Rev. Thomas V. Perunilam, of Somerville, passed away Thursday, July 26, 2018, at Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy. He was 80. Father Thomas’s body will be received at St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, 508 Elizabeth Avenue, Somerset on Monday, July 30th at 4:00 pm. A Mass of Commemoration will be offered at St. Thomas, 7:30 pm, with Bishop Jacob Angadiath as Principal Celebrant, along with Father Dominic Perunilam. On Tuesday, July 31st, a Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11:00 am, at St. Joseph’s Parish, 34 Yorktown Road, Hillsborough, With Bishop James F. Checchio, Bishop of the Metuchen Diocese, as Principal Celebrant. Interment will follow at Resurrection Cemetery in Piscataway.
Born in Aruvithura, Kerala, India, Fr. Thomas studied for the Priesthood at the Papal Seminary, Poona, India, and St. Joseph Seminary in Alwaye, Kerala, India. He also attained a B.A. and M.A. in English Literature (University of Kerala) and an Ed.D (Rutgers University).
Father Thomas was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Palai, Kerala, India on March 11, 1964. He came to the United States in 1973 and served as a parochial vicar in the following parishes in the Diocese of Metuchen: Corpus Christi, South River, Immaculate Conception, Somerville, and St. Gregory the Great in Hamilton. In addition to being pastor, he served on the diocesan Presbyteral Council and the Board of Seminary Education and as a delegate to the First Synod of the Diocese of Metuchen.
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