Father Silvaster Sarihaddula

WEST WINFIELD - Father Silvaster Sarihaddula, age 60, beloved pastor of St. Joseph the Worker parish of West Winfield and Richfield Springs passed away unexpectedly on Sunday morning, December 27, 2020 .

He was born in Andhra Pradesh a province of India o n June 15, 1960.  Serving as a brother with Mother Teresa of the Missionaries of Charity , a religious congregation she founded in 1950.  In 1989 she encou raged him to move to Tijuana, Mexico and study for the priesthood. Learning to speak Spanish was a challenge that helped him when he was reassigned by the Missionaries of Charity to the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens , in 2008, working mainly with Hispanic Catholics.    In 2015 he was assigned to the Diocese of Albany and on January 1, 2016, he was named priest-administrator of St. Joseph the Worker parish of West Winfield and Ric hfield Springs On February 6, 2020, he proudly became an American citizen.  Fr. Silvaster truly loved people . He was a man to be admired for his devotion and strong commitment to his sacramental life.  Besides his family parish and friends he is survived by relatives in India, Mexico and Brooklyn.

Vigil hours will be held at St. Joseph the Worker RC Church in Richfield Springs on Wednesday from 11:00 am until 7:00 pm.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday morning at 11:00 am St. Joseph the Worker RC Church , 305 West Main Street, West Winfield.

Funeral Arrangements are with J. Seaton McGrath Funeral Home, Richfield Springs.