At Our Lady Star of the Sea Church in Atlantic City, I heard a visiting priest from India talk about the Carmelite order, and his own experience of formation.
He brought to light that although here in the United States, the Roman Catholic church is besieged by a shortage of priests, and seminarians, In India, it is not so.
He went on to speak about the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate which is the first indigenous Catholic religous congregation in India, founded in 1831. Currently, the congregation has a formidable number of candidates for the priesthood, and over one thousand seminarians in formation.
The Carmelite’s are active in a variety of ministries such as pastoral care, education, social action,health, and mass media. They operate in India and abroad in 13 Provinces.
One sad fact that was brought in the discussion, is the persecution of Christians in India by Hindu extremists. He related a story of a priest who was violently beaten and killed recently for witnessing his faith.
Although reports like this are always alarming, it is a miracle that despite these factors, God’s kingdom continues to grow in the most remote and dangerous areas of the world where Christians are at risk.
I learned also that in India, not all parents rejoice when a son decides to attend seminary, and in some cases, parents do thier best to persuade them not apply to seminary.
It appears that the call to serve in the church as a minister, is a powerful one in India. Later, the parents adjust to thier son’s decision, and finally rejoice that there is someone in thier family thatwill be able to intercede on their behalf, in a land that is plagued with violence.
The courage of these families, and men who give thier life to the church despite rampant persecution, cannot be overstated.
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