Br. Joseph Ullattil was born on 10th April 1941, the second eldest among 12 children. His elder brother who was a religious priest went to his eternal reward before Br. Joseph. He has two religious sisters. After completing his schooling, Br. Ullattil joined Patna province to become a Jesuit Brother. He had his novitiate and juniorate in XTTI, Patna, from 1964-1968. After his Juniorate, he was assigned various ministries in the Province. He was a good farmer, administrator and hostel superintendent. Br. Joe was an outstanding example of the Jesuit spirit of availability. He accepted all the tasks given to him cheerfully, without grumbling.
When I think of Joe Ullattil what comes to my mind spontaneously are the words Jesus uttered when Philip brought Nathanael to him: “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” Like Nathanael, Joe Ullattil was a man in whom there was no deceit or duplicity. He did not pretend to be what he was not. He did not put on masks to hide his real personality. He was a fully transparent person. He was authentic and genuine. Br. Ullattil was known for his simple living and hard work. He lived his life with enthusiasm and zeal. Joe Ullattil kept himself up-to-date with what was happening in Bihar. Every morning without fail he would read the Hindi newspapers, which gave all important local news, before turning to the English newspapers.
As he was not feeling well, he was brought to the Province Infirmary (Xavier Bhavan), in 2020. Joe was a real community man. He liked to make people happy. He was happy to provide us with an endless supply of pickles of all kinds. He went to his eternal reward on 29th June 2022, after being in the hospital just for a day. He will be missed by all his friends in and outside the Province and especially those in Xavier Bhavan.
Jose Thayil, SJ
