From tiny seeds come big plants…. and that is how my Haven of Hope all began.
Many years ago, I took my First Profession and made a decision to give up worldly things and enter the religious life to become a priest. That was also when my dream and thoughts of my mission began to develop, and I began to pray that God would have it in HIS Divine Plan for me to fulfill it.
As a Seminarian, and after my Profession, I had the opportunity to leave my family’s comfortable and modest home in Southern India and travel many miles into Central India to work with the poor and needy people in their impoverished villages. Without hesitation, I accepted this challenge and was assigned to a mission in a deprived area, where the population was illiterate, facilities were very limited, and it was isolated from the rest of the country. Besides being far from home, I had to learn a new language, learn about a new culture, and how to work in an area where I was not accepted and faced much opposition. The situation in these backward villages was devastating. It was not until I actually experienced this life that I became aware of the severity and extent of the poverty these people were living in and the profound impact that it had on a specific group, namely, the physically challenged children. That is when I began to think….what could I do?… and this is when the inspiration for my mission began to develop.
Through the years, when I was working as a Missionary, I was always observing, listening and learning from others. It was through them that I became interested in the writings of Jean Vanier, founder of L’Arche Community movement. In his book Becoming Human, he shares his personal experiences, where he lived and worked with the mentally challenged, and came to know the true meaning of the word “love”. He also learned that the mentally challenged were not impressed by his competence or degrees, they just wanted his love and affection, and wanted to get to know him. They taught him the importance of relating from the heart.
I was further motivated by the efforts of the founder of the Non- profit Organization – Save the Children, and also by the works of neurologist, Dr. Oliver Sacks and the movie “Awakening”. These readings profoundly influenced me to think more about the physically challenged and gave me the inspiration to experience, first hand, being with them.
It was then that I decided to go to Panama for 2 weeks, to visit a facility managed by the Missionaries of Charity Sisters, where I experienced living with the mentally and physically challenged adult and children patients. The time spent with these patients surely gave me a new perspective about their life and difficulties they experience each day, and made me think more seriously about what I could do to help them. With all of these new experiences and knowledge in my mind, once again thoughts about my Mission began to evolve.
In 2014, I celebrated my 25th Jubilee as a priest. The highlight of that year, and a great inspiration for my priestly ministry, came on June 12, 2014 when I had the honor of concelebrating a mass with Pope Francis in St. Martha’s Chapel in the Vatican. Pope Francis and his high regard for the poor and needy had a profound influence on me. It was on that day, after my mass and private audience with the Pope, that I was overcome by grace from the Holy Spirit, and I knew that my lifelong passion would finally become a reality ….. A Mission that would, not only follow the heart of Pope Francis, but would also fulfill my dream to help the poor and needy disabled children in India.
The next and most important thought was – where would I get the funds to pay for such a magnificent facility so that I could fill my dream??? I am humbled to tell you how all of my years of sacrificial savings began: when I came to America, my first assignment was Chaplain of a hospital that was 4 miles from my rectory – since I did not have a car or a driver’s license, I walked back and forth to the hospital each day and used the car allowance to open my first savings account. Now all of my years of sacrificial savings (this does not include my salary, I always return it back to my Congregation) have added up and have enabled me to fulfill my dream, my passion, and now, my Mission ……my HAVEN OF HOPE.
Then, in August 2015, I blessed the stone to begin the construction of my Mission, a home for physically challenged children in a remote village in central India. Why did I select this population and location for my Mission? India, with its vast population of twelve hundred million people has more than its share of disabled people, and a large majority of them are children. These children have various disabilities and are often excluded from the communities for a variety of reasons, like ignorance and poverty and also because there is a lot of stigma and discrimination associated with them. It is the hope of my Mission to intervene in the care of some of these disabled children and to provide for them a safe haven where they can receive the care and education that they need to hopefully empower them to, one day, become productive citizens and be able to live a dignified life on their own. This is the reason why I have named my Mission —HAVEN OF HOPE.
I realize that this is only the beginning, and that there are many, many more steps to go. Very soon, the building should be completed and in full operation and ready for the children. I would also like to tell you that Haven of Hope is a registered non-profit organization and therefore TAX EXEMPTIONS are available. I will be delighted to tell you as to how things are progressing and let you know when we are officially opening the doors to my HAVEN OF HOPE.
My heart is brimming with excitement and joy, and after much thought and prayers I am now sharing with you, my dear friends, the news of my Mission and how our Good Lord has not only planted a deep-seated desire in my heart for this Mission – but how He is helping me to nurture it.
May I also ask you to please remember me and my Mission in your prayers – it is your love and support that has given me the strength to fulfill my lifelong and cherished dream.
May God Bless You