The call can come quite suddenly in the life of a priest; he must be prepared to follow his assigned flock. And so it goes for newly appointed pastor Fr. Niranjan Rodrigo, or Father Rodrigo, of St. Joan of Arc Church in Sloatsburg. Appointed by the Archdiocese of New York to lead the 87 year old church standing stoically off Eagle Valley Road, Sloatsburg is Fr. Rodrigo’s first full appointment as head of a parish.

He replaces Fr. Frank Dias, who has moved back to lead his original parish, Our Lady Help of Christians, in Staten Island. Like Fr. Frank before him, Fr. Rodrigo is a native of Sri Lanka and came to the United States to pursue missionary work and continue his studies. He became a priest of the Archdiocese of New York in 2009 and received both his Master of Arts Degree (M.A.) and Doctor of Philosophy Degree (Ph.D.) from Fordham University. Fr. Rodrigo recently finished teaching theological classes at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, NY.

Although new as parish priest, Fr. Rodrigo is no stranger to St. Joan of Arc, where in the past he frequently participated in church activities, including confessions and Masses. Sloatsburg welcomes Fr. Rodrigo as he begins his ministry.

Source: St. Joan of Arc Church