A Life Dedicated to Service – The Biography of Fr. Michael Payyapilly
Fr. Michael Payyapilly is a Catholic priest who has spent his life dedicated to service and ministry. He is currently serving as the Vicar General of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in India, and as the President of its St. Thomas Apostolic Seminary. In this blog post, we will explore Fr. Michael’s life story and how he has dedicated himself to helping others in need.
Fr. Michael was born on May 5th, 1956 in Edappal, India. He studied at St. Joseph’s Minor Seminary before attending college at the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome where he obtained a degree in theology and philosophy. After returning to India, he was ordained into the priesthood on April 30th, 1983 and soon after became a professor at St. Thomas Apostolic Seminary, teaching courses such as scripture studies, ecclesiology, philosophy, New Testament Greek and Old Testament Hebrew Studies until 1997 when he was appointed rector of the seminary for five years until 2002 when he took a sabbatical from public ministry for two years due to health issues.
Since then, Fr. Michael has been involved in multiple ministries including serving as a spiritual director for seminarians from 2004-2008 and an official member of both the Syro-Malabar Synod’s Pastoral Commission from 2009-2011 and its Liturgy Commission from 2011-2017 before being appointed Vicar General of the entire church in 2018 where he serves today under Major Archbishop Cardinal George Alencherry as head of numerous committees such as Social Communication Commission, Leadership Training Institute Committee and Pastoral Formation Board Committee among others while also directing several social outreach programs like ‘Divya Sahaya Seva’ which provides assistance to people with physical disabilities or extreme poverty levels throughout Kerala district in India by providing medical aid, education support and other basic needs that they may not be able to afford themselves thus helping them lead a better life by instilling faith & hope within them through their work with this organization .
Conclusion:
Fr. Michael Payyapilly is an example of true dedication to service for all Catholics around the world who have been inspired by his life story over the years since his ordination back in 1983 up until today when he continues to serve others through his various ministries within both The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church & Divya Sahaya Seva Organization which are providing invaluable help towards those most vulnerable & needy amongst us while continuously promoting Christian values & teachings all along! So let’s follow his example & strive each day towards making our lives more meaningful by dedicating ourselves to causes bigger than ourselves!
