Pallottine Members

Some Reflections of our Community Members 

Fr. Joseph Dominic
As I reflect on my time as a Pallottine priest, I could never have foreseen the path my life has taken from India to Wisconsin, spreading God’s message of hope to His people.
My first appointment was associate pastor at St. Vincent Pallotti parish in 1981 on the outskirts of Bilaspur City, an ancient trading ground in the central part of India. My first challenge: I was not fluent in the Hindi language, which presented an obstacle for me and two hundred Hindi families I ministered to every day. I spent many late nights learning the Hindi language with the help of a dictionary. I was very thankful for my parishioners patience.

Three years later I was appointed the associate pastor at the biggest parish of the diocese of Raipur, India—my ten hour walks were history for me! The parish had nine mission stations and a population of more than 5,000 Catholics. It was a very satisfying, yet busy, pastoral life where I was also dean and confessor to the nuns of the entire district.

In 1991, I arrived in the United States to further pursue my theology studies at Loyola University in Chicago. From India to Chicago—what a contrast in lifestyles. I was amazed at the beautiful high rises and the expansive size of the city. I was also awestruck by my first snowfall. It was beautiful! At least it was pretty until I had to drive on the snowy roads—another challenge!

I returned to India to teach seminarians philosophy and psychology. After some years of teaching at an orphanage as well, my superiors decided not just to transfer me, but to export me. A new challenge, I find myself in Wisconsin enjoying the mood swing of her climatic hiccups. These days, I serve as pastor in a rural parish in Wisconsin where I have helped to unite a once divided parish under one God.
What an extraordinary life I have lived! I know as I travel this journey, the Lord leads me to a fulfillment beyond my personal expectations and accomplishments.

When I look back at my wonderful years as a Pallottine priest I thank God for my wonderful experiences—and I rejoice in the love of Jesus Christ.

Fr. Davies Edassery

I come  from the State of Kerala, known as 'God's own country', in India.  I am from a somewhat large traditional catholic family of seven children (five boys & two girls). 
Although I belonged to a big parish (forane church), as for convenience, our spiritual and pastoral care were looked after by priests of a religious ashram (the Vincentian Congregation) which was situated very close to where I lived.  As a result I had contact with religious priests even from my childhood and this contact gave me a taste and inclination towards religious life.

As I was completing my high school education, I met Fr. James Edavazhithara VC, my parish priest and told him about my desire to become a priest in a missionary congregation.  He was a very spiritual person and had some close association with the Pallottines because he himself spent some time in the Pallottine missions of Raipur and had a very high esteem and appreciation for our work there.  He guided me to contct Fr. Joe Kllani SAC, the vocation promoter of Pallottines in Kerala, Trivandrum.  And this is why I am a Pallottine today.

I joined the Pallottines in 1977 after high school and with eleven years in different stages of formation, I was ordained in 1988.  My first appointment was as an associate pastor in one of the prestigious parishes of the diocese of Thamarassery, in Kerala.  This appointment had its own special significance for this was a new step of the Pallottines to get involved in the Syro-Malabar church in India.  I felt very privileged to be the pioneer in this new endeavour of the Indian Pallottines.  I spent 12 years of my life in this area working, first as director of the Pallottine community, then as pastor of the parish and adminstrator of the school.  During this time, I became instrumental in establishing the Pallottine community (Pallotti Villa, Mukkam), establishing and developing a prestigious parish in the town of Mukkam, and establishing an english medium school, the first of its sort in Kerala state for the Pallottines. 

I have also worked as the director and formator in the vocation orientation center, director and builder of the boys' home in Alapuzha and  then a short time as assistant general bursar in Rome.   Meanwhile I have done my licentiate in missiology.

I came to the Mother of God Province, Milwaukee-Wisconsin on the fifth of February 2008.  I am here with an open heart to be at the service of the province and extent the benefits of my priestly ministry to the people around this area and very thankful to the Provincial Fr. Leon and the members of province who have given me a warm welcome and for their generous love and care.

The spiritual heritage of Pallotti, the wonderful experience of community life and the manifold (catholic) avenues of apostolates, the friendly and caring attitude of the members, and responsible freedom, etc. are some of the elements that help me to be a happy pallottine and inspire me to be and to persevere as a true Pallottine priest.

