One of the famous quotes of Fr. Varghese Alengaden is, “Copying is an insult to God because by copying, God’s unique creation is distorted.” This conviction of Fr. Varghese emerged from his deep contemplation on the very purpose of life. He was a person who constantly reflected on the question, “Why am I here on this earth?” He also frequently asked the question, “If Jesus were here today what would he do?” As a result, he could gradually discern his own uniqueness and his unique mission and undergo a paradigm shift from religiosity to spirituality. He was different in his appearance, thoughts, writings, speeches and actions from the ordinary Catholic priests. His uniqueness was also demonstrated after his death when his last rites were performed. 

Deviating from the traditional practice of burying the body, Fr. Varghese was cremated in a crematorium in Indore on 28th March after his death on 26th. When his body was laid in the coffin, it was not in the priestly dress, but in his characteristic attire of white kurta, pyjama and gamcha. After the Holy Mass and special prayers for the dead, half an hour inter-faith prayer with short readings from eight different scriptures, interspersed with the motivational songs written by Fr. Varghese, was conducted. When his body was kept in the Cathedral Church in Indore for public viewing and homage, instead of playing the traditional Christian songs, the inspirational and motivational songs written by Fr. Varghese were played.  

Naturally the media people and some of the Catholic faithful had the curiosity to know why there was a deviation from the age-old ritualistic practices. The last rites of Fr. Varghese were held according to his WILL. He has written the reasons for the wishes he had expressed in his will. 

Fr. Varghese strongly believed that the most important identity of a person is humanity and God is to be seen and served in human beings. In his life, he could transcend the lower identities like religion, caste, gender, language, etc. and focus on the higher identity of humanness. He could embrace people belonging to all religions and respected all religions. Therefore, in death he did not want to be identified with only a particular sect of people. That is the reason for not using any religion-related attire. 

A large number of people who came to pay homage to Fr. Varghese in the Cathedral Church were people belonging to other faiths. In death also he wanted to be inclusive and send a powerful message to people of all faiths to be inclusive by rising above the divisive walls created by religions. 

Many people, including journalists, asked, “Why was his body cremated instead of being buried, according to the Christian practise?” Against the backdrop of shrinking space for burial grounds, Fr. Varghese was of the view that Christians could adopt the practice of cremation, but not by using firewood. Cremation by using firewood leads to pollution, besides cutting a lot of trees. Both are detrimental to the environment, he used to say.

Fr. Varghese and the Universal Solidarity Movement (USM) he launched did not own any land or building. After death also he did not want to possess six feet of land. He believed in a quotation of Mahatma Gandhi, “I have no property and yet I feel that I am perhaps the richest man in the world.”  

Fr. Alengaden was a man of detachment and transparency. He did not have his own email address; all his communications were sent through the common email address of Universal Solidarity Movement (USM). He insisted that the audited statements of account of the USM should be published along with the annual report and it should be made available to the public.

Some of the special characteristics of his personality are broad and inclusive vision; focus on spirituality based on the core values of religions rather than religiosity based on rituals and dogmas; emphasis on following the way of Jesus rather than worshipping Jesus; being a prophet with courage, compassion and creativity; utter faith in the providence of God with the slogan, ‘Ho Jayega’ and ‘possibility-thinking’; extraordinarily warm hospitality; 24x7 availability with the caption, “I am busy, I have time for you” and a magical skill to build and nurture friendship with hundreds of individuals.  

A unique practice followed by Fr. Varghese was writing his journal daily with observations, insights and resolutions. He wrote his journal without fail till he was admitted to hospital for heart surgery on March 2, 2023. There are 46 volumes of his journal with more than 37,000 pages of A 4 size paper. Indeed, it is a marvellous feat. Fr. Varghese used to share during his seminars and training that the two main sources of his passion for mission, energy, enthusiasm and creativity are one-hour contemplation and journal writing daily.  

His vision for India and the world as encapsulated in the vision of USM, is perfectly in tune with the vision of India as envisaged in the preamble of the Indian Constitution and the ‘Reign of God’ as envisioned by Jesus. Jesus of Nazareth was the source of his inspiration and Mahatma Gandhi was his role model in building an inclusive India by following the path of non-violence and inter-faith harmony. He has read half a dozen books on Mahatma Gandhi and showed the movie ‘Gandhi’ to hundreds of students and teachers.

The USM community in Indore which he animated for the last 30 years is an attempt to realize the vision of Jesus and the vision of the Indian Constitution. “There are no workers in USM; all are partners in the same mission with equal respect,” say many people who visit USM. 

