By Thomas Scaria
Ranchi, June 23, 2006: Father George Palamattam, a Third Order Regular Franciscan missionary who served in eastern India’s tribal missions, died June 20 after an illness. He was 83.
Father Palamattam spent more than 50 years as a missionary among tribal communities in Bihar and Jharkhand.
Archbishop Vincent Aind of Ranchi conducted the funeral services and described him as a committed missionary who was “liked by the common people as he lived a simple life among them.”
Father Manoj Vengathanam, provincial of the Franciscan Ranchi province, said Father Palamattam was an “embodiment of simplicity and dedication, who was the senior most Friar of St. Francis Province.”
He added that Father Palamattam played a significant role in leading the tribal community as a soft-spoken evangelist and shepherd.
Father Palamattam was born March 15, 1943, in Chennad, in the Diocese of Pala, Kerala, to Joseph Palamattam and Mariam Joseph. He was the youngest of five children and the lone surviving sibling.
He joined the Order in 1961 and made his first profession in 1964. He completed his philosophical and theological studies at St. Albert’s College in Ranchi and was ordained in 1976.
Most of his missionary service was in tribal areas of eastern India, though he also served for a few years as a parish priest in the Diocese of Mananthavady, Kerala.
“Father Palamattam served the Order as a pastor for the majority of his ministry, which spanned more than four decades. He was known for being down-to-earth, simple, unassuming, and joyful,” said Father Vengathanam.
(Photo supplied)