John's father Anthappan came from the ancient family of Ukken (the name Ukken in Malayalam means powerful or forceful) from Edakulam. Anthappan's sister Acharunny had been married to Chiramel family in Parappur, a village 14 kms northwest of Trichur. Later, Anthappan also came to Parappur and settled there, buying a plot of land which later came to be known as Ukken parambu. Anthappan married Annamma Chalackal from Thoyakkavu. Their first child died after 2 years. God's mercy was shown to these devout parents when Augustine John was born on Dec. 19th, 1880. The child was baptized in the ancient parish church of Enammavu on Dec. 26th, 1880. Little John learned from his mother the virtues of love, generosity, kindness and fear of God and from his father the utter trust in God and in hard work.
John was orphaned at a very early age due to the untimely death of his parents- he lost his mother when he was two and half years old and father when he was six. In his personal life, John felt the pain of being an orphan. But indeed this was an opening for John to understand the all embracing providential care of God the Father. He believed what he had learnt from his mother that the good God never abandoned his faithful children. For those who loved God, He worked everything into good (Rom. 8:28).
He later wrote in his spiritual diary called "Lights from Heaven" - the diary notes from 1902-1932: 'Today it seemed to me to hear Jesus telling to me: I will not leave you helpless and orphans: For I am here to intercede for you." This care for the destitute constitutes also part of the charism of the Congregation he later founded. This sense of being protected and guided by God in the state of his orphanhood was always present in the spirituality of Fr. Ukken. He writes again: "Contemplation on the love of God gave me great consolation with tears, when I reflected on the personal gifts of my infancy and boyhood" when in tender years my parents dying, I was stranded on the wide world. you protected me'. We can see that in the young John, the virtues of utter trust in the providence of God and in His fatherhood and motherhood are clearly visible.
Actually, while being a seminarian, John could say that "I am simply an effect of divine mercy, I am saved by an all powerful effort of divine mercy". Providence was leading John through unknown ways. The parish priest of Parappur Fr. Ouseph Kuttikatt saw for himself the deep devotion of John to the spiritual life, his earnestness to study and the sense of obedience and sacrifice. He invited him to stay at the priest's residence and attend the upper primary school, which John readily agreed to do. Msgr. Adolphus Medlycott, the first Vicar Apostolic of Trichur (1887-1896) visited Parappur around 1895. The bishop was touched by John's deep fervour for spiritual life and his nobility of character and intellectual acumen. The bishop took him to the Minor Seminary in Trichur and allowed him to complete his education.
In 1898, John decided to join for priesthood. Msgr. John Menachery, the new Vicar Apostolic of Trichur, sent John to Kandy in Sri Lanka for studies to priesthood. John joined the seminary on April 17th, 1898. In his seminary days, John wanted to know God and love him deeply. He fulfilled the call to imitate the Lord fully. John thought that Christ expected from his priest not riches, not learning, but love. To become a pastor, love is essentially required. As a loyal devotee, John offered his study and formation into the hands of the Divine Mother. John was ordained on Dec. 21st, 1907 in Kandy by Dr. Clement Pagani OSB, bishop of Kandy. Soon afterwards, he came back to his native Kerala.
For the next 46 years, he served the Vicariate (later diocese) of Trichur in many responsible positions. During 1908-1909 he was the Assistant Manager of the St Thomas School at Trichur. His first stint as parish priest was at Kandassankadavu 1909. He was the Rector of the Minor Seminary between 1910-1917 and in this time, between 1913-1917, he was also the secretary to the Vicar Apostolic Mar John Menachery. He was the Parish priest of Lourdes Cathedral in 1917-1918 and later of Kottapady church in 1918-1921. He came back to Trichur in 1921 and served as the Manager of the St Thomas College till 1925. He taught French and Latin in the College.
On Nov. 21, 1944, Fr. Ukken realized his dream of dedicated service to the community, especially the downtrodden, by starting the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity. Fr. John won the appreciation of the local populace so that he was unanimously elected as the Village Court Judge (head of civic administration) of Chowannur.
