Pious Joseph Theruvathu from Kerala has become the first Malayali to be appointed as a lay theologian in the Archdiocese of Freiburg, marking an important milestone for the Indian Catholic community in Germany.
His installation will take place on July 11 at St. Jodokus Church in Karlsruhe during a Holy Mass to be led by Auxiliary Bishop Peter Birkhofer. This year, the Archdiocese of Freiburg is appointing nine lay theologians, and Theruvathu is the only non-German among them.
Originally from St. Joseph’s Parish, Padappakkara, in the Diocese of Kollam, Theruvathu moved to Germany with his family from Italy in 2012. Since then, he has served in several parishes and has been recognised for his pastoral work, theological education and dedication to Church ministry.
Theruvathu studied philosophy at the University of Kerala, earned a master’s degree in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, and later completed a diploma in Religious Studies at the University of Würzburg in Germany. He is fluent in English, Italian and German, enabling him to serve multicultural Catholic communities.
His family has a strong tradition of serving the Church. His brother is a Carmelite priest, and three of his sisters are religious sisters. His wife, Sabi Crystal, works as a nurse in Germany, and they have three children.
Lay theologians play a vital role in Germany, helping with parish leadership, faith formation, pastoral care, counselling and funeral services. Theruvathu has chosen the motto, “Received in love – go forward with courage,” inspired by 2 Corinthians 12:9. Malayali Catholics in Germany have welcomed his appointment as a proud achievement and a sign of the growing contribution of Indian lay faithful to the Church’s mission in Europe.
