Indore: Fr. Varghese Alengaden, founder of Universal Solidarity Movement of Value Education for Peace (USM), a holistic spiritual movement to transform India with Gandhian principles, passed away on Sunday in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. He was 70.
Father Alengaden had undergone a major open-heart surgery on March 4 at Medanta Hospital. He was shifted to Robert Nursing Home Indore for post-surgery care. However, Fr. Varghese developed some post-surgery complications due to fluid formation in his lungs. He was put on a ventilator in ICU on 24th March. Doctors were planning for the removal of the fluid today.
Till Sunday morning his condition was stable. All of a sudden, there was internal bleeding which resulted in cardiac arrest.
The last rites of Fr. Varghese will be held on Tuesday March 28 at 2.00 pm at Cathedral Church, Indore:
2.00 pm: Public Homage
3.00 pm: Holy Mass followed by Interfaith Prayer and Cremation.
The birth of Universal Solidarity Movement of Value Education for Peace was the result of a proactive response to the huge challenges faced by India due to communal politics, religious fundamentalism, ethnic conflicts, discrimination and rampant corruption, which were destroying the country.
Fr. Varghese, who had long years of experience of working with the youth, visualized a country that could be rebuilt by the youth. He had trust and faith in the youth and applied the ‘possibility thinking’ of ‘why don’t we train the youth to take charge of the nation with an inclusive, broad and lasting vision?’
With the dream of building a civilization of love with people of all castes, creeds and cultures, he made a lifelong commitment to launch a holistic spiritual movement for transforming the country with the Gandhian principle of self-transformation – ‘You Be the Change’. He abandoned the security of the church campus and moved into a small apartment in Indore city in MP.
He was a bitter critic of the Church’s institutionalizations that kept it away from authentic Christian witnessing. He urged the Church to find “new wineskin” or new ways to present Christ’s message in India.