Guided by shepherds of the Church across three continents — united in one heart, one mission, one Gospel.
Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Columbus · Ohio, USA
Guided by the pastoral vision of Bishop Earl K. Fernandes — a shepherd after the heart of Christ — the Catholic Diocese of Columbus continues to grow in faith, hope, and charity.
When Archbishop Antonysamy Savarimuthu approached him in 2024 about establishing a foundation in memory of Bishop Iruthayaraj, His Excellency responded without hesitation. He immediately helped establish the foundation and accepted the role of Chairman — because our Co-Founder & Executive Director, Maria A. Pushparaj, lives and serves within his own diocese in Columbus, and it belonged to the local ordinary to shepherd the mission from its American home.
In that same spirit of wisdom, humility, and compassion, the Bishop Iruthayaraj Foundation carries this mission beyond borders — forming missionary disciples and building a culture of life and love among orphaned children and communities across India and Africa.
Archbishop of Madurai · Tamil Nadu, India
Long before the world knew him as an Archbishop, he walked in the shadow of another shepherd. As a young priest of the Diocese of Palayamkottai, he served as personal secretary to Bishop Savarinathen Iruthayaraj — and in the quiet years spent at the bishop’s side, a lifelong bond was forged between mentor and disciple.
Bishop Iruthayaraj saw in him what few others yet could. Recognizing the intellect, the faith, and the pastoral heart of the young priest, the bishop sent him to France to study Canon Law — an investment made not for prestige, but for the sake of the flock he foresaw this young man would one day shepherd.
Today, as Archbishop of Madurai, His Grace carries forward that same fire. It is out of love for his spiritual father — and out of gratitude for a mentorship that shaped his priesthood — that he founded the Bishop Iruthayaraj Foundation: a living memorial through which the legacy of a beloved bishop of Palayamkottai continues to touch orphans in India, priests in Africa, and the faithful across three continents.
He is, in every sense, the bridge between the shepherd who was and the mission that is.
Four shepherds of the universal Church — from Brooklyn to Chennai, from Delhi to Kabwe — who stand beside the Foundation in prayer, counsel, and blessing.
Bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn
New York, USA
Archbishop of Madras–Mylapore
Tamil Nadu, India
Archbishop of Delhi
New Delhi, India
Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Kabwe
Zambia
Through faith, compassion, and a shared commitment to service, the Bishop Iruthayaraj Foundation brings people and communities together across three continents to build the Kingdom of God. Our mission is to nurture hope, protect the dignity of every child, and create a culture of life, love, and solidarity among communities in India, Africa, and beyond.
A dedicated team of priest and lay leaders committed to the mission and sustainability of the Foundation.
President & Treasurer · Bishop Iruthayaraj Foundation
Fremont, California · USA
Alongside our Executive Director Maria, Mr. Frank Xavier serves the Foundation as President & Treasurer — a fellowship of shared faith and shared purpose that has quietly become one of the Foundation’s deepest strengths.
A devout Marian devotee, Frank has journeyed to several church approved Marian apparition sites of the world. To name a few, Lourdes, Fatima, Guadalupe, Miraculous Medal, La Salette, Montserrat, Zaragoza, Garabandal, Quito, Las Lajas and Medjugorje – drawn by a quiet devotion to Our Lady that shapes everything he does.
A generous and silent philanthropist, he has helped the poor across the globe without seeking recognition — a manner of giving that reflects the Gospel more than the gala. The Foundation is deeply proud and blessed to have him as our President & Treasurer.
He and his family currently reside in Fremont, California.
Executive Director & Co-Founder · Bishop Iruthayaraj Foundation
Software Engineering Consultant Leader · Nationwide Insurance, Columbus, Ohio
Born and raised in the village of Ayalpatti, within the Diocese of Palayamkottai, Maria grew up in humble surroundings — the same soil the Foundation now serves. It was there, as a child, that he received his First Holy Communion and later his Confirmation from the very hands of Bishop Savarinathen Iruthayaraj.
Those sacraments were not merely rites of passage — they were the seeds of a lifelong calling. The shepherd who blessed him at the altar of his childhood parish would, decades later, become the reason he gave his life to service.
By profession, Maria serves as a Software Engineering Consultant Leader at Nationwide Insurance in Columbus, Ohio — but his deeper vocation is here: co-founding and directing the Bishop Iruthayaraj Foundation, so that orphans, seminarians, priests, and mission communities across India, Africa, and beyond may know the love of the same Shepherd who first knew him.
He is, in every sense, a son of Ayalpatti returning home — and through him, the Foundation’s work in his native village is not a distant charity, but a personal thanksgiving.
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