In Ever Loving Memory of Our dear Joseph Chennoth !

We meet many people in the journey of our lives but very few get a place in our hearts.

Archbishop Joseph Chennoth was such a friendly person, who could conquer the hearts of people with a cheerful face. He had a fatherly affection and no one will be able to forget his smile. I thank God for the various occasions I had with him and in each meeting I learned something new from him.

It was in 2005, when he was the Apostolic Nuncio to Tanzania that we made the first acquaintance which lasted till his departure. Though he was abroad and held such a higher office, he was so much interested to participate in the native festivals with us. He didn’t forget to give me a call whenever he came to Rome as I was there for my studies. I finally met him in June 2019, where he expressed his desire to have an ice cream and to walk in the streets of Vatican which we did. He was such an innocent person and down to earth.

Each encounter with him was so enriching for me. When I took up the charge of a parish here in Malawi, his advice for me was “not to concentrate too much on the buildings but on the Christian life of the faithful.” Though his office demanded a diplomatic nature, he was very much approachable to everyone. His deep knowledge on the Church matters and in different foreign languages astonished me whenever I cleared some doubts with him.

We used to call him in our mother tongue
“pithavu” ( father) which was literally correct, because he was a father to all of us.

Dear Pithave, though we can’t see your smiling face, we are quite sure that you will be praying for all of us from Heaven.
May your soul rest in Peace!

Really miss you Pithave!
Much love!
Fr. Bijoy Payappan O.F.M.Cap
Malawi – Africa