The Rev. Fr. Abraham Porunnolil, an associate pastor of Infant Jesus Chruch in Port Jefferson, New York, USA for the past decade, died on Monday (Oct. 19, 1998) of heart disease. He was 59.

Caring, humble and always smiling Fr. Abe (as his parishoners called him) was so popular in his parish that over a 1000 people turned out for a memorial Mass today (Thursday Oct. 22), at St. Charles Hospital Chapel, concelebrated by Bishop John McCann of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York and about 30 other priests.  It was heartening to see tears flowing down the cheeks of  hundreds of his parishoners; adults and children alike. 

Born in Palai, Kerala, India, Rev. Porunnolil attended St. Thomas College, Palai and St. Joseph's Pontifical Seminary in Alwaye, Kerala. He was ordained for the Diocese of Palai in 1966. He received a licentiate in Canon Law from the Oriental Institute in Rome in 1972. He moved to New York in 1973, earning a master's degree in counselling from St. John's University in Jamica, Queens, New York, in 1978.

He is survived by his father, P.I. Zacharias, a brother, Mathew Zacharias, sisters Monica, Mary and Teresa all of Palai, brother John of Mumbai, India and sister Alice of Bangladesh.

His body was taken to India and was buried at the cemetary of St. Thomas Cathedral Church in Palai, India.  We all miss a very good friend and a spiritual leader.