By Matters India Reporter
New Delhi, Jan 20, 2023: A 73-year-old Dominican nun and a 36-year-old diocesan priest have died in tragic accidents at two different parts of India.
Father Melvin Abraham Pallithazhathu of Bijnor diocese died January 19 when his vehicle fell into a gorge of 500 feet deep at Joshimath in the Chamoli district of the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. He had gone there with relief materials from the diocesan headquarters of Kotdwar, some 275 km southwest.
A message from Bishop Vincent Nellaiparambil says Father Pallithazhath’s autopsy and embalming were held January 20 at Joshimath. They plan to bring his mortal remains two days later to St Jospeh’s Cathedral at Kotdwar for public homage. The funeral is scheduled at 9 am on January 30.
An earlier message from the bishop said the priest’s body was kept in a mortuary in Joshimath hospital. “Due to heavy snowfall in Joshimath, they are facing a hard time there.”
Father Pallithazhathu, who had studied mass media at National Institute of Communication Research and Training at Vaishali in Uttar Pradesh, was in charge of a printing press in Kotdwar. He had shared two videos with his friends from Joshimath.
In one of them, he said he was carrying relief materials for some 20 families who were hit by heavy landslides in Joshimath, located at 6,150 feet above the sea level. Joshimath, a gateway to several Himalayan mountain climbing expeditions, trekking trails and pilgrim centers like Badrinath, was recently in news for land sinking. It is home to one of the four cardinal pīthas established by Adi Shankara.
Father Pallithazhathu was born on March 3, 1986, at Chakkittapara in the Kozhikode district of Kerala. He was ordained a priest on May 6, 2015.
Sister Pulikkottle was born on March 25, 1950. Her first profession was on May 15, 1976.
She had gone for her holidays and was returning from home when the accident happened. She reportedly fell from the train just before reaching her arrival station in Bangalore Cantonment.
“She must have been at the door to check the station as she was supposed to get down at the Cantonment station when she accidentally fell from the train. Either, she slipped or the door banked her from behind,” said Father Faustine Lobo, the spokesperson of the Catholic Church in Karnataka.
Father Lobo described the nun as “a humble sister engaged in parish-based faith formation programs. He told Matters India he had met her when he went to give a two-day seminar for the Dominican nuns at their convent in Bengaluru’s Indiranagar.
Apostolic Carmel Sister M Nirmalini, the president of the Conference of Religious of India, expressed her condolences at the loss of Sister Pulikkottle and her death was an “unfortunate incident.”
(With inputs from Thomas Scaria)