Our Vicar

Fr. Paul, an Indian New Zealander and ordained priest in the Church of South India, transferred his canonical residence to our Diocese, the Episcopal Diocese of Newark. 

Fr. Paul was born and raised in South India and grew up with the Anglican tradition. He says, “I accepted Lord Jesus as my savior at the age of 14 at a suicide point, and at that time, I was convinced about His calling on me to serve His Church and the World in need of His love”. He completed a Bachelor of Theology at 19 in Chennai, TN, India. He was sent as a missionary priest to the neighboring state of Karnataka, where he learned Kannada and served for 14 years in a church-planting mission, establishing 55 worshipping groups. Fr. Paul moved to New Zealand as a missionary to work among the migrant community. After establishing two worshipping groups and touching several lives through counseling and relief work for ten years, he moved to the US to complete his Doctoral Studies in Clinical Pastoral Education. 

After earning his Master of Divinity from Interfaith Seminary in New York in 2010, he completed four units of supervisory-level education in the ACPE Clinical Pastoral Education program at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Jersey in 2016. He has a Master of Arts in English Literature from Madurai University, India. He received a Doctor of Ministry Degree from Liberty University in 2023, with a specialization in Clinical Pastoral Education. He is working to complete another Doctor of Ministry program at Bexley Seabury Seminary.

He brings more than three decades of ministerial experience across various ministries, including clinical pastoral education, theological education, media evangelism, church-planting missions, and eucharist ministries. He founded and led several missional agencies, including Christian Life Service in India, Global Peace Mission in New Zealand, and InterChristian, InterCommunities, and Interfaith Initiatives in the United States. He is trained as a Spiritual Healthcare professional and a Chaplain from ACPE, in Spiritual Direction from Metagem, Peace Building & Conflict Resolution from Tannenbaum, Domestic Violence Intervention from Manukau Institute of Technology Auckland, Forest Dwelling from Oblate School of Theology, Mission Formation from Global Episcopal Missions Network, Relationship Enrichment from MML Leadership Training, Ethical Economy from Trinity, Christian Counseling from CWR UK & CCS India, and End of Life Care from VNA NY. He has served as dean of students and director of recruitment in the seminary. He has taught religion, Christian Discipleship, and spirituality across various denominational institutions.

Since coming to the USA in 2008, he has served the diaspora Churches of South India in the Tri-State area, Connecticut, Texas, and Toronto. The vestry elected him to serve the Church of the Good Shepherd as our 23rd Priest in 2019 for this 154-year-old congregation. He serves on various boards, including the Diocesan Council; as a Global Mission Advocate for the Diocese relating to the Global Partnership of Episcopal Church; as vice president of the Global Episcopal Mission Network; as chair for the Global Mission Commission in the Diocese of Newark; as a Member of the International Relations Committee of the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education; as president of the Joint Council of Indian Diaspora Churches in Rockland County, NY; as Treasurer of the Association of Episcopal Chaplains; and as a board director of Cross Road Camps and Retreats Center. 

He is an oblate with the religious community of Saint John Baptist. He founded Spiritual Healthcare Clinic and Spiritual Healthcare Institute, which trains pastoral care clinicians. He is passionate about the next generation coming to life of faith and taking up the mantle as the Church faces challenges of losing them like never before. His wife and two sons support his calling, priestly ministry, and worldwide missional initiatives.