Priest died in US accident laid to rest

SHILLONG: After the funeral rites of Archbishop Dominic Jala in Shillong, the mortal remains of Fr Mathew Vellankal was laid to rest at St Michael’s cemetery, Randar, next to his parish church.
Fr Mathew and Jala died in a road accident in the Colusa County, Oakland, California, on October 10.
Fr Mathew was driving the car when the accident took place. Another priest, Joseph Parekatt, sustained injuries.Fr Mathew had served in Sohra in the past.
Fr Paulson Mundanmani from the Christ the King Church, Oakland, said on Sunday that he flew down to Cochin and reached the home parish of Fr Mathew where he was baptised, confirmed and ordained as a priest. His mortal remains were placed in his ancestral home where family, friends and neighbours came to pay respects to their beloved priest.
The final journey began on October 26 at 1 pm with a funeral rite at his home. Then they proceeded to St Michael’s church where Bishop George Madathikandathil presided over the funeral mass and gave the homily.
The bishop described Fr Mathew as a saintly priest filled with the Holy Spirit whom God anointed with extraordinary gifts reserved only to a few. Fr George Alengadan, Fr Johnson Abraham and Fr Paulson represented the diocese of Oakland.
(Contd from P-1) There is a moving ritual in the Syro-Malabar funeral tradition for priests in which the priests as pallbearers carry the casket in a procession around the church, first to the main altar as they sing an emotional hymn, “May I bid farewell,” with the words “ May I take leave, O ever sacred Altar of Sacrifice, may I take leave.”
The priests then carry the casket to the entrance doors of the church, knocking each door three times with the casket. In this last rite, the priest gives his final blessing to his parishioners and tells them that he is leaving now for paradise but it will all be okay.
The message is, “Now, my beloved people, I am going with the final journey’s farewell. House of God, I am going; for the rituals I shall not come anymore.”