Abraham Mutholath

Mutholath’s primary education was at Puliyannnoor New Government Lower Primary School and at Holy Cross Upper Primary School in Cherpunkal. From sixth grade to tenth grade he studied in English Medium section of St. Mary’s High School Kidangoor.

After high school, he joined St. Stanislaus Minor Seminary at Sacred Heart Mount Kottayam. During his three years of training there, he attended CMS College Kottayam for pre-degree courses. Then he was admitted to Pontifical Institute of Philosophy and Theology at Alwaye in Kerala state. The course included three years of philosophy and four years of theology courses.

After seven years of pastoral experience, Mutholath went to Los Angeles, California, USA, in November 1987 for studies in Communication and Fine Arts. While staying at St. Jerome Parish in Los Angeles he studied at California State University, Dominguez Hills, for a certificate program in Journalism and TV Production. Then he studied at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) and secured an M.A. degree in TV Production in 1992.

Mutholath studied Clinical Pastoral Education at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles in 2001–200. Later he studied at DePaul University in Chicago for MPS (Master of Science in Public Services) in 2004.

Mutholath was ordained as a priest by Archbishop Mar Kuriakose Kunnacherry on December 21, 1980, at Christ the King Cathedral Kottayam. He was then appointed as assistant vicar (associate pastor) at St. Stephen’s Forane Church, Uzhavoor, for 15 months. Then he was vicar (pastor) of St. Michael’s Church, Veliyanad, for three years from 1982 to 1985. From there he was transferred as pastor of St. Mary’s Church, Pachira, for another three years before he went for his higher studies in Los Angeles.

After his return from the United States, Mutholath was chaplain of Knanaya Catholic Youth League (KCYL), the youth ministry of the Archdiocese of Kottayam, from 1992 to 1999. He also served as the director of Chaithanya Pastoral Centre[7] of the Kottayam Archdiocese at Thellakom near Kottayam from 1994 to 2000.

Mutholath went to Los Angeles in December 2000 to serve as chaplain at Robert F. Kennedy Medical Center in Hawthorne, Los Angeles. He served the Kerala Catholics in Los Angeles by offering Mass for them. Later he initiated Knanaya Catholic Mission in Los Angeles and served as its first mission director.[8]

Mutholath has been the director of Knanaya Catholic Mission in Chicago since July 1, 2004. He founded Sacred Heart Knanaya Catholic Parish in Maywood and St. Mary's Knanaya Catholic Parish in Morton Grove. Bishop Mar Jacob Angadiath appointed him as the first pastor of Sacred Heart Knanaya Catholic Church in Maywood in September 2006 and as the first pastor of the St. Mary's Knanaya Catholic Church in Morton Grove in July 2010.

He took the initiative of establishing Visitation Convent by bringing four sisters from Visitation Congregation at Kottayam in India to serve at Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital in Inglewood, Los Angeles. He also helped in the establishment of St. Joseph’s Convent in West Covina, Los Angeles, by bringing five sisters of St. Joseph's Congregation from Kottayam in India to serve at a hospital in West Covina. Later he helped to start Visitation Convent in Chicago in July 2010.

Mar Jacob Angadiath, the bishop of St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Chicago, appointed him on October 3, 2001, as the Syncellus (Vicar General) of the Eparchy.[9] At the request of the bishop he moved from Los Angeles to Chicago in February 2003.

Mutholath founded new Knanaya Catholic Missions and parishes in the USA.[10] He was the first mission director of Los Angeles from 2002 to 2003. Bishop Mar Jacob Angadiath established Knanaya Catholic Region in his diocese on April 30, 2006. Mutholath, as Vicar General of the diocese, was appointed also as the director of this region.[1] Mutholath with the support of the lay people started the Sacred Heart Knanaya Catholic Forane Parish at Maywood, Illinois, in September 2006[10][11] and St. Mary’s Knanaya Catholic Parish at Morton Grove, Illinois, on July 18, 2010.[12] Bishop Angadiath appointed him as the first pastor in both parishes.[13] Mutholath was the motivating force behind establishing many of the Knanaya Catholic Missions and parishes when he continued to be vicar general until February 8, 2014.[1] As of March 2017 Fr. Mutholath continued to minister at Sacred Heart Knanaya Catholic Forane Parish at Maywood, Illinois,[14]

Mutholath has published five books in Malayalam that went into many editions:

• You Too Can be a Leader (Malayalam: നിങ്ങൾക്കും നേതാവാകാം) published first by Janatha Books, Thevara, Kochi and later two editions by Current Books, Kottayam.
• Leadership Training (Malayalam: നേതൃത്വ പരിശീലനം) Two editions, Published by DC Books, Kottayam.
• Bible Games (Malayalam: ബൈബിൾ ഗെയിംസ്) Two editions, by Janatha Books, Thevara.
• Priestly Leadership Today, Tomorrow (Malayalam: വൈദിക നേതൃത്വം ഇന്ന് നാളെ) by Deepika Book House, Kottayam.
• Annamma Cheduthy Amerikkayil (Annamma in America - A satire novel in Malayalam) അന്നാമ്മാച്ചേടത്തി അമേരിക്കയിൽ (ഹാസ്യ നോവൽ) by Yes Press Books. Perumbavoor, Kerala.