Fr. Jose Eluvathingal
I came to know the Pallottines through a Pallottine Father who came to introduce the Pallottine Society at a Vocation camp for high school students conducted in the diocese of Thrissur.

Over the years I have had various assignments, teaching, spiritual direction, retreat preaching, counseling, health journalism and religious journalism.  These have all been enriching experiences.  I especially like Counseling. Because I think that I have a gift for empathy and an ability to understand what ails some people.

What gives me strength in my ministry is my belief that God is present here and now with us and that God loves me and everyone else with the same fervor.

Fr. Jerry Hapka

I vaguely recall hearing of the Pallottines when I was a young man just out of the Navy. My first meeting was through a friend who suggested that one of the seminarians from Pallottine College come to visit our home. It was he who invited me to visit Pallotti College, which at that time was housed at our Provincialate on Bluemound Road. I was a bit frightened at first but came to appreciate the people I met there.

My ministries have been varied. I started out at St. Therese Parish and then was sent to some of our Missions in North Dakota. I was appointed as Prefect of discipline for a couple of years at our Seminary in Madison, then back to Parish work at St. Anthony's. From there I went to be a Hospital Chaplain at one of the biggest Hospitals in Milwaukee, where I spent 25 years and now still I visit the residents at a large nursing home facility.

I think that my work as Hospital chaplain is the one I loved the most. It gave me the opportunity to visit people at very critical moments in their life. I often brought them back to the sacraments and to the church after a long period away in some instances. This has been very fulfilling for me.

I have often been touched by people who I see doing good. It reminds me of what St. Vincent did in his lifetime and I try to live out of the model he gave us. The sacraments are what nourish me along the way. 

I came to know the Pallottines through my uncle, who is a Pallottine Priest

I have been involved in Pastoral, Youth work, Administration and Formation.

I really enjoy Pastoral - Parish work, where we are in real contact with people and their life situations.

What is life giving for me as Pallottine is contact with people, involving lay people in the life, ministry and mission of the Church.

Fr. Thomas Kuttiyanickal
I became acquainted with the Pallottines after meeting a Pallottine Priest who came to visit in the area where I lived in India.  After my seminary education I was ordained in October of 1977.

I have served the Lord in Parish ministry, as associate pastor and pastor, in formation, as teacher, spiritual director and rector at our Seminary in Trivandrum, India.  I was instrumental in founding and building a parish church and retreat center in Trivandrum and have experience in marriage counseling and served on the Priest Senate in that diocese.  I completed my Clinical Pastoral Education here at St. Luke's Hospital in Milwaukee recently. 

All of these ministries have been good for me, but I especially enjoyed those in which I have had the opportunity to deal directly with people. 

It is my prayer life and community that sustains me in my ministry.

I am a native of Chile and I spent some time with the Sacred Heart Brothers in my native land. I was a teacher in a High School there as well as being Principal. 

I left Chile  to be with many of my family who were moving to the States. I left the Sacred Heart Community at that time as well but the desire for religious life did not disappear. In fact there was another desire that surfaced too. I felt called to Priesthood now after having spent some years teaching Spanish in the New York public School system.

I answered an invitation to come to Milwaukee with the Pallottines.  I  spent some time as a postulant in Milwaukee taking studies at Sacred Heart School of Theology and completed 2 years of Novitiate and then studied Theology at the Catholic University in Washington, D.C. 

I celebrated my Final Consecration in August, 2005.  On January 22, 2006, the feast of St. Vincent Pallotti I was ordained a Deacon. I was odained to the Priesthood on May 27th by Archbishop Dolan at St. Vincent Pallotti Parish in Milwaukee, where I will continue to serve as Associate Pastor at least for the next year.  I am grateful to all those who have helped me to come to this point in my life and I pray that I can serve Jesus in the role of Priest for many years to come. 

Fr. Leon Martin
My First contact with the Pallottines came through Vocation Literature.  I didn't really intend to become a Pallottine but circumstances kept leading me in this direction and eventually I took the step and came to the seminary after speaking to a Pallottine Priest from my hometown in Michigan.

