Hey Deacon! by Deacon Dan Vaughn

A couple of Sundays ago, I was listening to our newest Associate Pastor, Fr. Dhaneesh Thomas, a Benedictine priest from India, preach on Luke 3:10-16. The gospel begins with the crowds asking John the Baptist, “What should we do?”
In his homily, Fr. Dhaneesh shared that it wasn’t too long ago when he asked his superior a similar question. He had spent the first six years in his priestly ministry serving in India and Italy and was now seeking clarity for God’s will in his life for his next assignment. 

Fast forward a few months, and his superior told him that he was being sent to the United States. He would be part of a three-priest, Benedictine community to serve in the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau. Not much different than Fr. Johny Augusthy, our associate pastor and a Vincentian priest from India. Fr. Johny has been a priest for 30 plus years. He left India 11 years ago with three other Vincentians to serve in New Jersey. Then six months ago he was sent to serve in our diocese. What a blessing it is to have these two holy men among us.

Fr Dhaneesh and Fr Johny are just two of the many international priests that serve in our diocese. These priests have given up so much, leaving behind family, friends, familiar surroundings, their culture, etc. all to share their love for Christ and His Church with us. Most of these men have served in other countries other than just the U.S. They have had to learn about new cultures, new people, new languages, and even the small unique way each region celebrates the Mass. While the Mass is universal, there are certain parts within the Mass that have a uniqueness within cultures. As a deacon, I have the privilege of assisting many priests within our diocese. All priests have their unique approach regarding the “liturgical flow” of the Mass. I can relate to our international priests when it comes to learning our way of the Mass.

These men are truly gifts from afar and we, the recipients of these gifts, should respond with love and grace. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. Instead of being grateful to have these humble priests among us, we sometimes complain and feel entitled to an American priest. While this attitude is not prevalent among the faithful, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the whispers of complaints. Many of our international priests can be harder to understand. I get it – but it is all good because it should make us all better listeners. The more often we hear them, the quicker the language concerns dissipate. 

For most of these priests, English is their third or fourth language. And while this is a minor complaint and not meant to be disrespectful – it can come across disrespectful even when unintentional. These men are already self-conscious when pronouncing some English words. We need to help them gain confidence in communicating in our language. 

Until we build up our own Catholic community, promote sacramental marriages, embrace the idea of larger family units, and encourage more vocations to the priesthood and religious life, we will continue to rely on our missionary priests. They are like manna from heaven -- a blessing from God that feeds us with Word and Eucharist. They provide us with the sacraments so we can live a sacramental life. 

We need to welcome them with open arms, open hearts, and thank God for sending missionary priests to our missionary diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau.
 

Author Bio:
 Deacon Dan Vaughn