TALKING WITH THARAYILACHAN | KAIROS GLOBAL | JANUARY 2021

Author: Anu Pinheiro

Intro: Anu Pinheir0 speaks to Fr. Thomas Tharayil on his new responsibilities in the Latin Catholic Church of Kerala and the role of the movement in the Church.

Fr. Thomas Tharayil, a priest from the Diocese of Vijaypuram in Kerala, juggles dual heavy-duty responsibilities in the Latin Church of Kerala and yet his enthusiasm and energy to work with youth in the Jesus Youth movement remains undiminished. TharayilAchan, as he is fondly called in JY circles, speaks to Kairos about how he continues his efforts within the Church and the movement.

Q. TharayilAcha, please tell us about your new responsibilities and what they entail.

The responsibilities entrusted to me recently are actually a dual responsibility. I was appointed as the Deputy Secretary General of the Kerala Region Latin Catholic Bishops’ Council (KRLCBC) and the General Secretary of the Kerala Region Latin Catholic Council (KRLCC). These are two apex entities of the Kerala Latin Church. The Bishops’ Council (KRLCBC) is the top most body that guides and leads the Latin Church of Kerala. All the Latin bishops come together and deliberate on the working of the Latin Church of Kerala and I have to assist the bishops in their deliberations in their meetings. 

My second responsibility is as the General Secretary of the Kerala Region Latin Catholic Council (KRLCC), a key unifying and policy making council of the Latin Catholic Church of Kerala. It comprises nearly two-hundred diocesan representatives including all the bishops, representatives of priests, religious, lay people and leaders of various lay associations. This council convenes a general assembly twice a year where we discuss matters relating to the Latin community and the Latin Church. In Kerala the Latin people are at the same time a church and a community. So, we have to work in this dual reality and my work involves much travel to all the dioceses across the length & breadth of Kerala to see people, to organise programmes, to animate meetings, etc. It is hectic and demanding, but not new to me as for the past eight years I have been working as the Associate General Secretary of the KRLCC and the Associate Deputy Secretary of the KRLCBC. So, I’m familiar with the functioning of these bodies but now I’m directly responsible for these realities.

Q. You have been an integral part of Jesus Youth for a very long time now – Chaplain of the JY US National Council and of the JY International Council. Please share with us your journey with the movement.

It began while I was in the seminary. The charismatic movement drew me to it and I was involved in prayer meetings. Eventually I came to know about Jesus Youth and was attracted to its activities. However, being in the seminary I was unable to participate in all JY programmes. After my ordination in December 1986 I began to actively associate with the movement. As a priest, I was appointed to the high ranges in Peermade and Idukki region and so was associated with the zones of Kattappana and Idukki. Later I came down to Kothamangalam followed by a time in Kottayam¹. In all these places I was associated with JY at the grassroots. Then in the late 90s when I moved to the US for my studies, I was able to initiate JY activities there too with the help of some JYs who were already there. We brought together the youth from the Indian-American families under the banner of Jesus Youth.When Jesus Youth went global, and the first international team (ad hoc) was formed during the WYD 2000 in Toronto, I was called to serve as the chaplain of the international team, which I continued to do for two more consecutive terms. Now I am in-charge of the priests and seminarians in the movement. In all my years of association with Jesus Youth, I would rather say that I’ve been enriched by it. Notwithstanding my other responsibilities in the diocese, I have always tried to help and serve the movement. It has been an honour and a blessing.

