Nineteen scholastics belonging to the Society of the Missionaries of St. Francis Xavier (Society of Pilar) after they were ordained deacons in the chapel of the Mission Seminary in Pilar, Goa, on Oct. 3, 2021. (Photo supplied)
By UCA News reporter
June 3 2022
Society of the Missionaries of St. Francis Xavier celebrates a record number of ordinations.
An indigenous missionary congregation in India has set a record by ordaining 19 deacons as priests this year.
“I have been a priest for the past 20 years and in my memory have never witnessed the ordination of 19 persons in a single year,” said Father Elvis Fernandes of the Society of the Missionaries of St. Francis Xavier.
The congregation, founded by Father Jose Mariano Clemete Bento Martins in 1887 in the western state of Goa, is popularly known as the Society of Pilar.
Father Fernandes, who serves as its media secretary, told UCA News on June 2 that among the 19 priests, five are the only sons of their parents, “indicating a changing trend in the vocation to priesthood.”
A delighted Father Eric Mascarenhas, who was ordained on May 11, said that for him priesthood “is a treasure in earthen pots.”
The only son of his parents, the young priest said he was deeply grateful to God for choosing and consecrating him. “As I go forth in my maiden mission venture, I pray that I may constantly experience his presence and share his love with others,” he added.
“It is really encouraging to have so many vocations to priesthood, especially at a time when youngsters are more and more inclined toward the luxuries and other worldly things in life”
Another newly ordained priest, Father Jackson Lawrence, who is also the only son of his parents, thanked God for “this beautiful gift of priesthood” and pledged “to remain ever faithful to Him.”
Joining the native priests from Goa was Father Xavier Soreng, who comes from an indigenous tribe from faraway Andaman and Nicobar, an Indian archipelago in the Bay of Bengal.
“Though I am unworthy, God chose me to work in his vineyard. He is everything for me and through him I can do all things,” he said.
The other ordained priests came from Karnataka and Jharkhand states, which church leaders described as an encouraging trend.
Father Babu Joseph, former spokesperson of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, called the latest ordination of priests at the Society of Pilar “truly encouraging.”
“A majority of new vocations, including women, are coming from tribal and Dalit communities,” the Divine Word priest noted while observing that secularization of society and nuclear families with fewer children had led to a considerable fall in preference for the vocation in traditional Christian pockets such as Kerala, Goa and the Konkan coast.
However, society still “recognizes the importance of priests for the administration of sacraments and so they are always in demand,” the priest added.
Auxiliary Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas of Ranchi, who is now apostolic administrator of Daltonganj Diocese in the eastern state of Jharkhand, told UCA News: “It is really encouraging to have so many vocations to priesthood, especially at a time when youngsters are more and more inclined toward the luxuries and other worldly things in life.”
After being on the verge of disappearing, the Society of Pilar was revitalized in 1939 by charismatic leaders now called its Second Founders.
The congregation now has 383 priests serving over 120 communities spread across 41 dioceses in India and abroad. – UCA News
