Vienna, Austria, Apr 17, 2012 / 07:52 am
Fr. Jacob Strampickal, S.J., a major Catholic communications leader in India, died April 14 at the age of 62.
“He was truly a missionary of communications in India,” said Fr. William Nellikkal of Vatican Radio’s Malayalam section. “He succeeded in convincing the Catholic bishops of India that media is a powerful tool for evangelization.”
Fr. Nellikkal, a former student of Fr. Strampickal, said he united Catholics across India despite their differences in culture and liturgical rites.
Fr. Strampickal had a stroke in September 2011 in India but recovered in what he said was a miracle. He was on a visit to Austria 10 days ago when he became critically ill and was hospitalized.