Photos provided by the Holy Cross Mission Center. Rev. Emmanuel Kallarackal, C.S.C., Vicar General and First Assistant to the Superior General of the Congregation of Holy Cross, died suddenly on August 29, 2026.
Rev. Emmanuel Kallarackal, C.S.C., Vicar General and First Assistant to the Superior General of the Congregation of Holy Cross, died suddenly on August 29, 2026. He was 69. A member of the Province of North East India, Fr. Emmanuel comes from the state of Kerala in South India. With a desire to be a missionary from a young age, he joined Holy Cross, making his First Profession on May 27, 1978, and his Final Vows on July 29, 1983. He was ordained a priest on May 8, 1984.
His early years of priesthood were dedicated to vocation promotion and initial formation. He was known as a zealous and energetic promoter of missionary vocations. He then went to work in education, serving as principal of Holy Cross School, Agartala, from 1997-2003. After completing a doctorate in religious education from Fordham University in New York in 2008, Fr. Emmanuel returned to India and was the founding president/principal of Holy Cross College, Agartala, which in 2009 became the first post-secondary educational institution for Holy Cross in India. During that time, he also served as provincial of the Province of North East India from November 2010 to May 2012.
After stepping down as principal and president in 2019, he took a sabbatical. He was serving as school chaplain at Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the United States, when he was elected by the 2022 General Chapter to the General Council. In addition to serving as Vicar General and First Assistant, Fr. Emmanuel chaired the Congregation’s Mission Commission and oversaw the discernment and founding of the new Holy Family Mission in Papua New Guinea.
May Fr. Emmanuel rest in peace.
Provided by the Holy Cross Mission Center, September 2026.
Pictured from left to right is Pope Leo XIV standing next to the late Fr. Emmanuel Kallarackal, C.S.C., Vicar General, First General Assistant for the Congregation of Holy Cross Generalate.
