Joy and sacrifice
NTC/Juan Guajardo
HE IS: Reverend John Perikomalayil Antony, HGN, pastor of St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Fort Worth. In his 12 years in the Diocese of Fort Worth, he has also served at Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Hillsboro; St. Joseph Parish in Rhineland; Santa Rosa Parish in Knox City; Sacred Heart Parish in Seymour; and St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Megargel.
FEELS LIKE HOME: He grew up in a remote farming community in Kerala, India, so his seven years in Rhineland “was a family atmosphere. Being with the farming community was kind of home.”
FAMILY OF FAITH: His parents and grandparents were Catholic, and Fr. Perikomalayil and his three siblings grew up attending Mass and participating in parish youth ministries.
In the fourth grade, he was playing with a cluster of kids outside of the church shortly before Mass began, and the pastor called him to do a reading and serve at the altar. “I was so nervous, but then after the first day, it went on from there. I never looked back,” he said.
PERSISTENT CALL: In eighth grade, he told his mother he was thinking seriously about the priesthood. She reminded him, “That is what you told me when you were a second grader.”
NEW ORDER: At a diocesan vocation camp, he met a priest from the Heralds of Good News, which had been founded just 10 years earlier. “We were able to see our founding fathers. I had the privilege of living with our founder — we lived in the same building for about four or five months when I was doing my internship year.”
ORDAINED: January 17, 2004
EARLY ASSIGNMENTS: Fr. Perikomalayil spent the first nine years of his priesthood in India in a variety of assignments: teaching English in minor seminary, financial administration for his order, earning a master’s degree in contextual theology based on the Eucharist, being a school principal, and serving as an assistant pastor.
JOYFUL PRIEST: “I’m happy as a priest. I am both enjoying and also sacrificing at the same time. Every life is, one way or another, a sacrifice and a joy.”
“Unless you love what you do, you cannot do it. That love comes from loving where you belong … It’s the same case wherever I am assigned. I see that the particular community is well attended and maintained and taught.
WATCH THIS: Fr. Perikomalayil said his example is more impactful than his words. “My perspective about my life — my life is a responsibility, hard work, and dedication.”
SACRED SPACE: “Reverence to the [Blessed] Sacrament is something we need to develop and we need to practice,” said the priest, noting chewing gum and chatter are not welcome in the sanctuary.
LEISURE: Fr. Perikomalayil is usually found in the parish office or helping with maintenance, often with his 90 pound Great Pyrenees/lab mix nearby. At least twice a month he meets with his brother priests to cook, to eat, and to spend time together.
A BEAUTIFUL LANDMARK: Shortly after he arrived at St. Mary of the Assumption in July 2022, he began the planning (and requisite fundraising) to restore the beauty of the parish, which was completed in 1924.
Renovations were finished in October, including new ceiling murals which represent the Sorrowful and Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary and complement the stained-glass windows which depict the Glorious and Joyful Mysteries.
He extends an invitation for all to attend a Mass at the parish and experience its sacred beauty.