By Thomas Scaria
Belthangady, October 3, 2026:Father Mani Veluhedathuparambil, Vicar General of the Syro-Malabar Diocese of Belthangady, passed away at the age of 65 after courageously living with cancer for more than a decade.
He dedicated over 35 years of uninterrupted service to pastoral ministry, leaving behind a legacy of faithful and devoted priestly life.
“He was diagnosed with cancer more than 10 years ago, but till his last breadth he served as a pastor with full dedication and cheer fullness”, said Bishop James Patteril of Belthangady, who observed him as a perfect example of “integrating personal suffering with an active pastoral life”.
Born to late Mani and Thresiamma, an earlier migrant Catholic family in Udane, near Belthangady as one of the eight children, Father Veluthedathuparambil never took rest from his pastoral life, despite his ill health.
His body was laid for public viewing at St. Alphonsa Church, Mangalore and at the St.Lawrence Cathedral, Belthangady on October 2 and his funeral is scheduled at his parish, St.Thomas Church, Udane on October 3.
Father Veluthedathuparambil pursued his priestly formation from St. Joseph’s Minor seminary, Tellichery and St. Thomas Apostolic seminary, Vadavathoor in 1980s and completed his post graduate studies at Mysore and Doctorate from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome in 2006.
He served as parish priest in over 15 parishes of the Diocese from 1991 and his latest appointment was as the Vicar General of the Diocese of Belthangady, without taking a sick leave at any point of time.
“He was a man of down to earth with no compromise with realities, a man of clarity and commitment”, said the Bishop in his condolence message, who observed that “Diocese and its pastoral services was his everything”
Sebastian K. V, a pastoral council member of the Diocese of Belthangady told Matters India that most people whom he served as parish priests in his later years never knew he had cancer. “He never allowed anyone to sympathise for him while exercising his pastoral ministry”, he recalled.
The parish priest of the Alphonsa church, Father Agustine Pottenkulangara said the late priest showed them a perfect example of priestly life with non compromise on pastoral ministry, despite his personal realities.