Bishop Robert Deeley announces five priest assignments

PORTLAND---Bishop Robert Deeley has announced parish assignments, effective October 2, for four priests recently arrived from India, as well as a new assignment, effective October 16, for a priest of the Diocese of Portland.

Father Antonidass Amirthanathan, HGN, a member of the Heralds of Good News, has been appointed parochial vicar of Notre Dame du Mont Carmel Parish in Madawaska, Our Lady of the Valley Parish in Saint Agatha, and St. Peter Chanel Parish in Van Buren. Father Amirthanathan’s previous assignments, all in India, included serving as vice rector and dean of studies at St. Mary’s Minor Seminary in Kerala, as an assistant parish priest, as a pastor, and as principal of St. Antony’s Nursery and Primary English Medium School in Trichy, Tamil Nadu.

Father Prabhu Toniyo Pastin Antony Raj, HGN, also a member of the Heralds of Good News, has been appointed parochial vicar of St. Michael Parish in Augusta. Prior to coming to Maine, Father Antony Raj served in India as an assistant parish priest, a seminary professor, and as administrator of St. Antony’s Nursery and Primary English Medium School in Trichy, Tamil Nadu.

Father Sahaya Pehin Remgius, SAC, a member of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate, more commonly known as the Pallottines, has been appointed parochial vicar of St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Westbrook. Prior to his service in Maine, Father Remgius’s assignments in India included serving as either a parish priest or pastor at four parishes and as an assistant novice master.

Father Thomas Andrews John Xavier, SAC, also a member of the Pallottines, has been appointed temporary parochial vicar of the Parish of the Precious Blood in Caribou. Father Xavier’s assignments in India included serving as an assistant parish priest, a pastor, and as a prefect and bursar.

Effective October 16, Father Kevin Upham, a priest of the Diocese of Portland, has been appointed a full-time hospital chaplain at Maine Medical Center and Northern Light Mercy Hospital, both in Portland. Father Upham was previously a parochial vicar of the Portland Peninsula and Island Parishes and part-time chaplain. Father Upham, who speaks Spanish, will also continue to serve in Hispanic Ministry.