Fr. Varghese was a prophet after the model of Jesus with courage, compassion and creativity. Like Jesus he was fearless in his speeches and writings. Sometimes he was fierce in his criticism of the Church for the deviations, lapses, corruption and scandals within it. When people accused him of mudslinging on the Church, he said that he loved the Church and that is why he pointed out the aberrations in the Church. 

Fr. Alengaden in his autobiography, "Ho Jayega" (It will be done), outlined his own paradigm shift from religiosity to spirituality, giving an account of his journey from being an orthodox ‘priest of rituals’ to helping people of all faiths to worship God in truth and spirit as told by Christ to the Samaritan woman at the well. He wrote: “Now I understand the viewpoints of those who are opposed to organized religions, their hierarchy, rituals, and corruption of their priests. I can now see why institutional religions silence and even kill prophets and welcome traditional preachers with reverence. I resolve to help people of all faiths to worship God in Truth and Spirit.” 

The unusual symbolic expressions found in the last rites of Fr. Varghese indicate the uniqueness of his person and the unique mission he launched in 1993: Universal Solidarity Movement (USM). Through the USM Fr. Varghese reached out to thousands of students, teachers, principals, parents, bishops, priests, sisters and civil society members. Participation of many principals, teachers, and USM alumni (students who had participated in the Enlightened Leadership Training in USM and now doing job or higher studies) in the last rites of Fr. Varghese is an explicit sign of his and USM’s influence on them. 

Fr. Varghese emerged as a prolific writer, motivational speaker and a fervent advocate of Gandhian values. He has contributed more than 30 books on various social, religious and educational issues and hundreds of articles in periodicals and newspapers. “God in Flesh and Blood” (ten volumes Bible reflections) “Ho Jayega”, “Struggle, Smile, Stay”, “Educare”, “The Key”, “But God was There”, and “Burn Books, Burn Brains” are prominent among his books. His articles in various periodicals and newspapers were challenging and sometimes provoking because he spoke truth to power.  

He conducted more than 300 seminars for school teachers and addressed 2,15, 600 parents in 235 schools and thousands of students in about 500 schools during the last 30 years. He organized 9 National Peace Conventions in which an average 300 people participated from different parts of India in order to motivate people to work for peace with the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi.

The most significant contribution of Fr. Varghese is the Universal Solidarity Movement with the vision of building a civilization of love and a universal family by adopting the core values of all religions. 

What makes USM different from many organizations and movements is its emphasis on the personal transformation of its members before they venture into activities for social transformation. The members are asked to practice the principles before preaching them to others. The conscious practice of the Five Paths for Personal Transformation is mandatory for all the members.

The creative programmes designed by Fr. Varghese to bring about changes in the students, teachers, parents and principals include One-week Leadership Training for High School Students, two days Seminar for Teachers with the theme, “Teachers as Mentors”, Parents’ Seminar focusing on the role of parents in the education of their children, Leadership Training for Heads of Institutions, highlighting the areas on which they have to give special attention, Knit India, three day-gathering of students, teachers and principals to build unity and harmony and launching National Peace Movement for organizing annual National Peace Conventions. 

The messages sent by many people reflect the impact of Fr. Varghese and the USM in their lives. “The way you welcomed each one of us to USM has taught us the true meaning of warmth and hospitality. We have learnt what is inclusion, spirituality, and time management just by watching the way you lived life. In each phase of my life, from being a student, moulding me into a USM brand and youth ambassador, my marriage, pursuing journalism, becoming an author, motivational speaker, to recently becoming a mother...you have been my guiding light”, wrote Mrs. Ankita Das, ex-student, St. Mary's Inter College, Prayagraj, U.P.

“Fr. Varghese fought for secularism and human values throughout his life. He was an extreme optimist and believed in changing situations. He was one of the few people who used to shower nectar even during poisonous times. He had transcended the boundaries of being an individual and an institution. He was a hope among all of us. And hope always remains eternal; so, Fr. Varghese will always remain with us,” wrote Chinmay Mishra, Gandhian thinker and columnist.

“Fr. Varghese Alengaden was a true Gandhian by heart, and his efforts and support for promoting peace were truly remarkable. As a Rotarian, he embodied the values of service above self, and his dedication to improving the lives of those around him was truly inspiring,” said Rotarian Purnesh Jain.

Fr. Varghese has left a legacy of building a civilization of love through interfaith harmony, motivating and training young people to become change-makers in society and transforming the Church as salt and light by following the way of Jesus. Becoming a partner in his mission is the best homage one can pay to Fr. Varghese.