knanayapathram 
IMS മിഷിനറി സമൂഹത്തിലെ അംഗവും , ഇരവിമംഗലം സെന്റ് മേരീസ് ക്നാനായ കത്തോലിക്കാ ഇടവകാംഗവുമായ ബ്രദർ ജയപ്രകാശ് ( 83) നിര്യാതനായി , സംസ്ക്കാരം തിങ്കളാഴ്ച ഉച്ചകഴിഞ്ഞു 2മണിക്ക് പൊൻകുന്നം തമ്പലക്കാട് IMS ആശ്രമത്തിൽ . സഹോദരങ്ങൾ : പിജെ തോമസ് , പി ജെ ജോസഫ് , അന്നമ്മ എമ്മാനുവേൽ കുഴിപ്പാറക്കൽ , മേരി ജോസഫ് ഒരത്താണിയിൽ, പി ജെ ചാക്കോച്ചൻ
OBITUARY OF REVEREND BROTHER JAI PRAKASH IMS
Brother Jai Prakash IMS, a friend and brother to so many people in the Indian Missionary Society and outside, has returned to his eternal home on July 9. Our hearts are saddened, yet we praise and thank God for 83 years of his fruitfully lived life on this earth, and especially for his vocation as a religious and as a missionary. We glorify God for his loving companionship and committed ministry.
Brother JP was born to Joseph and Anna of Pothenparambil family in Eravimangalam in Kottayam district of Kerala on October 30, 1939. On the sixth day after his birth, he was baptized and was christened Mathai in St. Mary’s Church, Eravimangalam in the diocese of Kottayam. Mathai had three brothers and two sisters.
After completing Class VIII, Mathai had an ardent desire to be a missionary. Fr. Dayanand who came across this young man recruited him for the IMS and thus he reached Varanasi in July 1958. He opted to be an evangelist brother in the IMS and was committed to this unique call to be a brother till the end of his life. Until 1961, he did his postulancy in Christnagar, Varanasi. In the morning hours he worked in the farm along with other evangelist brothers and attended classes in the afternoon hours. After a year of novitiate under Fr. Dilasa, he made his first profession on July 17, 1962, in Christnagar along with his companions, Tejlal and Atul. He took the name Jaiprakash and from then on he was popularly known as JP. He studied Moral Theology in Christnagar for a year and made his final commitment on July 17, 1965. His motto in life was: TO LIVE, LET OTHERS LIVE AND SERVE OTHERS.
From July 1962 to 1966, he carried out various assignments at Christnagar. He returned to Christnagar three more times to take care of the agricultural farm, dairy farm, refectory, etc. He was caring for the workers of Christnagar and took time to teach them catechism; therefore, they lovingly and respectfully called him “Guruji”.
In 1966, he was asked to go to Kerala, to be the assist Fr. Prabhu Prasad in the newly founded Apostolic School, Bharat Rani Preshit Bhawan in Punnapra, Alleppey. Besides taking care of the temporal needs of the house, he taught songs, hymns and enriched the cultural life of the High School Students who were preparing to become IMS missionaries in North India. Again, from March 1972 to December 1975 too, he served Bharat Rani Preshit Bhawan, which by 1974 had been transformed to the Minor Seminary of the IMS.
In 1976, the Bishops of Bihar sought his service to be the Administrator of Nav Jyoti Niketan, Patna, a job he carried out well until August 1978. Br. JP found great joy and contentment in working with the Jesuits in Nav Jyoti. In Sept, 1979, he got the first opportunity to go to the village mission. He and Fr. Atul, his companion from the early days, were sent as pioneer missionaries to Garh Mukteshwar in Meerut diocese. After living an extremely simple life in a rented house for some months, they bought a piece of land in Bagri village near Gajraula. While he was constructing the mission house in Bagri, he was robbed of his motor cycle and faced many other difficulties and hardships.
Br. J.P. had to leave the Gajraula mission in 1981, as the Bishops of the Agra ecclesiastical region sought his services to complete the construction of Nav Sadhana Pastoral Centre in Varanasi. Once the building work was over, he became the first administrator of Nav Sadhana. There he efficiently hosted the FABC meeting. He served Nav Sadhana until 1985. Meanwhile, in 1983, he was elected as a General Councilor of the IMS. He also rendered his assistance to the IMS Dhyana Bhavan in Alleppey from 1985 to 1992, assisting Fr. Vinayanand in organizing charismatic retreats and programmes, after which he returned to Varanasi to serve as Secretary to Fr. Dilasa, the Superior General from 1992 to 2001.
JP got an opportunity to attend a renewal programme in Manila in 2001 to 2002. After returning from Philippines, he assisted Fr. Dilraj at ASMITA from 2002 to 2004. This gave him an opportunity to relate to the poor people in the slums, migrant workers, rag pickers, etc. and he nurtured that experience with much joy and contentment. He was elected as one of the councillors of Varanasi province in 2004, and also became Secretary to the Provincial and Cashier in Anjali from 2004 to 2005. He also worked in Vishwa Jyoti Communications as its financial administrator from 2005 to 2008 and later as the Administrator of Maitri Bhavan from 2008 to 2009.
In 2009 Br. JP suffered a heart attack and underwent bypass surgery in AIIMS, Delhi. In 2010, he joined the staff of our minor seminary in Theresapur and continued until 2012. For the past ten years, he has been in Kerala, in the IMS communities of Muttuchira (2012 – 2015) and later in Thambalakad (2015-2022).
Brother J.P. loved the IMS and all the IMS members. He worked hard for the Society. He kept in touch with the members through WhatsApp until recently. He made a special effort to greet the members on their birthdays and feast days. He also appreciated the members when he came to know of their achievements.
An outstanding quality he had was of hospitality. He loved guests and enjoyed taking care of them. He had plenty of contacts with many religious sisters, priests and lay people. He was very happy to be in touch with them. Wherever he worked, people remember him with love and gratitude. As one of the vocation promoters of the IMS, he had recruited many from Kerala. Most of them are priests today. Many ex-IMS members too remember him with affection. On hearing of his death, one of them wrote: “Br. JP never harboured any grudge against those who left the IMS for different reasons; but on the other hand, he welcomed everyone with warmth and a disarming smile.”
When most of the brothers opted for priesthood, Br. JP decided to continue to be an evangelist brother. He was proud of being a brother. He was a man of positive mindset. He always felt that “I can, I will”. Though he was not that well physically in the recent past, he managed all his needs by himself as long as he could. He made use of the psychological learnings he had acquired when he was in Nav Jyoti Niketan. He was quite willing to listen and made attempts to change himself though it was not easy for him. He would express his opinions boldly, assertively, sometimes even aggressively in house meetings, Chapters and assemblies.
He was prepared to meet his heavenly Father. He used to say that he was ready to die. Last week, as he was unable to move out of bed, and as his health was deteriorating, Fr. Anumod, the superior of IMS House in Thambalakad admitted him to a palliative care centre in Kidangoor near Kottayam. His call, back to his eternal home, came at around 8 a.m. on Saturday, July 9. We trust and believe that the Lord whom he served as a faithful servant, has welcomed him to heaven. From where he will continue to love and bless the IMS and the mission of the Indian Church.
(Prepared by anand ims with inputs from Subhash IMS)
