Alancheril Joseph Sebastian was born to Alancheril Joseph and Anna Palliadiyil on 5 November 1930 at Urulikunnam, near Poovarani in the Diocese of Palai in Kerala, India. He was baptized on 16 November 1930 in the Parish Church of Urulikunnam and confirmed on 20 February 1940 at Chengalam Parish Church of Palai Diocese. He hailed from the Syro Malabar rite and got incardinated to the Latin rite on 16 April 1953. He was the youngest of six brothers and two sisters and was born into a middle-class farming family. He underwent his early elementary education known as ‘kalari’ at Urulikunnam, primary school education at Chengalam followed by Middle school at Paika, all within 10 kms radius to his home, between 1937 and 1947 completing ten years of schooling. Bharananganam, a place that would become famous with the canonization of Sr Alphonsa, was not far from his home.
On 4 January 2021, on the 40th day of the passing away of Fr Sebastian Alancheril, the provincial, Fr Joseph Pauria, recalled during the homily at the Eucharist how the merciful God granted Fr Sebastian 90 years of fruitful life here on earth of which 70 years he lived in a Salesian ambient, and the manifold services that Fr Sebastian rendered to the Salesian Congregation particularly in Kolkata Province. We shall attempt a concise descriptive journey into his life to understand the man and the quality of his Salesian vocation.
