DIRECTOR
Paul Parathazham is a priest of the diocese of Kothamangalam, Kerala. He served as Professor of Sociology at the Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, (Pontifical Athenaeum), Pune, from 1982 to 2013. During his tenure at Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, he held various administrative positions like the Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy, Head of the Department of Social Sciences, Director of the Doctorate Program, Member of the Academic Senate, and Director of the Institute of Pastoral Management.
Fr. Parathazham was the Director of Nirmala Centre for Educational, Social and Theological Training (NESTT), Muvattupuzha, Kerala, from 2013 to 2014.
From September 2014 Fr. Parathazham has been the Director and CEO of the St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences, Bangalore, which is a group of nine institutions including St. John’s Medical College, St. John’s Medical College Hospital, St. John’s College of Nursing, St. John’s Research Institute, and St. John’s College of Allied Health Sciences.
Fr. Parathazham holds Licentiate degrees in Philosophy and Theology from the Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth (Pontifical Athenaeum), Pune, Master’s Degree in Sociology from the University of Pune (First Rank), and Ph. D. in Sociology from the Loyola University of Chicago, U.S.A.
Specialized in Social Research and Sociology of Religion, he has conducted several national sociological surveys on topics like Catholic Priesthood, Formation of Priests and Religious, Pentecostal Sects, and Rural Poverty in India. He has contributed about forty research articles on topics related to society and religion to different journals in India and abroad.
His book Christianity in India: Sociological Investigations, published in 2013, highlights the recent trends in Indian Christianity in the light of empirical data drawn from the sociological surveys he has conducted over the past three decades.
Fr. Parathazham has been a visiting professor in several universities in India and abroad, including University of Poona, Loyola University of Chicago, USA, and Santa Clara University of San Jose, USA.
Besides teaching and research, he renders professional assistance to Dioceses, Religious Congregations and Institutions to conduct scientific evaluation of their mission and ministry as part of their strategic planning for the future.