Fr Augustine Puthota, who was our priest from February 2012 until October 2020, passed away after a long illness on 29 December 2023, the feast of St Thomas Becket.

I found this photograph of the farewell we had for Fr Augustine after his last Mass at Two Rocks on 31st October 2020. It seems fitting that this was on the Vigil of All Saints, because tomorrow we will be praying that, if not there already, he will speedily be joining the Church Triumphant in Heaven.

Fr Augustine had a strong faith, despite his suffering – which was great, for he had arrived in Australia to join his family having had multiple heart surgeries in earlier life. He often told us stories about how he had “died” as a child, and been thought dead by his family and the doctors, only to have miraculously and suddenly revived! And so he was convinced that the Lord had raised him for a special vocation to the priesthood to serve God in the best way he knew. After studying for the priesthood from a young age (prospective seminarians in India sometimes attend different high schools), he was ordained in Bellary (Ballari) on 14 April 1989.

Fr Augustine hailed from a rural area in Karnataka province in India, where his family had owned a farm; he spoke Tamil and several other languages. He was still struggling with English when he arrived at our parish, but persevered and soon became very fluent, like many people who have grown up in multilingual societies.

Fr Augustine used to regale me with stories about India when I would sit in the front room at the presbytery on Saturday mornings, typing up the parish newsletter. I wish now I could remember all the tales he told! I do remember well his journey of acquiring an Australian Driver’s Licence (Peter Coombs would take him for lessons), and his joy at finally receiving formal incardination into the Perth Archdiocese, and then citizenship, and being able to access that miraculous thing – Medicare! (What tales he told about healthcare in Karnataka!) But one of the things he expressed surprise at was the low esteem in which priests are held in Australia (remember a lot of his time here was during the Royal Commission years, when Cardinal Pell was being hounded by an unsympathetic and vicious media, and it seemed to him that priests were universally despised). It was a shock to see, after coming from a culture in which priests were highly revered, he said. On the other hand, he was impressed by the generosity of Australian Catholics: “They are a very practical people!”

Fr Augustine really excelled in service during the covid era. He was outraged that priests were being threatened with a $50,000 fine for daring to say public Mass. His faith in the real presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist meant that nothing, not even a so-called pandemic, would keep him from providing the sacraments to those whom he was called to serve. He took to a strict regime of fasting and praying before the Blessed Sacrament, and refused to turn anyone away if they happened to turn up when he was saying Mass. May the Lord reward him for this faithfulness.

But the strain of this time took its toll on him, and his health began to deteriorate, so that he went into retirement by the end of 2020, after which Fr Richard Tomelty was sent to replace him.

Please join with me in praying that the angels carry Father Augustine to Paradise, where he will be united with Our Lord and all the Saints in heavenly bliss.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and may Perpetual Light shine upon him!

The Pontifical Concelebrated Requiem Mass for Rev Fr Augustine Puthota will be celebrated in Our Lady of Mercy Church, 5 Patrick Court, Girrawheen commencing at 10:30am on TUESDAY 16 January 2024.