This Metropolitan belonged to a devout family at Thozhiyur that had enriched the church by selfless service. His grandfather, the Rev. Fr. Paulose Ayyam kulam, had been the Vicar General and his uncle, the Rev. Job A. Paul, the head of an educational institution. The Rev. Fr. A.Paul, who became the Metropolitan, received his higher education at Solapur, where his father had been employed. In 1952 he was ordained as deacon and in 1961 as priest by Geeverghese Mar Koorilose -VII. Earlier, he had served the Church as the secretary of the Gospel Association and the Sabha Council. At the time of election to the office of the Bishop he was on the staff of the St. George’s High School.

On 16 December 1967 he was consecrated as Mar Philoxenos -III by Dr. Juhanon Mar Thoma, the Metropolitan of the sister church, assisted by Dr. Alex­ander Mar Theophilos Episcopa and Dr.Thomas Mar Athanasios Episcopa. The completion of the construction of the St. Mary’s Church at Perumannoor, the Bahanam Capel at Anjoor and the Mar Koorilose Chapel at Korattikara that had been planned and begun by his predecessor received his prompt attention. The new institutions established by him are the St. George Chapel at Karikkad, the St. Thomas Press at Kunnamkulam and the Poor Home at Chalissery. The memorable events during his ministry were the canonization of Mar Koorilose -I, the founder of the Cathedral Church and the celebration of the second Cen­tenary of the Cathedral Church. To mark these historic events, a mission hospital was opened at Anjoor on 28 May 1972 in memory of the first Metropolitan Mar Koorilose. No other monument could be more fitting to preserve the memory of Mar Koorilose-I who himself had been blessed with healing gifts. Mar Philox­enos -III left the Malabar Independent Syrian Church on 28 August 1977 to join the Syro-Malankara jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church (whose rites are essentially the same as those of the Malabar Independent Syrian Church).