The spiritual father of twenty-two parishes, the author of 30 books, an author of a spiritual travelogue, and a columnist of a number of publications like Maryvijayam, Amma Magazine, Shalom, Jeevanalam, Apnadesh, Kudumbajeevitham, Deepanalam, Satyadeepam, etc. An experienced and knowledgeable travelogue writer who has visited 147 countries, former Manager of the Corporate Educational Agency of the diocese, self-driving energy at the age of 87, and above all 60 years of priesthood.
One might wonder how many epithets a priest can have! We will never be able to put into words the personality of Father Joseph Nechikkattu of the Diocese of Mananthavady. A unique personality who gave himself as the pen of the Lord for sharing his experience with Jesus over the last six decades.
Little Joseph was born on 26th April 1937 at Cherpumkal near Palai, Kottayam. He is the fourth son of Nechikkat Joseph and Anna couple. Joseph, who has been keenly interested in reading since childhood, also excelled in studies. After finishing board examinations with high marks, he expressed his desire to join the seminary. As his desire was the expected one, the parents nodded their heads positively.
“The answer I received was that they all knew that I was going to be a priest. By that time, as part of the migration from central Kerala, we had reached Nadavayal which was part of the Diocese of Thalassery and presently in the Diocese of Mananthavady. Therefore, it was God’s call to become a priest for the Diocese of Thalassery” – says Father Nechikkattu.
As a beginner, he published his debut work about Saint George and Saint Philomena while he was only a seminarian. Later, a poem was published in Deepika News Paper. Even at that time, he had the epithet of a writer cum seminary student. On 19 March 1963, he was ordained as a priest of the Lord. He remembers that it was a great joy to be ordained priest on his Feast Day.
Father Nechikkattu holds a Bachelor Degree in Theology from Lateran University and an STL from the University of Louvain, with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Postgraduate degrees in History, Political Science, and Religious Science. Father Nechikkattu, who lived a life of simplicity even as he progressed in the world of knowledge, was loved by his family and the parishes he served. He has been a priest always welcomed at any time in every house in the parish. His loving demeanor and friendliness even to little children made him a member of their home among the parishioners.
This priest, who has been so close to his parishioners, was always busy. He could have been simply a parish priest but he would not remain satisfied with that. He is still busy busying himself for the people of the Lord. He has to write articles for several Christian publications at once rather than simply remaining an ordinary parish priest.
Father Nechikkat describes how he managed to do this: “All this, along with parish duties, was done with great interest. I still don’t know how I can retire, because I am still writing. I do my writing and reading during the little breaks. I would get up early in the morning. It has been a great thrill. For many years in my life, all night and day were the same for me.
In a time when technology was not so advanced as it is today, writing and dispelling doubts was a big challenge. But God gave a special blessing to make everything go well. Being a spiritual writer, it is essential to be close to God in every way. The Holy Spirit did not allow me to wait for a single word as life went on with prayer and spiritual thoughts. Now and then I extend my gratitude to God.”
After his love for the Lord and the pastoral ministry, Father Nechikkattu loves travel the most. He has also made himself known as a writer of travelogue. “Travel has always been a passion for me. Therefore, only Australia, China, and South America remain to be visited. Many countries have been visited through their churches. Therefore, pastoral ministry has been also carried out along with travel. It is also a blessing from God. I am happy to have a ‘touch’ of the Lord in everything” – says the father.
His travels were a little different from that of others. Apart from visiting countries, it was his habit to study and understand the history, geography, language, culture, and other characteristics of that country before going on a trip. Therefore, rather than just ‘seeing’, there was a big attempt at ‘knowing’ in every journey. Having visited so many countries, he has shared every experience and knowledge of his journey through his own writings in an authentically sweet language for the readers.
“Behind every travelogue, there was a lot of study and prayer. It was not easy to learn about the country you intend to visit because there was no internet and other systems like today. However, I took it as a reference through reading and the experiences of other people who have visited those countries. My only goal was to turn the sights I saw into a travel experience for the readers” – Father Nechikkattu has a special talent to present the funny experiences that happen during the journey in a humorous way.
This priest who moves with the times is still active. He is still writing articles for Apna Desh, an online newspaper of the Canaanite Catholic Church. “Writers have to move with the times. It is comforting that reading is not dying even though books are read through online systems. However, it is the need of the time to change the writing style and writing systems” – Father shares his observation and perspective as a writer who represents past eras in writing and reading.
Father Nechikkattu had made use of the internet and smartphone as part of his writing years ago. He says that ‘we should be able to create a leap of spirituality with changes’. After sixty years of priesthood, I have to be very grateful to God and to my loved ones.
Even though he has been able to do many things at a time, Father Nechikkattu presently has only the thought of spending time with the Lord and doing everything for Him. It is a great compulsion for him to offer Holy Mass in any corner of the world. Holy Eucharist is the greatest miracle on this earth and we are to proclaim the Lord to the people around us.
Greetings to Reverend Fr Joseph Nechikattu, who has become the beloved pen of the Lord, for making his retirement life more fruitful for others through his prayer and writings.
Sunisha V. F.