Background
He was born at Palai, and took his Bachelor of Arts Degree from the Maharaja’s College, Trivandrum in 1928.
He was born at Palai, and took his Bachelor of Arts Degree from the Maharaja’s College, Trivandrum in 1928.
He had his ecclesiastical studies at the Saint Joseph’s Ap. Seminary Mangalapuzha, Alwaye and was ordained priest on 21 December 1935. He took his L.T. Degree from the Training College Trivandrum in 1942.
He was the Headmaster of Saint Thomas Training School Palai, till he was appointed the Bishop of Palai, on 25 July 1950.
He was consecrated Bishop by Eugene Cardinal Tisserent, Secretary of the Sacred Congregation for the Oriental Churches, on 9 November 1950 at Saint Theresia’s Church Rome and was installed in Palai Cathedral by the Most Review Leo. P. Kierkels, the Apostolic Internuncio, on 4 January 1951.
He attended all the four sessions of the Council. In 1969 he participated in the extra ordinary Synod of Bishops held in Rome.
After thirty years in charge of the diocese in 1980, he requested the Holy See to relieve him from the pastoral Government of the diocese.
On the acceptance of his resignation he handed over the charge of the diocese to his successor March Joseph Pallikaparampil on 25 March 1981. Bishop Sebastian Vayalil supported the Missions and promoted vocations. He founded the Missionary Society of Street Thomas the Apostle in 1968 for organised missionary work in and outside India.
Bishop Vayalil was a member of the Preliminary Commission instituted for the Second Vatican Council to prepare the scheme for the section on ‘Universities and Seminaries’.