the Archangels

When it comes to the Latin rite, all other people are set aside on Sunday - it is the Lord's day - whether they be humans or angels! 

However, in our fraternity, there is the young confrere, Angelo.  This is not a common name among us. I don't know what prompted his parents to name him thus.  Angelo says his father named his children a bit atypically. That's all that he knows. 

I would have loved to write some notes on the Archangels, the beings having some fascination for me. However, greeting him on this day, brought to my memory a dearly beloved CMI who had been given the Angel's name on his rebirth as a CMI - He was Fr Mathai reborn (dwijan) as Archangel. I grew up seeing him around Thevara. In my primary school days, he would come to our school, at least once a year, with his projector and we would all be huddled together in the classrooms converted into a hall - all sitting on the floor (not very comfortable with that even in those times), and watching the black and white movies on the 'big' screen - a white cloth tied down on the raised platform. We were to pay 25 ps for that. He used to hold such shows sometimes at the Sacred Heart High School front yard as well. One of the movies he had shown was 'Njaan Oli' (Tamil), perhaps, Nadi was another.   I don't remember them. Most of them had tragic ending - nololi padangal, and in fact, they didn't inspire. I always preferred movies with fight (idi) where the hero would win - like Themmadi Velappan etc. This was the time, when going to a movie was a big deal for kids and family members, and our theatre in Thevara Sreekala (later named  Kaseeba) had not yet begun operating. 

I think he did it as a communication ministry.  Sometimes, there were also free movies which were kind of documentaries. He used to travel by a scooter - I think a white and blue lamby; Now, I don't recall, how he used to bring the projector and stuff like that to the school - perhaps, by an autorickshaw.  Or perhaps, the tempo van which was there with the LF press of the monastery. 

When I entered the high school at Thevara, he was the Principal of Sacred Heart College. Prior to that he served the Department of Physics. And it was a tumultuous time - with high-pitched politics.  There used to be strikes every now and then, and college elections were a time of intense political activity - as it is even now in many places, including Thevara. Only that in those days, politics was not banned, it was plainly on the basis of student wings of political parties all this was being carried out. 

Generally, he was considered an amiable person - and was nick-named 'punchiri mathai' (the smiling Mathai) by the students. My elder sister and brother were students at the college in those times. He used to encourage activities like AICUF and SH College was well known for its basketball culture.  Bartholomew Trophy was a great festival for the locality in those days.  I recall my sister commending on his effort to introduce some voluntariness among the students: "See in spite of being the Principal, I am taking up these menial tasks, why not you people do likewise?" I find the argument perfect, and perhaps, later on, as the principal of the college did (definitely) or said (?) the same thing. 

There was a very serious student agitation in those days, when the college chairman Rajan went on a hunger strike in front of the college. I remember him sitting there in a kind of tent.  I am not clear of the cause.  I have heard that once during an agitation, when the students forcibly entered the principal's cabin and pressed their arguments (perhaps in the typical uncivil manner in which the student agitators do), he responded quite angrily, and hit one of the students. The other version is that when he tried to show some action with his hands, somehow someone was touched, and it was interpreted as hitting.  And that led to the furore followed by hunger strike etc.  I don't know how it was sorted out.  However, after a few days, I found students taking up a procession with very many typical slogans, and one of them that caught my imagination was this: 

മത്തായി അച്ചനോട് 'അമ്മ പറഞ്ഞു മോനെ മോനെ മത്തായി 

Mamma said to Mathai acha, Son, Oh son, Mathai

പിള്ളേരോട് കളിക്കണ്ട, പിള്ളേരോട് കളിച്ചാൽ പിന്നെ 

Don't play (meddle) with the kids (students), If you play with them

നട്ടെല്ലൂരി കോട്ടേലാക്കീട്ട് ഐ ആർ എട്ടിന് വളമാക്കും 

They will pull your vertebral column out, dump in a (bamboo) basket, and add it as manure of IR8. 

