We invite you to discover Venerable Augustine John Ukken through his words, which beckon us to place love at the very heart of our lives.

Augustine John Ukken (1880–1956), Syro-Malabar Indian priest and founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity, was a radiant witness of God’s mercy. Born in Parappur, Kerala, he was orphaned at the age of six, an experience he transformed into total trust in God as Father and Mary as Mother. After formation at the Papal Seminary in Kandy, he was ordained in 1907 and devoted his life to the poor, especially in Chowannur, where he became a father to orphans, a comforter of the sick, and a friend of exploited farmers. His spirituality centered on the Eucharist, the Sacred Heart, and humble self-giving. His constant motto was: “To love is your duty; let no one surpass you in loving.” In 1944 he founded the Sisters of Charity to continue his charism of merciful service. Both mystical and active, he was contemplative before the tabernacle and tireless in action, accepting trials as a way of sharing in Christ’s passion. He died in Chowannur in 1956, leaving behind a legacy of limitless love and unwavering trust in divine providence.

Text of Augustine John Ukken:

[God] knows and loves me from eternity! I am known and taken notice of and become an object of love and tender solicitude of a God of love! In the course of time He created me and gave me life! ‘Vivit anima mea et laudabit te’ [I live that I may praise Thee]. When younger amd having experienced the death of my parents, I was stranded in this wide world ‘Pater et mater dereliquerunt me tu autem suscepit me’ [If my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up]. My education and entry into the seminary and the pleasant life there, priesthood and so many covetable posts in the diocese … all of these were gifts … as a birthday present I begged Jesus and his blessed  mother never to permit me to sin mortally and venially: then with a heart to love allow my love to flame into zeal for souls.

—Augustine John Ukken, Lights from Heaven, December 19, 1932.

Commentary:

In these profound words, Augustine John Ukken invites us to trace the arc of salvation in his own life—a journey that began in abandonment and orphanhood and blossomed into an unwavering trust in divine providence. He begins with a powerful affirmation: that God has known and loved him from eternity. This is more than theology—it is testimony, resonant and deeply personal.

“God knows and loves me from eternity!” he writes. In these simple yet staggering words, Augustine rejoices in the heart of the Vincentian mission: to witness a God who is not distant, but intimately acquainted with our wounds, concerns, and identity. As Saint Vincent de Paul taught, we are people of prayer and action and we serve because we trust in Providence. Ukken embodies that trust in every line.

He continues: “I am known and taken notice of and become an object of love and tender solicitude of a God of love!” The language here is intimate—”tender solicitude” echoes the maternal compassion of the gospel, reminding us of Christ’s own tender gaze on the lost, the orphaned, the marginalized. Our mission as a Vincentian Family is to extend that gaze, not with pity, but with reverence and love.

Augustine then narrates his story: as a child, he lost both parents and found himself “stranded in the wide world.” Yet he rediscovered his foundation not in human security but in divine embrace: “If my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up.” Here he quotes Psalm 27:10, weaving Scripture into his own biography. In the same way, we see in our ministry how Scripture animates our hope and shapes our service.

From those fragile beginnings, Augustine experienced the providential unfolding of his life: education, seminary, priesthood, positions of honor—and Jubilee celebrations. Yet all these gifts are not endpoints; they are milestones of grace. They remind us that our own formations, roles, and ministries are not self-made but received. In the Vincentian charism, we are invited to recognize our own call not as achievement but as grace entrusted for service.

The heart of his reflection, however, lies in his colloquies—prayerful conversations—with the Father, the Sacred Heart, and Mary. As a birthday gift, he begged these divine persons never to permit him to sin, “love with a heart that lets his love flame into zeal for souls.” He prays not merely to avoid sin, but to be transformed into a vessel of zeal, a heart ablaze with love for the suffering Christ in others.

This speaks directly to our Vincentian vocation: to love with simplicity, humility, and faithful perseverance. Saint Vincent reminded us that, “When we say that the Holy Spirit is at work in someone, it means that this Spirit, residing in that person, gives him or her the same inclinations and dispositions Jesus Christ had on earth” (CCD:XII:93). Ukken’s prayer reflects that indwelling Spirit—zeal that flows not from ideology but from love encountered in prayer and service.

So, as we reflect together, let us ask: How are our own experiences—pain, loss, marginalization—transformed into trust in Providence? Augustine’s words remind us that no wound is wasted when surrendered to God’s love.

Let us also consider how we receive our own ministries, not as personal achievements but as fruits of blessed providence. We are invited to cultivate gratitude and humility, grounded in a love that seeks nothing in return but the joy of hearts transformed.

Finally, may Augustine’s prayer become ours: to ask God, the Sacred Heart, and Mary, to preserve us from losing our way—not only from mortal sin, but from settling into complacency. May our hearts burn with love, and from that love may flow authentic zeal for souls, especially the poor, the outcast, the spiritually orphaned.

Suggestions for personal reflection and group discussion:

1. How do my own experiences of abandonment or struggle shape my trust in God’s providence today?
2. In what ways has God “rescued” me at unexpected moments?
3. Do I receive my formation, ministry, and roles as gifts—and how does that transform how I serve?
4. When I pray, do I ask simply not to sin, or do I ask instead for a heart inflamed with zeal for others?
5. How can I cultivate that “tender solicitude” in my daily service—seeing the face of Christ in those I encounter?

Let us pray:

Lord, from all eternity You know me and love me,
and in Your Providence You hold me at every step.

When I felt orphaned and lost,
You became my refuge and my faithful embrace.

All that I have received is Your gift,
every grace a seed for service.

Keep me from straying from Your path,
preserve me from lukewarmness and from sin,
and let my heart remain in Your love.

May my life be grateful trust,
may my love flame into holy zeal,
may my surrender be poured out in service to others.

Make me a witness of Your tenderness,
a flame of Your compassion,
a reflection of Your eternal faithfulness.

Amen.