Fr. Mathew Kadalikkattil, was an ardent devotee of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and a man of compassionate heart. He was born on 25th April, 1872 as the second son of Cherian and Rosa of a Syrian Catholic family Kadalikkattil at Edappady belonging to the diocese of Pala. The family atmosphere of Fr. Mathew was so religious that it instilled in the boy the noblest qualities of compassion to the poor, selfless love, an inclination to prayer and other Christian virtues. Right from his younger days he had the opportunity to grow in the devotion to the most Sacred Heart of Jesus. As he wanted to dedicate himself fully to the service of the Church, he joined the seminary conducted in the Syrian Carmelite monastery at Mannanam and was ordained as a priest on February 17, 1901.