Kerala priest Fr Martin’s body arrives from Scotland

Mangalore Today News Network

Kochi, Aug 04 2017: Hundreds of people thronged the international airport at Kochi in Kerala on August 3 Thursday  to receive the body of Father Martin Xavier Vazhachira, who died under mysterious circumstances in Scotland more than a month ago.

Representatives from the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate and Changanacherry archdiocese received the body that arrived at the airport around 9 am by Air Emirates.

The body was then taken in an ambulance to the CMI monastery at Muhamma in Alappuzha district. The earlier plan was to take it to the CMI Generate at Kakkanad, a Kochi suburb. The plan was abandoned because of heavy traffic.


Those present at the airport were CMI Trivandrum provincial Rev Sebastian Chamathara, his counselors James Mullassery and Robin Ananthakkatt. While  Jose Cleetus Plackal represented the CMI Rajagiri provincial. Changanacherry archdiocese was represented by vice chancellor Rev Isaac Alencherry and lay leaders Luckson Kallumadickal and Cyriac Sebastian.

According to the present  plan, the body will taken to Father Vazhachira’s home in Pulincunnu near Changanacherry where it will kept for an hour before being moved to Chethipuzha hospital.

The funeral is scheduled at 11:30 am on August 4 at Sacred Heart Monastery at Chethipuzha in Changanacherry.  Father Vazhachira’s body was discovered at 4 pm on June 23 in the West Barns area of East Lothian, some 50 km from St John the Baptist Church in Corstorphine in Scotland where he was the pastor. He was last seen around 1 pm on June 20.  The Scotland police have not yet disclosed the cause of his death.

Edinburgh: The Catholic community in Edinburgh bid farewell to Father Martin Vazhachira. Hundreds of people, including several priests, came to pay their last respects at St John the Baptist, Corstorphine near Edinburgh on July 31, while the body was kept for public homage from 3 pm local time.

Several local people also took part in the memorial Mass at the church and recitation of the Office of the Dead along with members of the Syro Malabar community. The services were led by Edinburgh vicar general Father Patrick Burk. More than 20 priests from all over UK concelebrated the mass.

Memorial service at Edinburgh for Father martin

Following the services, the body was handed over to the funeral directors to  be flown to Kerala

The funeral will take place on August 4 at Sacred Heart Monastery at Chethipuzha in Changanacherry at 11:30 am Indian time.

Meanwhile mystery still continues over the cause of death of Father Martin whose body was found at a beach in Edinburgh, nearly 50 km away from St John the Baptist’s Church  where he served since October 2016. The Scottish investigators are yet to release the report or announce the cause of his death.