{"id":669798,"date":"2026-11-11T14:35:29","date_gmt":"2026-11-11T18:35:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/669798\/"},"modified":"2026-11-11T14:35:29","modified_gmt":"2026-11-11T18:35:29","slug":"warm-farewell-given-to-fr-ab-paulos-at-st-johns-orthodox-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/669798\/","title":{"rendered":"Warm Farewell Given to Fr. AB Paulos at St. John’s Orthodox Church"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Warm<\/figure>\n

Orangeburg, New York: Members of the Orangeburg St. John's Orthodox Church gave a heartfelt farewell to Reverend Fr. AB Paulos and his family, who have long served as the parish priest. The gathering took place on November 8, coinciding with the Parumala Feast celebrations. Having served as the vicar of St. John's parish from December 1, 2020, until September 28, 2026, Fr. AB Paulos has since assumed the role of vicar at Bensalem St. Gregorios Orthodox Church in Pennsylvania. Parish secretary Bijo Thomas delivered the welcome address. Connecting the ministry of Fr. Paulos with the gospel message about the Good Shepherd, he reminisced that just as sheep recognize the voice of their shepherd, so too the parishioners were well acquainted with Fr. AB Paulos\u2019 spiritual leadership and his loving approach. Bijo Thomas highlighted the faith the priest demonstrated through prayer and fasting, his steadfastness even in small matters, and his reliance on God's grace alongside human effort as central values embodied throughout his life and service. He expressed gratitude to Fr. Paulos\u2019 wife Anita Paulos and their children Elizabeth, Joshua, and Rebecca, for their support during his ministry, affirming that St. John's Church would always remain their home. The new vicar, Rev. Fr. Basil Mannathikkulam, presided over the event. Anita Paulos was felicitated by Sunday School representatives Niji Varghese, Shiji Vinod, and Sneha Soji for her two years of service as Sunday School Principal and her exemplary leadership in Vacation Bible School activities. Mariyam Women\u2019s Association secretary Surya Vetath and Bhadrasana Women\u2019s Association vice president recalled Fr. AB Paulos\u2019 nine years of service and charitable works under his leadership. Managing Committee member Zakariya Varghese praised Fr. Paulos\u2019 administrative skills and dedication. The parish social media team\u2019s video, \u201cA Journey of Grace,\u201d refreshed memories of Fr. Paulos\u2019 time of service. Representing the Madbha worship leaders, Joshua George recalled how Fr. Paulos would lovingly and patiently correct even minor liturgical errors during services. MGOCSM representative Chris Mathews and Managing Committee representative K.G. Umman conveyed their felicitations and remembrances. In the farewell message, Anita Paulos reflected on their arrival in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to an unfamiliar parish with young children, describing it as the start of a new ministry life. She regarded their move to St. John's six years later as one of God's greatest blessings. Despite the responsibilities of being a priest\u2019s wife, she said the parishioners never burdened her with excessive demands or expectations, rather embracing her like a daughter or sister. She expressed heartfelt thanks for the parish\u2019s care and love for their family, including attention to their children, and noted that their youngest daughter Rebecca was born at St. John's and it remained the only church she had known. Anita Paulos urged everyone to keep Christ at the center of their hearts, to continue mutual support and prayer, and to nurture the spirit of unity within the St. John's parish family. \u201cWherever God leads us, you all will remain in our hearts,\u201d she concluded. Fr. AB Paulos described leaving a place he lovingly served as a painful experience, as was parting from those who had shown him such open love. He noted that life has not been easy for his family since last February but expressed immense gratitude to the parishioners who stood by them like their own family during that time. He wished every blessing upon the new vicar, Fr. Basil Mannathikkulam, and requested that the parish continue to extend its love, care, and cooperation to him. Fr. Paulos reflected on how the parish\u2019s culture of embracing all ages fosters a healthy and supportive environment, which should continue. He recalled that although deep bonds were difficult to establish during the COVID period when they first arrived, at this farewell they were parting with everyone warmly embraced in their hearts. He asked for prayers on their behalf and assured that their connection with the parish would endure. Parish Treasurer Philip P. Yeshu, Joint Treasurer Sajan Raju, and Joint Secretary Umman Daniel jointly presented a memento and gifts to Fr. AB Paulos. The farewell gathering became an occasion to share love and gratitude toward the priest and his family, who led the spiritual and organizational activities of the parish for nearly six years. Information provided by: Bijo Thomas (Parish Secretary)<\/p>\n

n<\/p>\n

Original Malayalam report: Malayalam Daily News<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Orangeburg, New York: Members of the Orangeburg St. John's Orthodox Church gave a heartfelt farewell to Reverend Fr. AB Paulos and his family, who have long served as the parish priest. The gathering took place on November 8, coinciding with the Parumala Feast celebrations. Having served as the vicar of St. John's parish from December 1, 2020, until September 28, 2026, Fr. AB Paulos has since assumed the role of vicar at Bensalem St. Gregorios Orthodox Church in Pennsylvania. Parish secretary Bijo Thomas delivered the welcome address. Connecting the ministry…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":669799,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,582,47748],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-669798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-6","category-english","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/669798","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=669798"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/669798\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/669799"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=669798"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=669798"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=669798"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}