Father Paul Putanangady has served as the priest at Our Lady of Good Counsel for eight years. (Photo by Gloria Bigger-Cantu) During his years serving as the priest at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, Father Paul Puthanangady’s pastoral leadership united parish members as a family and expanded several programs of spiritual growth for children and adults.

He was also instrumental in renovating the church, beautifying the grounds and building a new learning center.

Father Paul credits the parishioners of his church with the motivation and enthusiasm to complete projects they began.

The new Our Lady of Good Counsel Learning Center, which houses classrooms for catechism classes, an adoration chapel, a spacious dining room, kitchen, and church offices, was completed early this year.

The facility, funded from private donors and fundraisers, cost $900,000 and the majority of the cost has been paid already.

“I can see a lot of enthusiasm from the church and every age group,” said the native of India. “They had good ideas and I assisted by guiding them,” he said.

“He has brought us together as a family and help us work together and encourage those who have ideas and bring them to fruition,” said Benny Soto, president of the parish council.

The parish has increased its membership to 400 families.

The children’s ministry has increased considerably under Father Paul’s leadership.

Currently, 230 children attend catechism classes; 150 attend mass and 120 stay for breakfast. He has expanded the Right of Christian Initiative of Adults for participants who want to become Catholics, and has also invited college students and others church members to participate.

Membership in the Bereavement Committee has increased, and there is more participation in with the St. Vincent De Paul and other charitable organizations.

Soto said Father Paul has influenced a lot of people, both Catholics and non- Catholics. He has celebrated masses in area churches. Father Paul has also worked with community leaders in city activities.

“Because of his sincere pastoral leadership, Father Paul does this from the heart, and he loves what he does,” said Soto.

“Father Paul is available to anyone and does not have a reason to be available. He makes himself available for funerals, weddings, and conducts masses at the local hospital and visits patients. He likes to walk around Kingsville. He has unending energy to serve,” Soto said.

With his continuous smile, gentle demeanor, and willingness to help others, his parishioners, his community friends and other people who know him, will miss him when he leaves Kingsville.

Actually, they do not want Father Paul to leave the church.

Many of the parish members and others sent a petition and wrote letters requesting that the priest be allowed to stay here. Father Paul had to receive permission from his Bishop in India, who allowed him to stay in Kingsville for five years, and later his contract was extended to three more years. Bishop Edmond Carmody of Corpus Christi also wrote a letter to the Bishop in India requesting that Father Paul stay at the parish longer.

However, the bishop in Indian wants him to return and become a priest at a parish there.

“My bishop wants me to go back and I take it as my obedience to him,” Father Paul said. I had a commitment to stay here a few years and have no regrets about my commitment.”

However, he will have to become accustomed to living in his native country again.

“I have been out of my country for 13 years, so I expect that I will be making some adjustments and am prepared mentally for that,” he said.

Father Paul was ordained a priest on Dec. 18, 1974, and served in a few churches in Kerala, a small southern state in India, until 1996. Then he served as a missionary for four years in the Solomon Islands, east of Australia until Sept. 2000. The parish was in a tribal community.

His introduction to the U.S. occurred when he visited friends in Tyler, Texas, and later served as a priest at the Sacred Heart there where he stayed for four months. Then, Father Paul moved to Kingsville to serve as priest at Our Lady of Good Counsel on Nov. 15, 2001.

His commitment to the Catholic Church began early in life when he knew he wanted to become a priest as a middle school student. He learned English as a second language during his early school years. After graduating from high school at the age of 15, he entered the seminary where he stayed the next 11 years. He studied courses such as religion, philosophy, world religion, psychology and other college courses.

His father, who owned a small grocery store, died at the age of 94 in 1996 and his mother died that same year at the age of 81. He has four brothers and one sister who is a nun.

His advice to future priests is that he wants them to be aware that this is a very challenging vocation .A person has to have the commitment and dedication to become a priest.

“I find a lot of joy in my life,” he said.

He is often called to go to the hospital, which he does, and he also makes home visits.

“Sometime they call me at midnight to go the hospital and I get up and go and that makes my day,” he said.

Father Paul has traveled to Europe, Germany, France, Ireland, England and last year went to Cambodia to visit a missionary friend there.

Three years ago he traveled to India and three of the parishioners went with him. He visited his brother in Bangalore. The group also visited the Taj Majal.

Father Paul realizes that he will miss the South Texas people and Kingsville. He believes Kingsville has much to offer because of the university, the safety of the town, and the local activities here. He has visited some of the international students here. He admits he will also miss eating the some of the food here.

“I have been a priest for 35 years, and I am happy to acknowledge that my eight years in Kingsville were the most joy filled years of my priesthood,” Father Paul said.

“I feel I had an extended parish; the people of Our Lady of Good Counsel were so good to me and were people from other parishes and even people of all faiths,” he said.

Soto said everyone is saddened he will be leaving here and the parish wants to keep him.

“He has made a positive impact here,” Soto said.

“Everyone is going to miss him because he is well known here in Kingsville,” said Velma De La Paz, Our Lady of Good Counsel administrative assistant, who has worked with him for eight years.

Father Paul said he wants to thank everyone from the bottom of his heart for everything they did for him. Although, he will be leaving Jan. 26, 2010, he is contacting his friends already of his departure.

He also wants people to know they will have a friend in India.