Q. From your perspective, what role can Jesus Youth play in the Church? 

Having been able to minister to the Church in various responsibilities, I have had the opportunity to work with different movements and associations, all of whom do meritorious service to the Church. However, associating with the Jesus Youth movement, I am convinced that it has a very specific role in the Church at large, and also especially in the Church in Kerala and India. As Jesus Youth always works according to the need of the times, it can respond relevantly to any situation – in mission places, in rural, urban and semi-urban situations, in campuses and parishes, with families, teens, youth and elderly – JY is able to work with all these groups and realities. The contribution that Jesus Youth is making right now in the Church is marvellous and praiseworthy. At the same time, we can go a very long way ahead. We can do more as a missionary movement at the service of the Church.One thing to be done more seriously is to get into the heart of the Church – the Church local. As a Christian is primarily raised in a parish, our involvement’s presence, visibility, relationship, fraternity and fellowship with the local parish is equally important. This does not limit focus to the parish priest, parish community, Catechetical, youth or family ministries but being agents of transformation in everything that happens in the parish. Over the past years I have seen that many a time after attending a JY programme or retreat, youth would return burning with zeal to do something for their parish. Though in the rare instances when they encountered negative responses within the parish, they would manage to organise a few young people around them, to form a small prayer group, slowly entering into the life of the parish and transforming it. But nowadays I think our members are more focused towards a programme-oriented way of ministry. Our primary focus is the youth, maybe even those youth outside the Church, as we are able to reach many who are inaccessible to the officially organised Church associations or ministries. This is our charism and we should hold fast to it. At the same time our association with the official structures of the Church has to be strengthened. Though our leaders are trying, we have to train our younger generation about this basic call of a Jesus Youth to be at the service of the Church, to become involved in the integral life of the parish and diocese. It may be time for some soul searching about how we can relate more or improve our relationship with the local Church.

Q. Being responsible for JY priests and seminarians, how do you perceive the movement’s role in nurturing vocations?

That is a very significant question. I would like to answer that question in two parts. Firstly, as we know, when JY began, we had a few priests who would support us by hearing confessions or helping us for Mass, Adoration, retreats, spiritual direction, etc. Some priests, who despite their responsibilities, out of their generosity, associated with the movement and helped us. This continues even today and will continue forever in JY. I too belong to that category. This association helps not just the movement but the priests as well. Many priests have testified that the zeal of the youth, their prayer life and their genuine interest in mission have encouraged and strengthened their priestly ministry. JY has been promoting vocations over the years. But unlike a diocesan or religious vocation promoter organising vocation camps, it was more through the activities and JY lifestyle that many young people discerned their call to religious life. Hundreds can testify that life in the movement helped them to discern their vocation and embrace it.Secondly once the movement was recognised by the Vatican as a private association in the Church, the Holy Spirit slowly began prompting us to discern the possibility of having priests specifically for our movement. It took a long time to discern and to reach a final decision. Several eminent people like our beloved Archbishop Abraham Viruthakulangara, along with other bishops, canonists and other leaders of the Church, helped us in discerning this possibility. Finally, when we were fully aware of this reality and fully convinced of the fact that we could promote vocations for the movement, we dared to do it. As you know now we have three priests ordained for the movement. For the time being we have to make a working arrangement with some dioceses for the technicality of incardination of all priests – to abide by the canonical requirements. But eventually, God willing, we hope that we will be able to incardinate them in the movement itself. But here too, what we have to keep in mind is that we are not aggressively promoting vocations for JY priesthood. We encourage all our members to discern their way of life, be it marriage, religious or priestly vocation or single life. Some might be called to be priests in the movement or in any diocese or any congregation. Either way the movement supports and helps them whole-heartedly. If, after prayer and discernment, someone approaches the movement to become a priest, the movement sits with him and comes to a certain level of conviction that this person is called by the Lord to serve as a priest in the movement. Only then we begin the process of priestly formation. This is why we have only a few candidates. Currently we have seven candidates on the journey of priestly formation. A few more are waiting and discerning. So we are not worried about numbers, but are very serious about the discernment of priestly vocations in the movement and we support them. These priests will serve the movement in a particular way. Priests like me will definitely continue to help JY in various parts of the world as chaplains or in other capacities, but the ministries and responsibilities of the priests ordained for the movement will be different.

1 Peermade, Idukki, Kattappana, Kothamangalam and Kottayam are places in the southern Indian state of Kerala

Anu Pinheirolives in Cochin with her husband, Shelton and their two daughters, Andrea and Isabel.