Social worker-Priest's passing leaves Indian catholic community in mourning

On September 17, Fr. Augustin Karinkuttiyil, an Indian priest renowned for his work in the relief and rehabilitation of survivors of the 1999 Odisha cyclone, passed away at the age of 85.

He died from age-related illness at Loyola Hospital in Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha.

Fr. Karinkuttiyil was a priest of the Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Archdiocese in Odisha and dedicated much of his life to social service.

Following his passing, Divine Word Archbishop John Barwa presided over a funeral Mass at St. Vincent's Pro-Cathedral in Satyanagar, Bhubaneswar, where the public gathered to pay their final respects.

He was laid to rest on September 18 at the Christian Cemetery in Satyanagar, Bhubaneswar.

Born on July 9, 1941, in Kerala, southern India, Fr. Karinkuttiyil chose to serve as a missionary in Odisha. He was ordained on December 17, 1971, and after serving in various parishes, he devoted much of his life to social development work.

He founded two non-governmental organizations, “Jana Vikas” (People's Development) and Fellowship, both operating under the Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Archdiocese, to support the welfare of the people.

He was not only a remarkable person but also a brilliant social innovator. In the early 1980s, he started Jana Vikas to develop the Kandhamal district, a part of the Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Archdiocese.

“His dedication to assisting underprivileged communities led him to pioneer the creation of five cooperatives in Kandhamal district,” said Kailash Chandra Dandapat, a social worker and a former colleague. 

Following the 1999 super cyclone in Odisha, Karinkuttiyil relocated to Jagatsinghpur district to assist the impacted communities and established the Fellowship, an NGO. 

The 1999 Odisha cyclone was the most intense recorded tropical cyclone in the North Indian Ocean, as well as one of the most destructive in the region.

At 260 km/h, the tropical cyclone reached a category 5 hurricane status, resulting in the loss of over 15,000 lives. The affected areas were Odisha in India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Thailand. 

Karinkuttiyil believed in turning disaster into progress, and he raised one billion Indian rupees for relief with the help of national and international funding agency partners.

“Instead of just giving out the money to the affected people, he used it to start ten cooperatives, seven of which are still women-led and continue today,” said Dandapat. “I have been part of this journey from the start. Once he achieved his objective, he closed the Fellowship.”

According to him, “Karinkuttiyil was a visionary with deep commitment. We have lost a wonderful person. My heartfelt condolences go out to his family and everyone who knew him.”

Fr Ajay Kumar Singh, a human rights activist based in the eastern Indian city of Bhubaneswar, was Fr Karinkuttiyil’s assistant for a couple of years in social work. 

After the Super Cyclone in Puri and Jagatsinghpur districts, Karinkuttiyil dedicated himself to helping the underprivileged in Kandhamal and later in coastal areas, according to Singh.

“Recently, I visited Jagatsinghpur district, and to my surprise, his work and the cooperative groups are still active, although he had closed his interventions ten years ago. I had been part of the work for a couple of years initially,” Singh recalled.

Karinkuttiyil worked extensively for the empowerment of farmers and women, facilitating farmers producers’ cooperatives and women's cooperatives in Kandhamal in the 1990s.

“Karinkuttiyil’s contribution to the voluntary sector remains praiseworthy,” said Singh.

Meanwhile, Jugal Kishore Ranjit, a social worker, also mourned the demise of Fr. Karinkuttiyil.

“Karinkuttiyil has made a lot of contributions to the empowerment of marginalized communities in the Archdiocese of Cuttack-Bhubneswar,” said Ranjit.

He will be remembered for his wonderful social work. Additionally, he was a staunch social work administrator.

He has changed the lives of many 1999 super cyclone victims. His most significant contribution was the successful management of women cooperatives in Odisha's coastal districts.