Father Pudota installed as St. James pastor

December 7, 2017
San Francisco Catolico

Father Shouraiah Pudota was installed as the new pastor of St. James Church in the Mission District by Auxiliary Bishop William J. Justice at a Mass Oct. 8. Father Pudota was also officially assigned to the Spanish-speaking ministry at St. Paul Church in San Francisco’s Noe Valley.

Ordained in India in 1979, Father Pudota offered 10 years of pastoral service in his native country before traveling to Argentina where he served the church there from 1989 to 2003.

In 2003 he came to the U.S., serving first the Diocese of Salt Lake City, Utah, then moving to the Archdiocese of San Francisco where he was parochial vicar at Church of the Epiphany for four years. Father Pudota was parochial administrator at Our Lady of the Pillar in Half Moon Bay, then served in the same capacity concurrently for both Sacred Heart Church in Olema, and Church of the Assumption in Tomales. Most recently he was parochial vicar at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Menlo Park and St. Matthew Church in San Mateo.