SERVANT OF GOD
BROTHER JOSEPH THAMBY (+ 1945)
CHAPTER ONE
Family, Childhood and Youth
The parents of Joseph Thamby [popularly known as Brother Joseph Thamby] are
Thambusamy Savarimuthu and Rosamalle Maria who are natives of 'Karaikal' town
in the Union Territory of Pondicherry located on the southeast coast of India.
Pondicherry was then a French colony. They had French
citizenship. Savarimuthu was a government employ [civil servant] and
Rosamalle Maria was a house-wife.
While Savarimuthu and Rosamalle Maria were in Saigon, Joseph Thamby was born on 11 November 1890. The parents named him 'RAYAPPA JOSEPH SAVARY". Today he is popularly known as Brother Joseph Thamby. Thamby means "younger brother" in Tamil [native language]. But in his name, it is exclusively used as a surname or a family name. The "Thamby" has been a well-known family in Pondicherry. Few members of this family held government offices at home as well as abroad.
In the civil document recorded about the birth of Joseph Thamby, it is stated that "On 12 November 1890, at 3.30 p.m. Savarimuthu aged 35, civil servant and Rosamalle Maria aged 21, unemployed, presented the male child and declared that the child was born on 11 November 1890 at 1.45 a.m. in their house living at Rue Nationale 29 of the town. The declaration was made in the presence of Roch Carabelli, Mayor of Saigon and Michel Bonjean, aged 28, Assistant civil servant."
In 1892, Savarimuthu returned to India with his family, considering the
future of their two year old child. In 1893, Savarimuthu and
Rosamalle Maria had another male child and named Michael Dhayirian
Thamby, the younger brother of Joseph Thamby.
In 1897, when Joseph Thamby was seven years old, his mother Rosamalle Mara passed away for reasons not known. Savarimuthu married Mary Theresa so that the two little children could be taken care of. Savarimuthu and Mary Theresa had a daughter named Mary.
Mary Theresa, the step-mother of Joseph Thamby was proud and jealous! She did not like and take care of Thamby well. She persecuted Joseph Thamby for no reason. She did not feed him well. Perhaps, she had more love for her own daughter!
As he was growing, Joseph Thamby was regular to the parish Church attending the Holy Eucharist and other prayer services. In 1902, when Joseph Thamby was twelve years old, he prepared to receive the sacraments of Holy Communion and Confirmation, in spite of being strongly opposed by his step-mother. She even objected on the day of the administering of the sacraments, but because of the intervention of the parish priest, Joseph Thamby was administered both the Sacraments.
This infuriated his step-mother all the more. She was indignant and refused to give him meals. She treated Joseph Thamby so badly. Notwithstanding the ill-treatment of the step-mother, Joseph Thamby left the house stealthily.
From his home town Karaikal, Joseph Thamby reached Kerala the neighbouring state. He was taken care of and educated by a pious lady in Ernakulam. He grew in faith and devotion.
After leaving the house of pious lady, as a young man, he was wandering from place to place to discern God’s call. He was living by way of begging food and alms. He used to visit often his native place but no one recognized him, because now he had inwardly and outwardly changed. Even his father Savarimuthu did not recognize him, and gave him alms. However, Joseph Thamby was recognized by his paternal grandmother when he attended a funeral service of one of his relatives.
It was the year 1916. Joseph Thamby was 26 years old. One day he visited “Puneetha Jnana Prakashiar” monastery of sisters in Puduvai for begging. Mother Lantharch thought to herself looking at Joseph Thamby that he was so young and why was he going about begging and she expressed the same to the other sisters. Joseph Thamby told them, “Do not suspect me. I come from Pondicherry and left home when I was very small and even now they do not know about me.
He used to often visit a god-fearing family in Katpadi. The neighbours were jealous of this and wanted to destroy the family. They created lot of problems to the family. One day when Joseph Thamby visited the family, he found the woman of the house Siromani very sad and distressed. He revealed to her that the neighbours are plotting to destroy her family through the negative use of the black magic (occult). Joseph Thamby even revealed the name of the person who did it. She immediately called the person and asked to take it away. Seeing all these events in the family, the man of the house fell sick. Joseph Thamby prayed and made the Sign of the Cross and the man was gradually regained his health.
In the year 1938, Joseph Thamby went to the monastery of the sisters at ‘Ulavar Karai’ for begging. Sisters gave him food. He cleansed the floor, took the food from the plate and kept on the floor and began to eat the food kneeling and folding his hands behind his back.
After finishing his meals, he went to the church for prayer. While he was praying in front of the statue of St. Francis of Assisi, he got Stigmata. He asked sisters for white cloth and wiped the blood oozing from the wounds.
Joseph Thamby’s brother Michael Dhayirian Thamby went to Saigon because of his job. There he married Maria Theresa and had three sons, namely, Albert Thamby, Victor Thamby and Robert Thamby and a daughter, namely, Gabriel Maria Theresa.
Joseph Thamby used to visit his brothers' family in Saigon. It is said that he visited them miraculously, may be through the gift of bi-location.
When the family returned to India, Gabriel Maria Theresa joined Carmelite Monastery in Pondicherry. She made her profession on 14 October 1932 and Joseph Thamby was present. On this occasion, Joseph Thamby was wearing the Third Order Franciscan habit [tertiary habit]. Gabriel Maria Theresa passed away on 5 October 1985. Joseph Thamby’s brother Michael Dhayirian Thamby died in 1935.
Joseph Thamby attended the marriage of his nephew Albert Thamby. On the day of marriage, he prophesied that some danger would take place if the marriage took place. No one listened to what he said. Albert became sick and bed-ridden on the day of marriage itself and died in three weeks’ time. His wife Philomena went to paternal home and later joined the convent and took the name Sr. Angel Mary.
Later Victor Thamby and Robert Thamby also got married. Their marriages were blessed in Pondicherry by Fr. P. S. Sebastian, a relative of Brother Joseph Thamby working in the diocese of Kumbakonam. Victor Thamby settled down in Africa and Robert Thamby with his wife Martha settled down in France.
Robert Thamby and Martha
visited the tomb of Joseph Thamby at Avutapally in the year 1984.
Joseph Thamby knew Tamil (native language), Malayalam (native language of Kerala), English, French and Telugu (native language of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana).
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