Father Baiju Paul Puthussery occasionally celebrates Mass at St. Mary’s in Charlotte, a Syro-Malabar Rite parish with more than 300 parishioners mainly hailing from his home of Kerala, India. (WIll Creter | Catholic New Herald) HIGH POINT — Father Baiju Paul Puthussery is celebrating his 25th anniversary as an Oblate of St. Francis de Sales priest. After years spent as a school administrator, he is now living out his priestly ministry as parochial vicar of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish.
Father Baiju, as he likes to be called, has had some short stints as a diocesan priest, but for the most part, his ministry has been dedicated to education – first as a teacher, then as a principal. Shifting to parish life has been rewarding.
“I did more anointing in the last two years than ever. I didn’t get the opportunity while I was a principal, so I’m happy to do that now,” said Father Baiju, who has been at Immaculate Heart of Mary since 2022.
“It’s nice being on the campus at the school. That brings me total happiness because of my background. It brings me a lot of joy celebrating Mass and seeing all the student activities.”
When he was not teaching, he was learning – earning four master’s degrees from all over the globe in education, sociology, educational management and psychology. Plus, he speaks four languages: English, Malayalam, Spanish and Hindi.
Father Baiju was born in Kerala, India, and baptized as a Syro-Malabar Catholic.
India is the most populated country on the globe, with nearly 1.5 billion people, yet only 1.6% or 23 million are Catholic. The tropical state of Kerala, a little larger than Maryland, contains the most Indian Catholics, around 4 million. These Catholics are Syro-Malabar, one of the 23 Eastern Catholic churches. While in communion with the pope, they follow the East Syriac liturgical tradition, which blends Indian customs with Catholic heritage.
The Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, who have been active in education and healthcare in High Point since 2000, are also from Kerala. They quickly discovered
Father Baiju’s origins and informed St. Mary’s Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in Charlotte.
“The pastor from St. Mary came and visited me and asked, ‘Will you be available when there is a need for confessions or Masses when I’m away?’ I said, ‘Yes, definitely.’ It helps me to stay in touch with the Mass, and then when I go home it’ll be easier because I’m still in touch with my language,” he said.
So, sometimes, Father Baiju, one of the few priests in the diocese able to celebrate in both rites, will dress in his elegant gold Syro-Malabar vestments and preside over a Mass at St. Mary’s.
Father Baiju attended Catholic schools all his life, along with his two brothers and four sisters. He felt called to a priestly vocation after watching his uncle, who is a retired diocesan priest, and the other clergy at his school. Although he had never left his home state, he knew he wanted to travel abroad and started exploring avenues within the wider Roman Catholic Church.
“A priest contacted me who was my uncle’s friend. He was looking for candidates for the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, so I met him, even though I wasn’t sure what all an Oblate was at the time,” Father Baiju said.
He joined the OSFS in July 1990. During a year of postulancy, he found the order to be very down-to-earth and humble. St. Francis of de Sales always said, “Be who you are and be it well,” and that was exactly what he aspired to do. He enjoyed the “Live Jesus” motto and the charism dedicated to simplicity, love, patience and joy.
For his novitiate, he traveled on a plane for the first time to Namibia, Africa.
“I was only 19. It was a culture shock. It was the first time I was out of my state and out of my country, my first time flying, and the first time experiencing a different culture. The language, the food, everything was different,” he said.
The remnants of apartheid were still lingering in Namibia. The segregation and huge discrepancy between the very rich and severely impoverished had similarities to the caste system in India.
Afterward, Father Baiju went to Bangalore, India, and was ordained an Oblate priest in 2000. He served as a parochial vicar in Kerala while furthering his education. He then moved to the United States to pursue a master’s in education at DeSales University in Center Valley, Pennsylvania.
“The first year was difficult. It was very cold compared to the Kerala tropics, and even though I spoke English fluently, the American way of talking took time to get used to,” he said.
Upon his graduation, he became a sixth-grade teacher and then a high school teacher at Salesianum School, an all-boys school in Wilmington, Del. In the summer months while he was in America, he traveled the country, informing Catholic congregations about the mission of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales.
“I traveled to over 100 different places like Nebraska, Kentucky and California,” said Father Baiju. “It was a different experience everywhere I went. They were not very exciting places, but at the same time I could see the country far and wide – lots of cornfields.”
In 2009, the congregation sent Father Baiju to start De Sales Academy in Bangalore, India, as principal. He opened the school in 2011 with only 38 students. One of his proudest accomplishments was growing the school to 1,400 students by its eighth year.
It was then he received a phone call from his former dean of students and friend, Oblate Father Peter Leonard of IHM, asking him if he wanted to become a pastoral priest here in North Carolina
Father Baiju quickly said yes and, so far, he loves it.
“I’m happy here in North Carolina,” said Father Baiju. “I can deal with a lot of older people, the sick, funerals and weddings. I’m on campus with a school that also brings a lot of joy.”
— Lisa M. Geraci