IFTTT Autopost 
Hubertus Ludwig Adalbert Josef Bernhard Thanhäuser was born on February 27, 1918, in Berlin, Germany, eldest of three children. When World War I ended in 1918, Hubertus’ parents moved the family to Volpersdorf, Silesia, that today is part of Poland. In Volpersdorf, Hubertus’ father headed up the forestry department, while his mother was a homemaker.
On May 27, 1935, Hubertus entered the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God in their Silesian Province where they had a large general hospital. On September 20, 1935, Hubertus entered the novitiate in Breslau and became known in the order as Brother Fortunatus. One year later, on September 21, 1936, Brother Fortunatus made his first profession.
Because the Hospitaller Brothers devote themselves to caring for the sick as nurses and other health professionals, Brother Fortunatus became prepared as a nurse as well as a laboratory and X-ray technician. He served as a nurse in different departments of the hospital.
Because of the political circumstances of World War II, Fortunatus’ novitiate lasted ten years, even though his order always gave him excellent recommendations. The Polish government allowed Brother Fortunatus to work in the hospital as a government employee during the war, but in 1950, the communist Polish government deported him to West Germany.
In West Germany, Brother Fortunatus and other Brothers from the Silesian Province continued their work building new healthcare facilities and caring for the sick. In addition to his nursing practice, Brother Fortunatus served his order in administrative capacities from 1953 to 1968.
Though he loved his work in West Germany, Brother Fortunatus believed God was calling him to be missionary brother in India. Fortunately, the Provincial Council gave him permission to start a house in India and to recruit Indian candidates for their order.
In February 1966, a group of young Indian men that had been recruited by Servant of God Mar Mathew Kavukattu, Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Archdiocese of Changanassery, arrived in Frankfurt, West Germany, to begin their formation process as future Hospitaller Brothers.
In January 1967, Brother Fortunatus visited Kattappana in the undeveloped district of Kerala, India. It was here that Brother Fortunatus built St. John’s Hospital. He returned to the hospital in November of 1969, and the hospital officially opened in February 1971. Today, it is the largest hospital in the high ranges of Kerala, serving a population of a million people. In time, both a School of Nursing and a College of Nursing were added to the hospital.
Brother Fortunatus served his order in various administrative capacities in India just as he did in West Germany. These positions, however, never hindered him from serving the poor. For example, Brother Fortunatus started a home for the aged and chronically ill orphans as well as various programs such as: a Mother & Child Health Program; Financial Assistance to the Poor; Sponsorship for Education; Medicine for Poor Patients; Poor Feeding (for midday meals for the poor); Goat Project; Clothing Distribution; and many others. Because of his devotion to the poor, he was called the “Father of the Poor.”
Brother Fortunatus was also the founder of the Sisters of Charity of St. John of God (S.C.J.G.) who serve the sick and poor in nations of Asia and Europe.
Brother Fortunatus died on November 21, 2005. On November 22, 2014, Brother Fortunatus was declared “Servant of God” at Kattappana, Kerala, India.
