Asian bishops mourn death of former official from India

New Delhi, Dec 1, 2021: The Catholic Church in Asia has mourned the death of an Indian priest who it says had played a significant role in evangelization and transformed the lives of many in the region.

Father Jacob Theckanath, a former executive secretary of the Office of Evangelization under the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC), died November 28. The priest of the Indian Archdiocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar was 79.

The funeral Mass is at 3 pm on December 1 at St. Thomas Church, Malayattoor, his native parish under the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese.

A December 1 message from FABC assistant secretary general Maryknoll Father William LaRousse, based in Hong Kong, noted that Father Theckanath had served as the secretary of the FABC Office of Evangelization (OE) from 2007 to 2016.

Father Theckanath went to the FABC after serving as the third director of the National Biblical, Catechetical, Liturgical Centre, for ten years from 1991. The Catholic bishops in India set up the center in 1967 after the Second Vatican Council to promote the renewal of the Church in an Indian context. It now serves India’s three Ritual Churches – Latin, Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankara.

Father Theckanath “was very much involved in the field of evangelization, bible and liturgy and the highlights of his dedicated work were evident from the successful OE programs which he organized over the years. Through these seminars and consultations, (Father Theckanat) touched and transformed the lives of many, playing an important role in evangelization in Asia,” points out Father LaRousse.

After Father Theckanath completed his second term in 2015, the FABC Central Committee approved his appointment for an extended year as executive secretary in the period of transition.

“His faithful service, untiring efforts and energy together with his generosity contributed valuably to his availability as part of the drafting team for final statements and messages of various plenaries and programs along with his important assistance in preparing liturgies. He was a pillar among the executive secretaries and was consulted by and assisted many others,” the message adds.

Father Theckanath was born in Malayattoor and ordained a priest in 1967for the Odisha archdiocese. He held postgraduate degrees in Theology and in Sacred Scripture from the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome.

Father Theckanath, who had joined NBCLC since 1976, saw an awakening among the Indian lay people. He once wrote that lay people wanted to play a larger role in the Church. “They want to have a participatory church. In the process, the church in India is becoming more concerned about the world and its peoples and their real needs,” he added.