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Biography of FR. MATHEW NAICKOMPARAMBIL

A native of Kerala, India he is internationally known for his ministries of healing and evangelization. Through the word of God and the miraculous healings, Christians as well as the Non- Christians are being drawn to Jesus.

The mighty hands of God are at work in miraculous ways. This all started in 1978 through the intense prayers and devotion of Fr. Mathew. He had started a prayer group with 14 people who had assembled once a week, on a Saturday, in a church at Potta.

They were praising and thanking God for their weaknesses, failures, infirmities, humiliations, rejections, ailments and their aches and pains, rather than complaining, cursing and grumbling.

"You are a chosen race, holy nation, royal priest hood, a personal possession to sing praises to a God who brought us out of darkness into a wonderful light". (1Peter 2:9)

They trusted in Jesus and His promises.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)

Miracles and healings began to happen during their prayers. The first healing was that of a man who was suffering from Asthma for many years, which was followed by many others of the mind, body and soul. Healings-physical and spiritual- of the blind and deaf and of the addicts and others, abounded.

Word had spread around and the group of 14 had swelled up to one of 40,000, coming together for prayer, listening to the word of God and receiving blessings from him, once a week.

In response to a divine revelation and urging from God, on October 1983, Fr. Mathew started a live-in Retreat Center for 400 people in a vacant building, which was built for a hospital, in the nearby town of Muringoor.

Thousands started swarming into the center for prayers, listening to the word of God and to receive His blessings and the healing of the sick. It has become the biggest Retreat Center in the world housing up to 15,000 people living at one place for one week at a time around the year. His spiritual conventions in India are attended by 200,000 to 300,000 with many reported healings.

Reputation had spread around the world and Fr. Mathew had started a world evangelization project, prompted by the divine revelations. He has been conducting retreats, conventions and healing services in various countries of Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas. He has been visiting USA every year since 1992, and many healings have been reported during his services.

Guided by the Holy Spirit and Divine Providence he has started a center in New Jersey, "The Divine Mercy Healing Center, Potta" located at 426 Route 57 West, Washington, New Jersey.

He had appeared on the Catholic television program EWTN. Now he is making his services available through the medium of the Internet.

Endorsements

Ralph Martin on Fr. Naickomparambil

While speaking at a conference in Cleveland, Ohio, I had an opportunity to meet Fr. Mathew Naickomparambil, a Catholic priest from Kerala, India, who is at the center of what seems to be a genuine revival.

He regularly has 8,000 people coming each week for five day retreats, with 20,000 to 30,000 coming on Saturdays for a day-long prayer meeting. Many of these are Hindus and Moslems. Many healings take place as God does signs and wonders to accompany the preaching of the gospel. Over 150,000 Hindus have come to this center and many have become Christian. This is indeed quite extraordinary and cause for great rejoicing. It is wonderful to see the life of God going forth from a Catholic priest and his team, and God’s hand drawing so many to himself. At times Fr. Mathew has spoken to crowds as large as 4-500,000. What great good news. It made me want to pray, and I do, that what God is doing in Kerala may happen all over the world. Please join me in that prayer.

Ralph Martin’s “Renewal Ministry” Newsletter, October 1995

Permission granted to use this Article by the Renewal Ministry Office.

April 23rd, 2007.

Fr. Peter Coughlin

Bishop James Wingle of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, and I embarked on a journey of discovery of India in October 1994. The real reason we went was to explore a major retreat movement in which thousands experience transformation and healing under the direction of Fr. Mathew Naickomparambil and the Vincentian Fathers. Father Mathew is known as the “Billy Graham of India”, ministering the Catholic Charismatic Renewal and Evangelization to Catholics, other Christians, Hindus, Muslims and all who come for retreat or prayer meeting. Hundreds of thousands are attracted by his evangelization and healing ministry where the lame walk, the blind see, and the deaf hear. Baptized and unbaptized receive the empowerment and gifts of the Holy Spirit. Countless testimonies of healing and freedom are shared by the recipients of the preaching and ministry.

On January 1, 1987, Fr. Mathew, who had a large counseling ministry, received a prophetic word in prayer which said: “it is not enough to counsel my people; feed them, proclaim the word, go and preach to my people.” As Fr. Mathew acted on the word he received, gathering the 75 people whom he was counseling together, healings began to take place and the retreat ministry began.

The first center at Potta grew to accommodate 250 people for live-in retreats. Then five kilometers away, in Muringoor, a former hospital was purchased to offer retreats to the growing numbers. Usually 5,000-8,000 gather for full week-long retreats, from Sunday morning until Saturday noon. Some weeks there are 10,000 or 12,000. In the spring, a retreat offered for teenagers brought out 18,000.

The retreat focuses on the love of God, forgiveness, repentance, confession, healing of the bitterness of the past, Holy Spirit, evangelization, etc. Everyone receives individual prayer counseling and Baptism in the Holy Spirit. The retreat leads to a new life in Christ, conversion and transformation. Everyone touched by God has the responsibility to reach out to others, to share their experience of salvation. One of the strengths of the retreat is the amount of personal testimony given by the participants to the healing and conversion that has taken place.

Even on Saturday evening each week, 5,000-9,000 people gather to pray in intercession for the next retreat that starts on Sunday morning. It’s no wonder that there is so much healing and testimony with the power of prayer operative. The Lord blesses the people with healing and they have confidence then to hear the Word of the Lord and enter into repentance and empowerment. The people are being prepared for the possibility of mass conversion taking place.

There is a prayer meeting in Potta every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. where the people pray for world evangelization, even praying for each country by name. This meeting regularly brings out 30-40,000 people, - Catholics, other Christians, Hindus, Muslims, to pray, to worship Jesus. The word of knowledge for healing is very operative even to the point of calling out people by name and the healing they are receiving. As I spoke to the 40,000 who gathered that day, it poured rain just after I started. I commented that as the Lord watered and refreshed the earth, so he was pouring out his blessing and graces in our hearts. Healing started to happen everywhere. Over 100 were healed of chest pains alone in that ten minutes during which I spoke.

Their magazine, Vachanolsavam, already has a circulation of over 270,000 in six languages, and offer many testimonies of healing.

Other retreat centers are in the process of formation and there is much evidence of real growth in the people who take the retreat. Follow-up is encouraged and it is recommended that the retreatants tell others about the retreat, encouraging them to come, that they join in a local prayer group, receive the magazine and come back every two weeks for the prayer meeting or a one-day program of formation and prayer.

The whole focus of this move of the Spirit is world evangelization grasping the mission of Evangelization 2000, to convert the world to the Lordship of Jesus for His 2000th birthday. A great vision! This is part of the response. What is our part? What are we doing to assist the work of salvation? The Lord uses all who say ‘Yes’ to Him. It’s also true that the Lord will if we will. The Lord wants to bless his people and give salvation to all. As we capture the vision, the Lord brings it about. Let’s all pray for world evangelization and do our part.

Bread of Life Magazine, March 1995

Permission granted by Father Peter to use this Article.

April 23rd, 2007