Rev. Fr. Gabriel Possenti Thannickakuzhy O.I.C. Enters Eternal Rest After a Life of Silent Witness and Steadfast Service

Nalanchira, Thiruvananthapuram – 16 April 2025

There are lives that thunder through history—and there are others that whisper, yet leave behind foundations upon which communities rise. Rev. Fr. Gabriel Possenti Thannickakuzhy O.I.C., a beloved priest of the Bethany Navajeevan Province of the Order of the Imitation of Christ (O.I.C.), passed away peacefully on the morning of 16 April 2025, aged 80. For forty long years, he bore the Cross of physical suffering with Christlike serenity following a life-altering accident in 1985. In this silence, his priesthood only grew deeper, his impact more enduring.

Born in 1945 in Kannur, his initial formation at Bethany began with admission in 1962 at the Bethany Ashram in Nalanchira. After a year of pre-novitiate and novitiate formation, he made his First Profession on 22 June 1964. His final profession came on 18 April 1970. He completed his pre-philosophy at the Papal Seminary (1964–1966), followed by full courses in philosophy and theology at the Pontifical Athenaeum in Pune (1966–1972), before receiving sacred ordination at Chengannur from Archbishop Cyril Mor Baselios O.I.C. in 1972. His first Holy Qurbono was celebrated the next day at Chempanthotty Church of the Syro-Malabar tradition.

He was not merely a theologian; he was a catechist in the true sense of the term—a writer, dramatist, and shepherd. His early ministry found him as Superior of the Bethany Ashram in Tiruvalla from 1980 to 1982 and as vicar of parishes such as Peringara, Vengal, Kallissery, and Cheengeri. He also earned a degree in media and dramaturgy during his time in Mumbai.

It was in Mumbai, during the 1970s, that Fr. Gabriel’s missionary heart left a mark still visible today. His arrival in 1978, during his higher studies, coincided with the deep yearning of a small Malankara Catholic diaspora in Borivili, who longed for liturgical and pastoral life in their native West Syriac Rite. Fr. Gabriel, staying with the St. Francis Brothers, offered not only his priestly presence but also a renewed sense of identity to a fledgling community. His pastoral visits, spiritual counsel, and celebration of the Holy Qurbono became the seeds from which the St. Thomas Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, Borivili would later bloom—a parish now firmly rooted within the Eparchy of St. Ephrem Khadki–Pune. Prior to his time in Mumbai, Fr. Gabriel had already served faithfully at Aluva from 1972 to 1978. His pastoral appointments included the Bethany Ashram mission in Mumbai from 1978 to 1980, followed by his role as Superior at Tiruvalla from 1980 to 1982, during which he also served as Vicar of Peringara, Vengal, and Kallissery. From 1982 to 1985, he was appointed as Vicar of Cheengeri while serving in Meenangadi Ashram. These years were marked by creative energy, catechetical depth, and pastoral zeal—until his physical condition changed the contours of his service.

This quiet pioneer helped nourish what would become a vibrant ecclesiastical presence in Maharashtra. His time in Mumbai laid the foundations for the future formation of parishes and the eventual canonical erection of a diocese that would serve hundreds of faithful across the western region of India. Today, the Malankara Catholic Church in Mumbai and Pune honours him not merely as a visitor from Kerala, but as one of its own founders in spirit and mission.

In 1985, while serving at Meenangadi Ashram, a tragic accident left him physically incapacitated. Yet, the accident did not arrest his mission; it merely transformed its expression. From his bed, he continued to inspire through prayer, reflection, and a love that bore pain as a daily offering. In the crucible of suffering, he remained a Bethany priest through and through—rooted in imitation of Christ.

In the years following his accident, Fr. Gabriel was first cared for at Bethany Nagar Dayara and Nature Cure Centre in Nalanchira, where he remained from 1989 to 2020. Since 2020, he had been residing at Bethany Ashram Dayara in Nalanchira, where his quiet presence was a source of spiritual strength to all who encountered him.

His funeral rites will be held on Monday, 21 April 2025, at the Bethany Ashram, Nalanchira, Trivandrum. The mortal remains will arrive at the Ashram at 7:45 a.m., followed by services and Holy Qurbono at 10:45 a.m. The final interment will take place at the Bethany Ashram Cemetery in the presence of hierarchs and clergy of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church and the Bethany community.

In a world that often overlooks hidden sanctity, the life of Fr. Gabriel Possenti Thannickakuzhy O.I.C. stands as a quiet lamp set upon a hill—a priest, a pioneer, a scribe, a sufferer, a servant. His story—told in both words and in suffering—now finds its fulfilment in the presence of the Eternal High Priest, to whom he offered his life without complaint, without spectacle, and without reserve.

Let us remember him with gratitude, and may his soul rest in the eternal embrace of Christ, whose yoke he bore with fidelity and grace.