Mutholath was the chief editor of the following Souvenir publications:

• Platinum Jubilee Souvenir of the Diocese of Kottayam published in 1986 by Jyothi Book House Kottayam.
• Jubilee Smruthi, Episcopal Silver Jubilee Souvenir of Mar Kuriakose Kunnacherry, published in 1993 by KCYL and distributed by Jyothi Book House, Kottayam.
• Managing editor of Silver Jubilee Souvenir – 2008 published by Sacred Heart Knanaya Catholic Parish Chicago.
• Managing editor of Dasavarsha Smruthi, Tenth Anniversary Souvenir of the Sacred Heart Knanaya Catholic Parish Chicago published in 2016.

Besides authoring four books and editing the above mentioned souvenir publications, Mutholath authored the two booklets with the history of St. Mary’s Church Pachira[15] and Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Cherpunkal.[16]

He authored articles in various periodicals and professional publications. A few examples are the following:

• “Church and Social Work”, Religion and Thought (Malayalam: “സഭയും സാമുഹ്യ പ്രവർത്തനവും”, മതവും ചിന്തയും), A Philosophico-Theological Bimonthly in Malayalam, March–April 1978, Pontifical Institute, Aluva. Pages 156-175.
• “Priestly Ministry in the Church History”, Religion and Thought (Malayalam: “പൗരോഹിത്യ ശുശ്രൂഷ സഭാചരിത്രത്തിൽ” , മതവും ചിന്തയും), A Philosophico-Theological Bimonthly in Malayalam, January–February 1981, Pontifical Institute, Aluva.
• “Preservation of the Ecclesial Nature of Knanaya Community in North America”, Centenary Symposia, Archdiocese of Kottayam, 2014, pp. 497–505.

Mutholath was chief editor of Apna Des,[17] a Malayalam fortnightly of the Archdiocese of Kottayam.[18] While he was serving in that capacity from 1985–1987, he professionalized the periodical and made it popular with a high volume of subscribers.

He was also the editor of Sacred Heart Monthly, the official periodical of the Archdiocese of Kottayam from 1985–1987.

During the same period he served as the manager of Catholic Mission Press and Jyothi Book House owned and operated by the Archdiocese of Kottayam

Mutholath served as the director of Communication Media in the Archdiocese of Kottayam from 1992 to 2000. He started Kottayam Communications to train young artists for TV and Film industry. He also produced and directed videos on social issues with artists from Malayalam Film industry along with young artists as talents.

Mutholath wrote a screenplay in 1993 for a Malayalam film titled Dollar directed by Raju Joseph Pralel. The film was released in the theaters in India and was exhibited in some theaters of the United States for people from India. The movie deals with the issues of Indian immigrants in the United States.

Mutholath was the director of Social Services of the Archdiocese of Kottayam and secretary of Kottayam Social Service Society (KSSS) from 1994 to 2000. He transformed KSSS from a charitable and welfare approach to developmental approach. He organized 565 self-help groups of the weaker sections of the community. At that time he had seven office staff and 109 field staff as well as hundreds of volunteers.

He also introduced Community Based Rehabilitation Programs in Kerala through KSSS. Mutholath also started Chaithanya Karshika Mela at Chaithanya along with Self-help Group Festivals that are still held towards the end of every year. He also was the founding director of Caritas Ayurvedic Hospital at Thellakom, Kottayam. KSSS gradually became a model social service society in India.

Returning to the United States in 2000, he started Agape Movement in 2001, a non-profit corporation in the United States. Through his corporation, he and many others help charitable and Christian missionary efforts in India and in the United States.

Mutholath purchased land at Cherpunkal and built a building called Agape Bhavan (home) that functions primarily as a center for the physically and mentally challenged or differently abled.[19] This was his gift to Kottayam Social Service Society when he celebrated the Silver Jubilee of his ordination in 2005.[20] Agape Bhavan also has a notebook-making unit and paper bag-making unit that give employment for the differently abled and local self-help group members. Notebooks and paper bags are supplied from the center to the local educational institutions and hospitals. KSSS is running this institution.

Mutholath helped the mission Diocese of Miao in Arunachal Pradesh in India personally and encouraged others. Through Agape Movement, he and others support formation of seminarians and the construction of churches, dispensaries and educational institutions.[21]

Mutholath also donated 1.7 acres of his family property that he inherited for social service purposes. This property is adjacent to a highway and the Meenachil river. He personally donated from his earnings a major portion of money to construct Good Samaritan Centre at the land he donated at Cherpunkal.[22] Later he personally donated money to construct Mutholath Auditorium near Good Samaritan Centre to financially support the on-going programs for the blind at Good Samaritan Centre, as well as an acre for more parking space. The Archdiocese of Kottayam named the camps as Mutholath Nagar.