Jubilarian spotlight: Fr. Vinoy Panthilapadam

The U.P. Catholic

Celebrating his 25th anniversary jubilee this year is Fr. Vinoy Panthilapadam, MST, associate pastor of St. Peter Cathedral in Marquette. Fr. Panthilapadam was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Jacob Thoomkuzhy on Jan. 5, 2000. His ordination took place at St. Joseph Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Trichur, which is in the Indian state of Kerala.

He has been serving in the Diocese of Marquette since summer of 2024. Fr. Panthilapadam’s family includes his two brothers, who are both married, his mother, and his late father. “I lost my father when I was 6 years old,” Fr. Panthilapadam explained.
“I always [wanted] to become a missionary priest, giving nursing care to people with terminal illness and [those in their] old age,” he said, and noted that his inspiration is St. Teresa of Calcutta. “Pioneering new mission areas is my passion for priesthood.”

Fr. Panthilapadam belongs to the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in India, which is primarily based in Kerala. The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Church that is in union with Rome and the Holy See. It traces its origins back to St. Thomas the Apostle.
In his priestly life, Fr. Panthilapadam has had many different experiences resulting from his time serving in India, in addition to the continuation of his ministry in the Diocese of Marquette. Over the past 25 years, he has served as a parish priest, spiritual director, and has also worked with many in his community in India in different ways.

As part of his ministry prior to arriving in the Diocese of Marquette, Fr. Panthilapadam said that he initiated programs in his community for the poor and marginalized including street food drives, educational guidance and medical assistance to the intellectually disabled. He has a master’s degree in sociology as well as a master’s degree in social work. After his ordination to the priesthood, Fr. Panthilapadam served in various capacities at schools in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, including positions as a rector of a boarding school for village children, assistant priest in charge at a secondary school and a high school teacher.
In Madhya Pradesh, Fr. Panthilapadam ministered for five years to families affected by HIV and AIDS. Part of his priestly ministry also included ministering to senior priests in Kerala for three years, alongside other outreach to those in need.

Fr. Panthilapadam said that he is enjoying life in the Diocese of Marquette and described it as a “good diocese with a friendly bishop and loving priests,” and said there is a “good Catholic population [with a] deep rooted faith.”

In his spare time, he enjoys reading, traveling and watching movies, amongst other activities. When asked what the Eucharist meant to him, Fr. Panthilapadam said that it is not just a “part of my day but the heart of my life.”