- 14 July, 2026
Bengaluru, July 14: The Salesian Province of Bangalore is mourning the loss of Rev. Fr Joy Pulikan SDB, whose life of faithful priestly service, formation ministry, and quiet dedication has left a lasting legacy within the Church. Fr Joy passed away on 3 July 2026 at the age of 71 following a cardiac arrest at Rajagiri Hospital, Aluva.
Announcing his passing, the Salesians of Bangalore Province said with profound sorrow, "We commend the soul of our dear departed confrere to the mercy of God."
The first part of the funeral rites was officiated by Bishop Thomas Chakiath at Mamma Margaret Home, Aluva, on 4 July, followed by a Requiem Mass before the mortal remains were taken to Don Bosco Bhavan, Mannuthy, where the final funeral service was held.
A Life Dedicated to the Gospel
Born on 16 August 1955 at Edathuruthy near Irinjalakuda in Kerala, Fr. Joy entered the Salesian Congregation as a young man, making his first profession in 1974 at Yercaud and his perpetual profession in 1981 at Irinjalakuda. He was ordained a priest on 27 December 1984 at Edathuruthy after completing his philosophical and theological formation at Kristu Jyoti College, Bengaluru.
His academic excellence later took him to the Salesian Pontifical University in Rome, where he pursued advanced studies before returning to India to dedicate his life to priestly formation, catechetics and youth ministry.
Over nearly four decades of ministry, Fr. Joy served in a variety of significant responsibilities including Director and Rector of Visvadeep, Head of the Department of Youth Ministry and Catechetics, Professor, Librarian, and Registrar at Kristu Jyoti, and Rector in different Salesian institutions. His longest and most influential ministry was at Kristu Jyoti College, Bengaluru, and Visvadeep, where he spent more than twenty-five years forming future priests and pastoral leaders.
Forming Generations of Priests
Preaching the funeral homily, Rev. Fr. Bosco Ponthokkan SDB, the rector of Kristu jyoti College described Fr Joy as a priest whose influence extended far beyond the classrooms in which he taught.
"As a professor of Catechetics and Youth Ministry, he did much more than teach methods of religious instruction. He helped form priests who would become heralds of the Gospel."
Fr. Bosco recalled that Fr. Joy consistently insisted that theology must always become pastoral, doctrine must become proclamation and every lesson should ultimately lead people to an encounter with Christ.
The true measure of his vocation, he said, lies not simply in the books he wrote or lectures he delivered, but in the countless priests, religious, catechists, educators and youth ministers who continue to serve across India and many parts of the world.
Reflecting on his enduring legacy, he observed: "Whenever his students preach a homily, teach a catechism class, accompany a young person, they in some hidden way become part of Fr Joy's own harvest. This is how the Kingdom grows."
His former students continue his mission each day through their preaching, pastoral ministry and service to young people, making his influence impossible to measure.
"He Has Gone to the Father"
Fr. Bosco reflected on the distinctive Salesian understanding of death, reminding mourners that the passing of a confrere is viewed not as an end but as a homecoming.
"In the Salesian tradition, when a confrere dies, we do not simply say that he has died. We say that he has gone to the Father. These simple words capture our entire spirituality."
He reminded the congregation that Christian funerals are fundamentally centred not on death but on the Risen Christ.
Quoting St. Paul's proclamation that "Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep," he said every priestly funeral is ultimately a celebration of hope.
"If Christ is risen, then death has been transformed. If Christ is risen, then the priest who spent his life proclaiming that mystery now enters into it."
Reflecting on the Gospel of John, Fr. Bosco added that Fr. Joy had spent his entire priestly ministry inviting others to hear God's Word, and now entered fully into the eternal life he had proclaimed throughout his life.
A Silent Witness Through Suffering
In his later years, Fr. Joy suffered a cerebral stroke that dramatically altered his ministry. Unable to continue teaching in the classroom, he embraced a quieter apostolate through illness and suffering.
Fr. Bosco described this period as "God's final lesson in catechetics."
"For many years, Fr. Joy had taught with words. After his illness, he began teaching without words in the silence of suffering."
He reflected that in a culture measuring success by activity and efficiency, Fr. Joy demonstrated that the deepest lessons of the Gospel are often taught through faithful endurance.
His patient acceptance of suffering became a powerful testimony that a priest's greatest sermon is sometimes not the one preached from the pulpit, but the manner in which he carries his cross.
Rather than diminishing his vocation, illness revealed another profound dimension of his priesthood as he quietly participated in the Paschal Mystery of Christ.
A Life of Faithful Service
Fr. Joy's ministry reflected the Salesian conviction that holiness is found through fidelity in ordinary life.
Throughout his years at Kristu Jyoti College and Visvadeep, he served in numerous leadership roles including Director, Rector, Professor, Head of the Department of Youth Ministry and Catechetics, Librarian and Registrar, contributing significantly to the intellectual, pastoral and administrative life of the institutions.
At the Seventh Day Memorial Holy Eucharist, members of the academic community recalled his nearly three decades of extraordinary service.
As Director of Visvadeep, he guided the institution during important periods of growth. As Head of the Department of Youth Ministry and Catechetics, he formed generations of pastors and educators. As Librarian, he fostered a culture of scholarship, while as Registrar he was remembered for his integrity, diligence and attention to detail.
Above all, colleagues remembered him as a professor whose teaching combined intellectual depth with pastoral wisdom and an abiding love for the Gospel.
A Legacy of Faithfulness
Drawing on the spirituality of St. John Bosco, Fr. Bosco reminded the congregation that holiness consists in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well out of love for God.
"Fr. Joy's life may not have been spectacular in the eyes of the world. It was eminently beautiful, because it was faithful."
He recalled Don Bosco's dream of meeting all his Salesians again in heaven and expressed the hope that Fr. Joy had now joined that communion of saints.
To illustrate the Church's understanding of holiness, Fr. Bosco recounted how, after the canonisation of the Salesian Brother, Artemide Zatti in 2022, the Salesian Postulator General wrote the words "Canonised on 9 October 2022" beside Zatti's baptismal entry in his parish register, prompting prolonged applause from the faithful gathered in the church — a reminder that every Christian is called to holiness.
Remembering a Faithful Priest
As the Salesian family entrusted their confrere to God's mercy, they expressed confidence that Fr Joy's lifelong service had reached its fulfilment.
The funeral homily concluded with the prayer:
"May he hear: 'Come, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord!'"
For the Salesian family, Fr Joy Pulikan leaves behind far more than cherished memories. He leaves a living legacy of faithful priesthood, dedicated formation, scholarly excellence, compassionate pastoral ministry and quiet holiness that will continue to shape generations of priests, religious and lay leaders for years to come.
By Catholic Connect Reporter
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