ഇടി  നാദം മുഴങ്ങട്ടെ കടല് രണ്ടായി പിളരട്ടെ 

Let the thunder sound; let the ocean divide into two

മത്തായി അച്ചൻ ഞടുങ്ങട്ടെ. - Let Mathai achan be shaken (shocked)!

It was thrilling!! I learnt it immediately by heart. After almost 50 years, still same slogans are being repeated by today's (party) politically driven (instigated) students. 

Anyhow, the agitation came to an end.  But Archangel achan continued to be the Principal - I think till 1982.  That would have been about 5 years in all I think. He had taken over the office from Fr Victorian and he handed over the office to a milder man, Fr Aquinas.  In the late 70s and early 80s, he had played a vital role in promoting the Charismatic movement in Keralam, opening up the campus facilities for the same. 

I have heard from my senior colleagues that Fr Archangel and Fr George were very keen to promote faculty fellowship through outings and picnics, for which they used to make all arrangements at the monastery.  Though I tried to follow their footsteps in this regard, I don't think I could succeed much in that regard.  However, when we managed to convert our Zoology block roof to a spacious covered area to hold exams, I named it after him as Archangel Hall. I hope that it still remains so. I did that perhaps, I felt he had contributed well for the college, and some space in his name would be befitting token of appreciation. 

Later on, he retired from the service, and went to Rajkot mission of SH province and worked there in a school in Bhuj for several years.  By that time, he began to be called Fr Mathai (his original baptismal name), rather than archangel.  (My batchmates who did their graduate studies at SH college, used to refer to him as Mukhyadootan - the Malayalam of Archangel). In 1990, after undergoing a penitentiary year of service learning (!) at SH Provincial house, Kalamassery, I managed to squeeze out a few days to visit Rajkot mission. And I did reach Bhuj, to be received by him.  I think I spent one night at his place, but there was nothing memorable about it.  Perhaps, the exception of Fr Joy Payyappilly, my senior and good friend, being there as his assistant (After a few years, he quit the track, and a few years ago died while still being a young, but leaving behind a family of his own). 

I came to know, that he had to face stiff resistance from the local people, for having initiated some disciplinary measure, and it was all manipulated politically, and finally he had to leave the place.  Perhaps, he had a fiery temper as his adversary - I am not sure.  I have seen him only as a mild and smiling Archangel. 

In 1995, when I landed in Mumbai one night, travelling all the way from Kochi by 'buses', to attend the interview for admission at TISS, I went to the CMI transit house, named Sevasadan in Malad.  I just went there, no prior information (unimaginable in these days), and I was received by him without any trouble. I stayed there for the whole week or more, till the admission tests were over, the results were out, and secured a place in the campus hostel.  By that time, Fr Archangel was no longer a member of our province, but of our sister province with the headquarters at Muvattupuzha. And I think, in those days, I just stayed there, perhaps, offered masses in the intention of the superior, and relied on his hospitality without feeling anything amiss about it. 

I recall, how he used to prepare soup for dinner - there was soup every night, which was not a normal menu for CMI houses. He would save the water drained out when the rice was cooked (kanji vellam).  By evening, it would have become much thicker.  Then he would sautee it with the typical soup condiments and a good soup was ready without much effort every evening.  During my TISS days, I could call on him at any time, though I could not frequently do so.  After a year, he was transferred to Kothamangalam, where he became prior.  (I thought it was Vazhakulam, however, I learnt this from his obituary on our website).

I was sad to learn about his death in 1997, and I was there to pay respects to him at Kothamangalam during the final rites.  I feel he died young - Just 66 years! I find his picture in the list of our departed members - still smiling - punchiri Mathai. 

His young brother, another venerable CMI priest, Fr Peter, served for a long time in South Africa as one of the first CMIs to be there for ministry and died in 2020 at the age of 78. 

Namovakam before the dearly beloved memory of Fr Archangel Mathai Akkappadickal!