Rev. Fr. Thomas Mathew Vadathumukalel appointed as ICC new Assistant Chaplain

Rev. Fr. Thomas Mathew Vadathumukalel has been appointed our new Assistant Chaplain.  He will be introduced on Sunday 11th February during the Holy Mass at Meidling and Stadlau Churches and taking in charge officially.

Fr. Thomas Mathew was born on 15th of April 1971, at Parampuzha village in the district of Kottayam, Kerala, India, to Pichakasseril Ulahannan Mathew and Rosamma.  He is the second child of the family and has two brothers and one sister.  He entered the Assisi Bhavan Minor Seminary of Fransciscan Third Order Regular in 1986 .

He completed his philosophical studies from St. Albert’s College Ranchi, Jharkhand, in the year 1992.  He finished his Theological studies at Dharmaram Vidhya Kshetram, Bangalore in 1996.  Later he also completed his bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) Delhi.  He was ordained a priest on 27 May 1998 at Holy Family Bethlehem Church Parampuzha by His Grace Archbishop Joseph Powathil of Changanassery Archdiocese. 

He began his ministry as a Headmaster of St. Thomas School and associate pastor of St. Thomas Church at Adhikari, West Bengal in the Diocese of Bagdogra in 1998.  Later he was appointed as vocation promoter of the Order for four years in Kerala from 1999 – 2003.  In the year 2002 he was also appointed as parish priest in Christ the King Church, Karani, Wyanad in the Diocese of Mananthavady. 

He then completed his master’s degree in Theology from Dharmaram Vidhya Kshetram, Bangalore in 2005.  Thereafter he was appointed as parish priest to St. Thomas Church, Amalagiri and Holy Family Church Nallathani in 2005 – 2006 in the Diocese of Kanjirappilly.