Remembering Rev. Joseph Puthuppally by John Mark Willcox

Rev. Joseph Puthuppally, a beloved retired priest and long-time leader of Monroe’s Catholic Community, passed into eternal splendor on August 20, 2019 at St. Francis Medical Center in Monroe after a short illness. Fr. Joe will be missed by the many people whose lives he touched in a meaningful and positive way.

A native of Kerala, India, Fr. Puthuppally was born February 22, 1938, the son of Joseph and Aley Puthuppally. He attended a papal seminary in his home state of Pune, India before being ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Andrew D’Souza on October 2, 1966. His early life of priestly service was spent in his native country ministering in the field of education at St. John’s School in the Diocese of Varanasi, India where he finished as the principal of the school in 1984. Part of his time was spent in the missionary field and he famously was able to work side by side with Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Fr. Puthuppally first came to America in 1986 to both study at Rutgers College and to work in ministry. He then applied for work in hospital ministry in our diocese and was installed as a chaplain at St. Francis Medical Center in 1992.

In 1997, Fr. Puthuppally was appointed Parochial Administrator of St. Matthew Church by the late Bishop William B. Friend who later incardinated Fr. Joe into the Diocese of Shreveport, naming him as Pastor of St. Matthew Church in 2000. That appointment made Fr. Puthuppally the first priest from India to be named a Pastor for any parish within the Diocese of Shreveport. For over a decade, Fr. Joseph gave himself completely to both St. Matthew Church and the Catholic Community of the area. He maintained a passion for restoring both the exterior and interior of the St. Matthew’s historic sanctuary and he took great care to instill pride among the faithful in the remarkable history of Monroe’s downtown worship community. Fr. Joe was also renowned for his extraordinary outreach to people of all faith traditions and his ecumenism was inspirational to the whole Christian community.

Fr. Puthuppally was also dedicated to the mentoring of additional priests from India who thankfully followed him in service to the Catholics of North Louisiana. He spent countless hours assisting his brother Indian priests in the transition to life in America and helped them better understand the nuances of mission work in America’s bible belt.

Fr. Joe was truly a believer who made a difference and his leadership and gentle nature with God’s people will be greatly missed.

The 2019 White Mass will be celebrated on Sunday, October 27, 2019 at 11 am at the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans. Very Reverend Peter B. Mangum, Diocesan Administer, will preside. This White Mass will recognize and bless physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and all health care workers, and is co-sponsored by Christus Shreveport-Bossier Health System. The White Mass is held near the feast day of St. Luke, which is October 18th.

A White Mass is the customary description for a liturgy for health care workers. Traditionally, health care workers wore white attire. In the Church, white symbolizes hope and comfort to the ill and hospitalized. All medical personnel and health care workers, as well as medical students in the diocese are welcome and encouraged to attend. A reception will follow in the Multi-Room. Diocese to Resume White Mass