Voxers,
A few weeks ago, I wrote about a Seminarian in India in the Syro-Malabar rite of the Catholic Church. He is the Reverend Deacon Joice Joseph Puliyammakal whom you can read about below. He is to be ordained to the priesthood and is completing now his final studies. Deacon Joseph was raised by good and holy parents who have little in material aid. He has been called by the LORD to the harvest but he also desires to honour his father and mother by providing for them a house so that he can go to serve God in the holy priesthood without worry. He is their oldest son and on him is this great responsibility.
I have verified his Diaconal Ordination and good standing with his Order and his seminary. When I first put out the appeal it was at $60. As of today, it is at $1800. You are wonderful!
You can visit his page below and see the progress on the house, our dollars can go a lot further in India. You can also see photos of Deacon Joseph's ordination and the house of his parents and some videos of how hard living there has been for them, particularly in the rainy season.
However, what has been raised is not enough to complete the house.
We have been bombarded with bad news affecting our faith. We are bombarded for money. Yet, here is an opportunity to build a house in India for our Catholic brethren in need and at the same time to help this man become a priest to serve the Lord and you can watch it all happen too - you can actually see your generosity's result.
Today is the Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle. Did you know that the Syro-Malabar Rite of the Mass is apostolic in origin and was brought to India by this great apostle? These original Catholics of southern India refer to themselves as St. Thomas Christian!
Let us honour this great Apostle on his Feast by helping Deacon Joseph get this house built and become a priest for the Missionary Society of St. Thomas the Apostle!
You can be assured that you will be in his prayers and those of his parents.
A Seminarian in India - The Lord has called him to the "harvest." What can we do to help?
The purpose of this blog is not fundraising; but every once in a while, the need comes along to help one of our brothers or sisters. I have urged help here for New Jersey teacher, Patricia Jannuzzi and there are two seminarians whom I know personally, one studying for the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest in Italy (we will have another campaign in September) and more recently a man from Toronto studying for the Ukrainian Rite.
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Recently, Reverend Deacon Joice Joseph Puliyammakal of the Missionary Society of St. Thomas the Apostle, a Society of Apostolic Life in Ujjain City, Madhyapredash, India has written to me in the hope that through this blog, we can help him on his journey to the priesthood.
Deacon Joseph's formation is the Ruhalaya Major Seminary where over 120 men are studying for the priesthood over its seven year program of Philosophy and Theology. Would that we had that in Toronto and every North American and European seminary. Praise be Jesus Christ! If you click on this link to the Seminary and then click on "IIIrd Year Students" and scroll down to #15, you can verify Reverend Joseph's position. You can find him on Facebook.
For your assurance, and mine, I have written to the Director General of the Missionary Society of St. Thomas the Apostle, Father Kurian Ammanathukunnel pictured on the left during Deacon Joseph's diaconal ordination in the Syro-Malabar Rite, of the Catholic Church founded by St. Thomas the Apostle. Father has confirmed to me directly, that Deacon "belongs to our Society (MST) and is at present a student of our own Major Seminary (Ruhalaya) at Ujjain in the State, Madhya Pradesh. His request is genuine and authentic and, I shall be happy if you can render a helping hand to him. Hence I confirm the legitimacy of his position and request. May God Bless you."
Here is Deacon Joseph's story:
Recently, Reverend Deacon Joice Joseph Puliyammakal of the Missionary Society of St. Thomas the Apostle, a Society of Apostolic Life in Ujjain City, Madhyapredash, India has written to me in the hope that through this blog, we can help him on his journey to the priesthood. Deacon Joseph's formation is the Ruhalaya Major Seminary where over 120 men are studying for the priesthood over its seven year program of Philosophy and Theology. Would that we had that in Toronto and every North American and European seminary. Praise be Jesus Christ! If you click on this link to the Seminary and then click on "IIIrd Year Students" and scroll down to #15, you can verify Reverend Joseph's position. You can find him on Facebook.
For your assurance, and mine, I have written to the Director General of the Missionary Society of St. Thomas the Apostle, Father Kurian Ammanathukunnel pictured on the left during Deacon Joseph's diaconal ordination in the Syro-Malabar Rite, of the Catholic Church founded by St. Thomas the Apostle. Father has confirmed to me directly, that Deacon "belongs to our Society (MST) and is at present a student of our own Major Seminary (Ruhalaya) at Ujjain in the State, Madhya Pradesh. His request is genuine and authentic and, I shall be happy if you can render a helping hand to him. Hence I confirm the legitimacy of his position and request. May God Bless you."
Here is Deacon Joseph's story:
My Story
I am from a poor family. My father is a farmer and mother is house wife. My father was affected by tuberculosis some years back but now he is ok. I have a younger brother. He is at home now taking care of my family. And he finds time to study by himself. We don’t have a good house. We have been staying in a plastic shelter for long years. It was my great ambition to become a missionary priest that made me joining in seminary. I have been living in seminary with minimum things and even short of. I was happy all the time and even now. God is leading me in good way. Now I have become a deacon and I will be ordained to priesthood soon. My parents are not able to support me for my studies and now I need to find some ways to do my ordination ceremony and to build a small house for my parents. If you can help me a bit by posting my fundraiser campaign in your page and website, I may be helped. i request your cooperation and help to consider me as your own brother. Since you have visited Kerala I hope you might have witnessed the life of normal people here. Only in cities we have good houses and rich people. Here in villages we are poor. But we have a lot of vocations from these villages. I hope you would help me.
BY
With hope
Deacon Joice Joseph
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Deacon has taken out a YouCaring support page. As of this writing, there is $60.00 listed.
Voxers, what is $20, $60, or $100 to us these days? McDonald's for two is $20. How much can we do for this Deacon and his family and for the Church in India. How much further can our money go there than here?
May the Lord send many harvesters to the harvest in India and may they come to re-evangelise those of us who have forgotten so much.
