Mgr Joseph Powathil (Profile)
Mgr Joseph Powathil was born on August 14, 1930. After seminary studies at St. Thomas Petit Seminary in Pune, he was ordained on 3 October 1962, also in Pune.
On 29 January 1972 he was nominated Auxiliary Bishop of Changanassery by Pope Paul VI. He became archbishop of Changanassery in 1985 and served as chairman of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India from 1994 to 1998.
He has been first and foremost committed to education. Within his archdiocese he founded 19 schools for mentally disabled children and four colleges open to anyone who wanted to a better education.
Committed and caring as he was for the young and realising the importance of youth apostolate he took the initiative of establishing a diocesan youth movement called 'Yuva Deepthi' in 1972.
In course of time the movement spread to all Kerala dioceses and turned into the state-wide Kerala Catholic Youth Movement.
Conscious of the presence of Syro-Malabar Church to which he belongs from birth, he has worked hard to preserve and develop its traditions. Owing to his efforts, the Church has become more modern and spread its wings to include its own lay movements.
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