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FR. JOSEPH VADAKKEL |
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Fr. Dr. Joseph Vadakkel is the eldest of three children and was born on 16th January 1965 in Kallarkutty, in the district Idukki, in Kerala (India). He was christened Sabu Sebastian. From 1971 until 1981 he attended the congregation school in Kallarkutty. After his school time he joined the Missionary Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament (M.C.B.S.) in Kottayam and received the name Joseph Vadakkel. He studied theology and philosophy and became a priest. He was ordained on 29th December 1993. In 1994 he was appointed director of the Eucharistic Center in Kerala (India). In 1997 he was invited for the first time to conduct retreats in Europe. Since then he has been holding retreats in many countries including Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Poland, France, Sweden, Rumania, Slovakia, Ukraine and Dubai. In 2000 the archbishop of the archdiocese Trichur invited him to organize and coordinate the Eucharistic convention and to be the main speaker. In 2003 he was sent for doctoral studies to the Philippines and did his Master’s Degree at Ateneo De Manila University Loyola School. He completed the following courses: Diploma in Pastoral Ministry and Steward Leadership in a church for peace and justice (East Asian Pastoral Institute). In 2006 he participated at the “International Teilhard de Chardin Asia 2006 Conference”. For his doctoral studies he chose the Asian Social Institute (Manila). His studies were mainly focused on the Eucharist, the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ fire on earth, the Emmaus story and the teachings of Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedikt XVI. On 9th December 2008, he successfully defended his dissertation entitled “The Eucharistic Flame Evangelization – Jesus’ Fire on the Earth (A Phenomenology of a Transpersonal Experience)”. In 2009 he completed his doctoral studies at the Asian Social Institute and received the doctor title with distinction. A few months later he became a faculty member of the Asian Social Institute. During his studies in the Philippines he never stopped working for his evangelization mission. On 20th December 2006 he was appointed director of the Eucharistic Flame evangelization for Europe and other countries by the Missionary Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament. In November 2007, he founded a Eucharistic Flame evangelization centre in Midtown Village (near Manila) with the permission and blessing of the Bishop of Antipolo, Gabriel V. Reyes, D.D. He held talks on the radio and had a live TV programme called Eucharistic Flame at the Divine Mercy Channel (150 hours of talk), conducted retreats, celebrated Holy Masses and healing Masses and preached on the Montalban prayer mountain. He received the “Best public servant” award from the media in August 2008. Since 2003 Fr. Dr. Joseph Vadakkel has written two books entitled “Jesus wipes away your tears” and “Jesus – your Eucharistic Flame” published by the German publishing house Miriam-Verlag. The German titles are “Jesus wischt deine Tränen ab” und “Jesus – deine eucharistische Flamme”. The first book is also available in Polish, Spanish and Slovakian. In Europe he has given talks on K-TV (Catholic TV channel) and radio Horeb. His Eucharistic Flame mission is highly supported by his own congregation. His Superior General Rev. Dr. George Kizhakkemury gave him an appreciation and blessing letter for the Eucharistic Flame Evangelization in 2009. Dr. Francis Kodiyan (Provincial Superior) renewed his appointment as Director of the Eucharistic Flame Evangelization for Europe and other countries in January 2010. He gave him the permission to preach the Word of God, celebrate the Eucharist, conduct retreats, healing Masses, healing prayers, religious talks on Catholic Radio and TV, start prayer groups, etc. Fr. Dr. Joseph Vadakkel received the apostolic blessing from Pope Benedikt XVI for his Eucharistic Flame mission on 17 July 2009. His mission is also highly appreciated and blessed by Cardinal Meisner (Archbishop of Cologne), by Bishop König (Paderborn), Bishop Gabriel V. Reyes (Antipolo, Philippines), Bishop Robert Bezak, CSsR (Trnavska Arcidieceza, Slovakia), Archbishop Stanislav Zvolensky (Bratislava) as well as the Bishops of Oppeln and Bielsko (Poland). Presently, Fr. Dr. Joseph Vadakkel spends most of his time in Europe to carry out his mission and to conduct seminars and retreats (for individual groups such as families, youth, priests and nuns as well as for Eucharistic Flame conventions) in Europe and in other countries, too. |
