Dr. Joseph Pallikkathayil
Dr. Joseph Pallikkathayil was born and brought up in a Roman Catholic family in South India. After 10 years of monastic Seminary training, he was ordained a Roman Catholic priest. As an assistant priest he served a church in India with 12,000 Catholics, most of them extremely poor. He developed several ministries to serve the people effectively. He came to St. Louis, Missouri in 1971 to do a doctoral study in Biblical Literature. While studying there, he served a large Roman Catholic parish as an assistant priest. He was married in 1972 and had to give up ministry in the Catholic Church.
He became a Presbyterian minister in Cincinnati and served as the pastor of Carmel Presbyterian Church for six years. He received a Master’s Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling and a Doctor’s Degree in Counselor Education from the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio. During the six years of his ministry, Carmel experienced powerful and exciting resurrection: membership increased, nearly doubling; numerous ministries were developed to meet the needs of the congregation and community; a massive church building renovation program was completed; several youngsters entered seminaries for training in professional ministry, etc. As Carmel called a full-time assistant minister, Joe served as the senior pastor.
He resigned his position as senior pastor of Carmel on February 15, 1981, as he felt the call to support his wife in the development of her ministry. Leonie, his wife, accepted a teaching position at K. U. Medical Center College of Nursing in Kansas City, Kansas. They moved to Kansas City and Colonial Presbyterian Church called Joe as an associate pastor in May 1981. His major responsibilities were mission development, evangelism, pastoral counseling and prayer ministries. During the American Festival of Evangelism, July 27-31, 1981, he organized a Prayer Partnership involving 1,800 men in the Kansas City area. He is the organizer of a growing prayer movement in the Presbyterian Church: Presbyterian Elders in Prayer (PEP). Since its beginning in June 1982, more and more elders are joining to “pray with one accord daily for the renewal and growth of the whole church.”
In July 1987, Joe accepted the call to be the pastor of St. Luke Presbyterian Church, Kansas City, Missouri. He is in an exciting ministry enabling the church to grow in the love of the Lord and in presenting Jesus to the world.
Joe has two children: a daughter named Japa, which means “prayer”, and a son named Jothi, which means “light”.