Father Abraham J. Valiath back
Priest - In - Charge
'In the land of the living' Ordeal in India 20 years ago forged Father Abraham's faith
By TERRY AHNER
tahner@tnonline.com
| TERRY AHNER/TIMES NEWS Father Abraham stands outside the confines of St. John's Episcopal Church, at 365 Lafayette Avenue, Palmerton, where he has served as pastor since June. |
Caught in the crosshairs of an attempted hostile takeover, Father Abraham nearly saw his life flash before his very eyes.
The year was 1988, a time when India was under attack from the Muslims and Hindu fundamentalists.
It is undoubtedly the single most important moment of his life Father Abraham would love to forget. The Pakistan-sponsored Muslim terrorists had bombed two churches within a span of five minutes.
Fully engrossed in a social economic involvement he cultivated with the help of others in his native India, Abraham was taken under siege and kidnapped by the same group.
"I was kidnapped and placed in a closed cattle shed with no ventilation," Abraham said. "On the fifth night, one of my students whose father was a Hindu village leader got two other friends and a blacksmith who cut the lock from outside to open the shed."
At long last, Abraham was free. He and his rescuers rode six miles on a bicycle to get to a main road. From there, Abraham escaped into a truck to go to the Mission Center in India so he wouldn't be killed.
Still, Abraham couldn't help but be scarred from the horrible incident.
"I was tortured; they kicked my belly, they broke my shoulder with their shoes," he said. "I heard them talking that they were going to take my dead body in a jeep."
Once he arrived in Bombay, India, Abraham eventually made his way to London, England, where he stayed with a female friend and her husband.
At that point, he got a teaching job in London. A few years later, he moved to Kentucky, where he taught at the Cornerstone School of Theology. He then served as associate priest at St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Allentown for four years.
Today, Abraham serves as pastor of St. John's Episcopal Church, located at 365 Lafayette Avenue in Palmerton.
"I really love it," Father Abraham said. "The people are very nice, very friendly."
Abraham said he's been extremely impressed with St. John's steep tradition, which he said spans 103 years.
"The church has a big tradition," he said. "These are good people."
Currently, Abraham said there are about 236 families that comprise the church's congregation.
Born and raised in India, Abraham was ordained in Eastern Orthodox in his homeland.
He received his undergraduate degree from the Catholicate College in India, and his undergraduate degree in Theology from Leonard Theological College in India.
Abraham then received his Master's degree in Humanities and English Literature from Cambridge University, England. He then received his Master's and Doctoral Degree from Serampore University.
Abraham said he was then ordained into priesthood in 1970.
"I completed my studies, and came back home where I joined a monastery for some time," he said. "I was led to teach in our church seminary, and while teaching in the seminary, we organized a group of clergymen to organize Christian people by support of the World Council of Churches in Geneva."
It was then when Abraham became involved in the Liberation Movement in India.
"It was a socialistic movement to give more education to people for humanity, freedom and justice," he said. "I was completely believing in the non-violence movement using the soul force to assist civil injustice sectors."
In 1979, Abraham went to Mother Teresa Institute for one month to study the Christian Social Involvement. He and several others then coordinated several meetings underground and chalked out publications to the citizens.
"We were caught by government and ordered to be arrested," he said. "But the officer was of Christian faith, so we weren't arrested that day."
In 1984, Abraham asked to be given his freedom from the ministry to start a social economic involvement program in northwestern India.
"It was a very small, humble beginning; we taught welding, shoemaking, stitching, and started a small clinic and trained traditional midwives," he said. "Our doctors developed new programs, distributed delivery lots to midwives, and thousands of people became Christians."
When all was said and done, Abraham said the program had created 46 mission churches.
Married for three years several decades ago, Abraham's ex-wife gave birth to twins.
"I raised them, they went to Cedar Crest College and Drexel University," he said. "They live in Philadelphia; they are my only family here."
Born into what he referred to as a "very conservative Christian family", Abraham said he has been celebrate for 27 years.
"I'm in this church because the Lord wants me to be here," he said. "My whole life, I have served the Lord in different ways."
Throughout his trials and tribulations, Abraham has been able to take his bad misfortunes and channel them into positive, life-learning experiences.
"I'm thankful to the Lord that I'm here," he said. "And for my life in the land of living."