He remained as the chaplain of the Convent in Chowannur till he breathed his last on the October 13th of 1956. A large gathering of people, irrespective of caste and creed, participated in his funeral procession, expressing their sincere appreciation and gratitude to a life, spent in love of God and fellow human beings.
John was convinced that his call was meant to give Jesus to the world. For this he was to be another Christ. Thus he was to bring the sinners to reconciliation before God. John was convinced that his particular mission was to turn back the many sinners from the path of sin, through his words and deeds. He was also of the firm conviction that he had been called to proclaim Jesus and his kingdom to the multitudes around the world. With this intention, Fr. Ukken was forming himself in the Christian virtues, thereby developing a priestly personality worthy of his higher calling. He learnt to acquire a strong will, seraphic love, ardent zeal, profound humility. In his endeavour to become a priest, alter christus, he grew in special devotion to the Eucharist, Sacred Heart, Blessed Virgin Mary, St Joseph and the Guardian Angel.
He specially willed that the central event of each day would be the reception of the holy Eucharist. He spent long hours in silent meditation before the Eucharist, which was edifying to his fellow priests. He always asked his sisters not to grieve the Sacred Heart. His spiritual diaries also are a testimonial to the filial devotion of Fr. John towards the Holy Mother. He addressed her as my dear mamma. We can also see in Fr. John the loyal devotion to St Joseph.
John tried in his various apostolates to lead people from ignorance and superstition to the light of truth. He identified himself with the downtrodden and oppressed. He worked hard for the uplifting of the poor especially in an area - Chowannur - where the majority were Hindus and non Catholics. The last 28 years of his life (1928-1956) he worked in this area, with a brief interlude in Palayur (1940-1941). People used to call him Achan Thampuran (meaning lord priest) in respect and appreciation of the yeomen service he did for the people, especially the scheduled castes and other non Catholics. He prayed that he, together with the fellow priests, should strive to alleviate the sufferings of our poor pulayas and to ameliorate their condition, to bring them up to the equal social condition. In Chowannur and Kunnamkulam, Fr. Ukken also became a veritable model in interreligious dialogue and ecumenism.
The special charisms that he intended for his sisters were: caring of the sick, tending those who are in deathbed, uplifting the poor and giving catechetical formation. The sisters took family visits and counselling as an important facet of their apostolate. His advice to the sisters was: Your task is to love; let no one surpass you in love.
The Lights from Heaven, his spiritual diaries, show forth the inner saintliness of the person. His founding of the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity was a bold attempt to perpetuate the ideas of charity through a visible institution. His work among the poor, especially in the last phase of his life at Chowannur, basing himself on the ideals of the Gospel, is yet another dimension of his holiness.
John tried to acquire moral perfection by earnestly practising justice, and acting according to his well-formed conscience. He respected the elders and obeyed the superiors. His firm faith in Gods providence, thirst for reconciliation with him and the readiness to propagate the faith are all well testified from his spiritual diaries and are the hallmarks of his inner saintliness.
Personally Fr. John lived a life of prayer and penance. The long hours he spent before the Eucharist were moments of his own personal sanctification and those of the community he served. For him, the Holy Mass was the chief event of the day. He saw Eucharist as the source of spiritual power against temptations. Fr. John routinely practised penance and mortification. He applied himself to rigorous fasting and an austere way of life. He was a model to his parishners and especially to the sisters in the virtue of heroic suffering by which he experienced the closeness with the crucified Lord. John himself was a good preacher and has preached retreats for priests a number of times. John was also filled with missionary spirit, which is evident from the fact that he sent many sisters to remote areas of Kerala.
When Venerable Fr. Augustine John Ukken died in 1956, he was buried in St Thomas parish church at Chowannur, where he had worked as a parish priest for twenty-four years. Since this parish church needed reconstruction, his mortal remains were transferred temporarily to the parish hall, where they are now being kept buried under the earth in a chest. the remains will be transferred to the new church which will be blessed on 10 April 2010.
