Felix Wilfred

Felix Wilfred (21 February 1948 — 7 January 2025) was a Roman Catholic theologian, known for his work in Asian liberation theology.

Biography

Felix Wilfred was born in Puthenkadai, Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu, to B. Arogyam (a school headmaster) and Mary Josephine (a housewife). After schooling, Wilfred traveled to the Pontifical Urban University in Rome in 1965 to pursue philosophical and theological studies, in order to train for the priesthood. He then studied Italian literature at the University of Perugia and French philosophy and literature at the University of Caen.

After completing his studies, Wilfred returned to India in 1977 to teach at St. Paul's Major Seminary (Tamil Nadu). In 1993, he moved to the Department of Christian Studies, University of Madras, first as a Professor and then, in 2000, as Head of the Department.

He was shaped by the events around the Second Vatican Council and was a major advocate for contextual theology and Asian liberation theology.

Works