Meet Fr. Abraham Orapankal, Pastor of St. Matthias
Born Oct. 11, 1956 in the southernmost Indian state of Kerala, Father Abraham Orapankal, his parents’ firstborn, has four brothers and three sisters. At age 15 he entered the seminary in the northeastern state of Assam to become a missionary priest. He then graduated from Christ King College, Shillong, and completed his theological studies at Jnana Deepa-Vidyapeeth (Pontifical Institute) in Pune, both in India. He was ordained to the priesthood on Dec. 17, 1983 for the missionary Diocese of Kohima in Nagaland, then earned his master’s degree in theology. He was appointed dean of the Minor Seminary in Nagaland, where he subsequently became rector. He was then made Pastor of Queen Mary’s Parish and Principal of Queen Mary’s High School with 2000 students in Mokokchung, Nagaland while serving as an adjunct professor in the Oriens Theological College in Shillong.
As a Ph.D was required to be a resident professor at Oriens, Father Abraham came to the United States in 1994 and began his doctoral studies at Fordham University, while serving as Parochial Vicar at St. Catharine’s Church, Blauvelt, NY. After earning a doctorate in the church leadership program from Fordham’s School of Education, he also completed a Certification program in Spiritual Direction from the Shalem Ecumenical Institute in Bethesda, Md. He returned to India in 2001 to teach theology and to serve as spiritual director at Oriens Theological Seminary in Shillong. But in 2004 he was allowed to return to the U.S. due to health reasons. Residing at Sacred Heart Church in South Plainfield, NJ, he did six years of ministry with RENEW International, as a national presenter and retreat director. RENEW is a 40-year-old international Catholic movement, following the principles of Vatican Council II, started in the Newark Archdiocese. Father Abraham also supervised RENEW’s “Theology on Tap” – a very effective outreach to young adults.
He joined the Diocese of Metuchen and Bishop Paul Bootkoski appointed him as Parochial Vicar at St. Bartholomew’s Church in East Brunswick in 2010. He was sent to St. John Neumann Church as Pastor in 2012. Bishop James Checchio transferred him as administrator of St. Matthias Church in October 2018. A year later he was appointed Pastor of St. Matthias Parish.
Letters from Fr. Abraham
- 27th Sunday in Ordinary TimeDear Friends, Last Sunday I wrote about October as the Respect Life month. It is also the month of the… Read more: 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
- 26th Sunday in Ordinary TimeDear Friends, This Tuesday we enter October, the Respect Life Month. We are a pro-life Church. This past Thursday (9/26/24)… Read more: 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
- 25th Sunday in Ordinary TimeA Message From Fr. Lancelot Dear Friends, In his book “True Self, False Self,” Basil Pennington presents us with one of the… Read more: 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
- 24th Sunday in Ordinary TimeDear Friends, What do you think of the new screen in our church? Thank you to those of you who… Read more: 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time
- 23rd Sunday in Ordinary TimeDear Friends, September 8 is a very important day in the Marian calendar and for Marian devotion. It is the birthday of… Read more: 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
- 22nd Sunday in Ordinary TimeDear Friends, I hear so many say, “I can’t believe summer is over!” When we keep ourselves very busy, I… Read more: 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
- 21st Sunday in Ordinary TimeDear Friends, There are two matters of importance to share with you. The firsts is about the checks that are… Read more: 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
- 20th Sunday in Ordinary TimeDear Friends, Have you ever been asked to bring up the gifts to the altar during Sunday Mass? Did you… Read more: 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time
- 19th Sunday in Ordinary TimeDear Friends, Did you follow the National Eucharistic Congress that took place in Indianapolis last month, from July 17-21? It was… Read more: 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time
- 18th Sunday in Ordinary TimeDear Friends, August is a month filled with many important saints, very diverse in life, and worthy of reflection and… Read more: 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
- 17th Sunday in Ordinary TimeA Message From Our Pastoral Staff Dear Friends, Today on National Parent’s Day we recognize the invaluable role parents or… Read more: 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time
- 16th Sunday in Ordinary TimeA Message From Our Pastoral Staff HOW DO WE GET TO HEAVEN? Wouldn’t it be great if we had a GPS… Read more: 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time
- 15th Sunday in Ordinary TimeA Message From a Member of Our Pastoral Staff Dear Friends, This year has been one of two major Milestones.… Read more: 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
- 14th Sunday in Ordinary TimeDear Friends, Happy July 4th to all! Our country was founded as one nation under God, in God we trust.… Read more: 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
- 13th Sunday in Ordinary TimeDear Friends, During our 60th Anniversary, we had conducted a parish survey. You may remember the findings published in our… Read more: 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time
- 12th Sunday in Ordinary TimeDear Friends, Tomorrow, June 24, is the solemn feast in honor of the birth or nativity of John the Baptist.… Read more: 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time
- 11th Sunday in Ordinary TimeDear Friends, After honoring mothers last month, today we honor fathers. For children, it is a day to show appreciation… Read more: 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time
- 10th Sunday in Ordinary TimeDear Friends, We are in the month of June dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a devotion that began… Read more: 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time