V. Rev. Fr. John Kizhakoodan
( Founder )
V. Rev. Fr. John Kizhakoodan was a loving poet and luminary assimilated deeply by God's limitless and unconditional love, wrote lyrics of human concerns and their remedies which he transmitted to his fellow human beings. Fr. John was a person embedded with rich sublime thoughts and spiritual visions. He lived an altruistic life of caring others without desiring him to be served. He possessed a generous heart by which he generously and amazingly donated everything to others.
In the village of Pariyaram, the east part of Chalakudy, little John was born on 25thDecember, 1883, as the second one of seven children of Kochouseph, KannengathuKizhakoodan house, and Kunjilakutty, belonging to the OllurAkkara family. At childhood, John had an apt and suitable family atmosphere where he could inculcate humility, love and deep devotion to Mary, the Mother of God.
KeeliythuKaranavar in Elinjipra was a good person but had no children in his wedlock. The Karanavar approached and requested to John’s parents to allow him to adopt John. Thus, from his earlier age onwards John's life was taken care of by this foster father, and he had to live away from his parents and siblings. John grew up in obedience, humility, caring and pleasing his foster father.
He got admission for his studies at St. Thomas College High School in Thrissur. While John was studying there, he had an unquenchable thirst for extra-curricular social and humanitarian activities. On 17th April 1898, John responded to the call of the Lord and was permitted to join the petit seminary in Candy. Chastity, simplicity, modesty, obedience, love of God and above all the love of neighbour were the virtues which permeated John's seminary life. Just as Jesus became a relief to the anxious and the homeless in Nazareth, by the seminary formation, Br. John was shaped to become the father of the orphans and was formed to preach the good news to the poor. After fulfilling due preparations in seminary formation, on 21st December, 1907, John was ordained as a priest by Bp. Clements Pagani OSB at Candy Seminary.
Fr. John Kizhakoodan was a priest of Thrissur diocese. His first appointment was at St. Thomas High School, Thrissur. Fr. John, who served in various capacities as teacher, boarding assistant rector, assistant manager, parish vicar, St. Anne's orphanage director, chaplain of various convents and school manager, is today remembered as the founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Martha. He was inspired by the desire to start a monastic community that was totally different from those monastic communities existed at that time. He constituted a monastic community to preach the gospel to the poor and to the common people; to spread the compassionate love of Jesus and to sow the seeds of love and faith in the hearts of people.
St. Martha of Bethany was an ideal saint who obtained a special place in Fr. John’s heart which was the reason why he started a community of nuns named after St. Martha. Fr. John wanted his dream of a monastic community to be just like the house of St. Martha of Bethany, ‘the resting place’ of Jesus. There St. Martha loved Jesus, the Son of God and the Redeemer, and believed in Him and rejoiced spiritually on His divine revelations. Fr. John insisted that this in-depth faith and zeal of St. Martha to be imprinted and instilled in the souls of the sisters of his new community, in order to put them into practice through their spiritual lives, missionary spirit, ministries and apostolate etc. The Congregation of the Sisters of St.Martha was founded on 15th August, 1948.
His thirst for piety and love of God led him to the formulation of new parishes and churches. West Fort St. Anne's Church Thrissur, St. Mary’s Lourdes Church Chowka, Elinjipra, Holy Family Church Vellikulangara and St. John the Baptist Church Nedupuzha are examples of this. Fr. John, who was a model for his simplicity of life and innocence, possessed a unique powerful force, his inner compassionate love to the poor and the needy. His life was in line with Jesus' call that “I feel compassion for this crowd” (Mt. 15: 32). Profound spirituality and unspeakable compassion for the poor were blended and integrated in ample proportions in his personality. St. Anne’s Church, at West Fort, in Thrissur and other attached charitable institutions of that parish alone are the crowning examples of his commitment to the poor and needy.
He sought to inspire and strengthen the mentally depleted and exhausted people with hope and peace of the Lord. And he brought the neglected and the helpless people to the providence of God by seeking local contributions. Fr. John decided that he would do everything possible to uplift the poor and the downtrodden people from their abyss of deprivation to the main stream of the society. He neglected his health and his own needs in the rush to fulfill the will of God in every moment through his uninterrupted brotherly services. Unwilling to get publicity for his good deeds or to get applause in front of others, Fr. John was a great model of humility, a real example of unconditional love and an excellent prototype of sacrifice.
With the fulfillment of his mission on earth, transmitting his reserves of goodness to his beloved disciples, at 5 O'clock on 15th November, 1960 that innocent, simple and unselfish life ended his stay on earth and departed into the compassionate loving Sacred Heart of Jesus. Still Fr. John Kizhakoodan lives today, through his spiritual presence and qualities in us and through his intercessions for his children, through his charitable institutions and above all exceptionally and specifically through the compassion and loving services of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Martha.
