A friend wrote this morning from his little Catholic outpost along the Bay of Bengal in India: "We entered in to the Advent by making a small crib. Inside we kept the Holy Bible, and all the congregation lit a candle in front of the crib, and prayed for one intention. They need to hold on to that intention 'til 25th of December.”
Over the past year, when strikes and unrest were stirring his area due to the split of their state, Andhra Pradesh, Fr. Varghese gathered his people in a special adoration hour. They each lit a candle then, too, and prayed for peace.
The flames from such candles pierce the darkness in a powerful way. I live in a region nearly 75 % Catholic. It’s hard for me to imagine being part of a Christian minority like Fr. Varghese and his people, who live in territory less than 3% Christian. They don’t take their faith for granted.
Every night In the month of October, "Mary's month," Fr. Varghese and his people marched through Kakinada, India streets with Rosaries in their hands. Their destination? A different parishioner’s home each evening. They held Rosaries sent to them by some of my St. Isaac Jogues Rosary Maker friends. Three homeschool families and two 3rd order Carmelites also helped Fr. Varghese and his people buy a lovely statue of the Blessed Mother and build a wood palanquin -- a hand–held litter that traditionally transports royalty in India.
By bearing the Blessed Mother along as royalty, explains Fr. Varghese, they were declaring to the world that she is their heavenly queen. One little Hindu boy heard about the beautiful Mary, and asked to meet her. He was paralyzed in bed, so Fr. Varghese and the marchers made a special stop at his house and prayed there. The boy was so touched, he started to move his hands and feet for the first time. He is now in physical therapy…a little miracle associated with the Blessed Mother.
Another man had been struggling to keep his business going, and was waiting for two years for certain needed paperwork to be approved by the government. He begged for a visit by the Mary marchers, who came and prayed at his place of business. The next morning, he received news that the needed regulations had been met and he could go ahead with his business.
Now, we obviously don’t worship a statue, but whenever a crowd of people target a certain intention and ask the Blessed Mother for her intercession, prayers are answered. She is like a burning candle to her people -- a beautiful bright flame
that gives people hope in a sometimes turbulent land. In a nation where 60% of
the people are malnourished and where their faith can be misunderstood, a
heavenly mother’s comfort is especially powerful. No wonder why faithful in India, and even their non-Catholic neighbors, embrace her so dearly.
I’ve always loved the Blessed Mother, too, and
would like to be like her all I can. I took Virginia as my Confirmation name: my
mother’s name, but also in honor of the Blessed Virgin. More than a dozen years
ago I made my St. Louis de Montfort Marian consecration for the first time,
dedicating my life to Jesus through Mary, just like St. John Paul II did. When
I first met Fr. Varghese, one of the things we had in common was our love of
the Blessed Mother. He often refers to himself as Varghese-Maria, and first
made his St. Louis de Montfort Consecration several years ago. He has brought
more than 70 of his parishioners along on this journey. I would text him the
Marian Consecration exercises in the morning, he would translate them into the language of his people,
Telegu, and present the exercises to them by night. I know my friends Deacon Tom and Dee of Catholic Vitamins have also made and renewed their Marian consecrations and find them an
incredible uplift. So I see the Blessed Mother’s hand all over the outreach
they do for the Church, and all over whatever I do and the outreach of Fr. Varghese.
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| Deacon Tom and Dee host the SQPN-Affiliated Catholic Vitamins Show. I've podcasted Missionary Moments for the show for four years and love the inspiration I get each week from the wonderful guests this lovely couple feature. |
Do you know that I wouldn’t even know this missionary priest from India if not for Catholic Vitamins? Fr. Varghese was
searching a pro-life topic online when that search led him to the Catholic
Vitamins site, and to my bio. I’ve spent nearly my whole adult life writing
about and raising funds for Catholic missions across America, and Fr. Varghese
contacted me from remote India, asking for any advice or help in serving the poor of his five scattered
missions.
After I checked with his archbishop to verify
Fr. Varghese’s identlty, we started texting each other. As a journalist and
Catholic, I was fascinated to learn more about the Church in India, which has
ancient roots extending back to when St. Thomas the Apostle himself,
evangelized along the Malabar coast. I emailed helpful faith links to Fr.
Varghese, and in time, my friends and I started sending a little help.
We’ve sent Rosaries, prayer cards and Bibles,
and helped with emergency funds for rice, lentils and tin roofs after cyclones
struck. We’ve helped feed and clothe poor orphans and now nine children have been saved by Fr. Varghese from child labor situations. We cover their tuitions 100% through a little word-of-mouth outreach called Holy Family
Relief.
I’ve been contributing Worldview Wednesdays to Catholicmom.com monthly and am serving as a voiceover artist for the Catholic Television network, Shalom TV. And podcasting Missionary Moments for Catholic Vitamins for going on four years, continues to be a joy. I’m first wife and mother, and my greatest joy comes through these roles. But the writing, podcasting and now acting as president of our new 501 c3 for missionary priests in India, shines a great light in my life.
So many thanks to Deacon Tom and Dee, as they near the airing of their 300th show for Catholic Vitamins. You've provided many of us wonderful encouragement along the way. And I will now shamelessly beg for prayers for myself and my family..but also for our Holy Family Relief. For several years, friends have helped Fr. Varghese and fellow missionaries erect nativity scenes for Christmas, do feedings for the poor, pass out saris to poor widows and blankets to the needy. Last year, we also gave hoodies to little orphans. So if anyone would like to help us celebrate our Catholic Vitamins connection with this budding work in India, and would like to help Fr. Varghese and a couple of his fellow missionary priests celebrate this Christmas, we could very much use the help.
Please visit Dalitjournal.blogspotcom to find a donate button, or visit the new website that features photos and stories from Fr. Varghese's current location at Sacredheartinkaki.blogspot.com. You can also email me at Finerfields.blogspot.com to learn more.
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| I was so impressed by the beautiful photos of Mary Fr. Varghese has been sharing with me from his missions, I started featuring them my hand-made stationary. I offer it for donations for Fr. V's efforts. |
Fr. Varghese has said we are like the oil in his lamp. When things run very dry, we’ve been able to bless him with a little fuel for his efforts. And this little flame in his mission oil lamp, is one that I never want to go out. So as we celebrate our first Sunday of Advent, I take my courage in my hands and come to you with this prayer intention and need. My family and friends wouldn’t know Fr. Varghese if Catholic Vitamins hadn’t connected us from the beginning. We are so grateful. Thanks to Deacon Tom and Dee and their wonderful show, and to all who pray and uplift our missionaries world over. God bless each one of us and our little daily outreaches to our families and communities. May we all have a blessed Advent.
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| We're hoping to again help Fr. Varghese and a couple of his fellow missionaries give blankets and saris to the needy and host a poor feeding for Christmas. |
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