• June 23, 2023

Keralite nurse in UK to be ordained as priest in Church of England on Sunday

Keralite nurse in UK to be ordained as priest in Church of England on Sunday

By A Staff Reporter

LONDON June 23: Deacon Shilo Varughese Kunnumpurathu, a deputy charge nurse in the UK for the last 20 years, will be ordained as a priest in the Church of England. His Priestly Ordination will take place at the Peterborough Cathedral on Sunday 25th June 2023 by the Rt. Revd John Holbrook, Lord Bishop of Brixworth and Peterborough. He will be the assistant vicar of six rural parishes in the Castor Benefice near Peterborough.

A number of church denominations and other faith communities will attend the ceremony to show their support for Fr Shilo, including the Mayor of Peterborough.

Fr Shilo hails from a traditional Mar-Thomite family in Valakuzy, Pathanamthitta district of Kerala state in India. He is the elder son of Varughese Philip Kunnumpurathu House and Lizy Varughese Kochiyil Valiyaveedu.

Fr Shilo has two daughters Angel and Jewel, and is married to Bincy. His younger sister Shiby and her family live in Bournemouth; his younger brother Shilu and his family live in Canada.

The family have all arrived in Peterborough to support him during the ordinance ceremony.

The family are members of All Saints Mar Thoma Church members Peterborough, Cambridgeshire which is under the North America – Europe Diocese, part of UK-Europe Zone of Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church Kerala.

Fr. Shilo graduated as a nurse from Navodaya Medical College, Raichur and acquired a Postgraduate degree in Critical Care from the City University of London. He gained his Theological graduation from Durham University prior to his deacon Ordination last year.

He benefited from his early life of serving in leadership roles such as Mar-Thoma Yuvajana Sakhyam to become a leader in the Church of England. His relationship with the Church of England began with the relationship between the Anglican Churches and Mar Thoma Churches in the UK and worldwide as both churches are ‘in full communion with’ each other. He was attracted and sustained by the local Anglican Church’s adaptability and by its welcoming nature.

Having felt strongly called by God, Fr Shilo explored the possibility of a vocation in the service of Christ. The local Anglican community also supported him since he was already serving them in various lay leadership roles. As he says, when God leads us to discern His plan in our life, everything is possible, and our competence comes from the grace of God.

Father David Ridgway, the rector of Castor Benefice, commended Father Shilo for being a well-known person in the villages of Peterborough and in the diocese because he is good at engaging with people and easily wins the hearts of parishioners. A positive characteristic of his ministry is that he models his leadership on the character of Christ and is a naturally collaborative person.

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