The Rev. Dr. Jilson Panakkal is a familiar face at Church of the Ascension.

He assumed his role as priest for the local church July 1, but he has served as a visiting priest for the past three years.

“I know a lot of people already,” Fr. Jilson said. “It has made the transition easy.”

He said Fr. John (McDonough) also has been “very helpful” in making the transition smooth. Fr. John retired the end of June.

Fr. Jilson was born in India, one of eight children. He said he comes from a spiritual family. His late brother served as a priest and two sisters are nuns. The other four siblings are married and live in India.

He was ordained in 1995, first serving his home diocese of Kannur in India in different capacities. He obtained his doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical Urban University in Rome. He served as the judicial vicar for seven years before coming to the United States in 2017. He said an opportunity arose in Arizona, and his bishop chose Fr. Jilson for the work. He served as a judge in the tribunal of the Phoenix diocese.

He said he is glad to be in the parish here.

“I’m looking forward to the work,” he said.

His focus will be spiritual enrichment and the growth of the church community post-pandemic.

“People are starting to come back (to church),” he said. “I want the church to be a place where the community can come together. It is important to have people come back.”

Youth and children are not big in numbers at Ascension, but Fr. Jilson wants to encourage families to become more involved.

“Helping young people grow together as a community, to get to know each other in this community, is so important,” Fr. Jilson said. “He said it is my intention to get them involved in lots of different activities.”

Fr. Jilson said he is glad to be in Fountain Hills. The community provides him with things he especially enjoys, which are hiking and reading.

“I look forward to visiting the library,” he noted. “And when the weather is cooler, I will be able to take advantage of all the hiking trails.”

He added he loves good Mexican food, as well as Italian and Indian food and does like to cook.

Sharing different viewpoints, opinions and ideas are things Fr. Jilson wants to promote.

“In these challenging times, I am hopeful people will begin to work together and respect each other,” he said.

Looking forward to meeting people in the community, Fr. Jilson has enjoyed activities such as Fourth at the Fountain, as well as some of the arts and crafts festivals held here.

He also will continue the church outreach, which includes work with St. Matthews School, St. Vincent DePaul, Circle the City and the adoption of a diocese in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Fr. Jilson also works as the director of social work in the Phoenix Diocese. He is the author of “Impact of Alcohol on Marital Obligations,” published by Scholar’s Press.