Rome: A Carmelite seminarian died Saturday evening when he tried to save a boy from drowning in the southern Indian state of Kerala.
Brother Nikhil George Manakkal jumped into a 20-feet deep pond in his seminary compound when he saw the boy, aged 12, drowning in it.
The 23-year-old seminarian managed to save the boy, an altar server, but could not save himself. Fire force and local police recovered his body after three hours of search.
Brother George was doing regency, one year community experience, after philosophy studies, at San Juan Bhavan in Unichira, a suburb of Kochi, the commercial capital of Kerala. He was scheduled to go for theology studies next year.
The native of Kolayad, a village in Kannur district in northern Kerala, is survived by his parents, George and Lilly and brothers, Manuel and Akhil.
Major events in Brother George’s life occurred on the date 25. He was born on June 25, 1992 and became a member of the Order of Discalced Carmelites on April 25, 2012. He died on July 25.
He belonged to the Manjummel province of the order.
The members of the province expressed “deep sorrow” on Brother George’s sudden death. “But at the same time we are happy to get an angel to intercede for us before God,” they said in a condolence message. They described the seminarian as a man of love, innocence, commitment and concern for others. They also said the seminarian lived Christ’s saying, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”