My first few years as a priest were spent in parish ministry and then in formation of priests and brothers, especially the period of novitiate.  This also gave me some opportunities for retreat ministry.  In recent years I have been involved in province leadership.

The Union of the Catholic Apostolate (UAC) and the growth of direction of the UAC is my favorite presence since it touches the core of being a Pallottine -- one with clergy laity and consecrated life.  Many good things have happened especially in the last 20 years.

I find the living out of my Pallottine call as most lifegiving.  The mission of collaboration with all the entities of the church is old and ever new.  It is very easy  for people to feel at odds with clergy or religious, for clergy to feel separated from laity and consecrated life.  St. Vincent saw the beauty and need for all to labor so there may be one fold and one shepherd.

Also read Fr. Leon's reflections under News & Views. 

Fr. James Palakudy 
(Coming Soon)

 Fr. Joe Pezahunkal
 (Coming Soon)

I came to know about the Pallottines through the Vocation Director for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. I felt that the Lord was calling me to be a religious Brother. The Vocation Director recommended that I visit the Pallottines. They walked me through Postulancy, Novitiate and I made my final profession in the year 2001.

 I have a ministry to the homebound at St. Vincent Pallotti Parish and now I am Vocation Director for our Midwest Province.

My ministry to the sick and homebound is very special to me. I get to be with people in their time of need. It's an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of St. Vincent. Praying with people I visit and bringing Holy Communion to them is also something that makes me feel fulfilled as a Religious Brother.
 

I came to know the Pallottines through the Pallottine Vocation Director. who came to visit our grade school in St. Joseph Michigan. He invited me to the seminary in Madison even though I was at first contemplating the Diocesan seminary but had not taken the entrance exam.

I have been involved in various ministries including High School Teaching Military Chaplaincy, Retreat Work and at present Parish ministry.

One of my favorites has been High School Teaching. Besides the classroom experience I had the opportunity to work with young people on the stage crew for school plays and taught a hunter's safety class, which allowed me to meet them at another level.

One of the things that sustains me in my ministry is the opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors. I love God's creation and try to find time to enjoy fishing and hunting amidst the challenges in the parish that keep me moving from one thing to the other. 

I came to know the Pallottines when one of the priests came to our parish and preached the Good Friday service. However the most influential event in my becoming a Pallottine was a personal friend that already knew the Pallottines and was going to spend a summer working at the Pallotti house and I joined him and several others for a part work and part fun summer. The Seminary that I had attended was much further from Milwaukee and those days my family and I were interested in a closer seminary program while I was still in the high school. Over the years I came to know and felt at home with the Fathers and Brothers of the Community.

I spent 4 years teaching in the minor seminary (Queen of Apostles)“ Various social studies, Religion and started and expanded the music program with a band and choir. I also taught Religion in Pius XI High School. I ministered in a parish for several years and also spent time at our Retreat Center. For nearly 20 years I served in institutional settings as a certified chaplain and also directed the Pastoral Care program in a suburban hospital. In recent years I have been responsive to the call of ministry directly from the Pallottine community. This is presently carried out as an associate pastor in a parish of the Canadian Delegature formed from German priests. The Parish is St. Cecilia in Calgary, Alberta Canada.

Following the directions of the superiors and also choosing some educational and spiritual direction of my own has provided me with a very diverse ministry. I consider this is a personal blessing as I would not have chosen such a path if left totally on my own.

In recent times I have seen the importance of the Union of Catholic Apostolate UAC. I see this as very important for the future of the Community.

Certainly all community gatherings that are structured for support by spiritual activity- prayer, talks, meditation, retreats etc. Also informal gatherings that are really supportive and not heavily critical of one another.

However there is always the need for each one to be open to "fraternal correction" so that no one is simply off by themselves totally unconnected to any community growth. 

I was introduced to the Pallottines through the vocation director who came to visit my grade school. It was he who invited me to come to the seminary.

I have been involved in teaching, parish ministry, vocation work and retreat ministry.

Perhaps my favorite has been parish ministry with its varied tasks and involvement with people at various levels in their life, though all have been good and growing experiences for me.

What keeps me going is the challenge and the grace that Jesus continues to present me with in the celebration of the sacraments each day.
 

 Fr. Steve Vargese
( Coming Soon)