Join Me in Welcoming Fr. Johnson Vadakkumcherry

06-30-2024Weekly ReflectionFr. Tony Okolo C.S.Sp., V.F.

Beloved Parishioners,

This week I will use my Pastor’s Corner to introduce you to our new Parochial Vicar. He officially begins his new assignment here on July 1, 2024, but many of you will meet him at the 8:45am mass on June 30th. As a way of introducing him, his biography follows.

Fr. Johnson Vadukkumcherry came to the United States in September of 2022 to serve as Parochial Vicar, also known as, Associate Pastor, at Corpus Christi. He was born in the early morning of May 28, 1969, to Antony and Eupracia, in the village of Manjapra on the southern tip of India. He is the seventh of nine children and one of eight boys! Fr. Johnson’s mother told him that, on the day he was born, a funeral took place for a child at the family’s parish. Two children had gotten into a fight and a careless stone-throw from one child ended the life of the other. This incident, along with his birth at sunrise, shaped Fr. Johnson’s understanding of the purpose of his life as one that gives life and light to others. He shared, “My journey to the priesthood was cultivated through the examples of my uncle priests and religious sister aunties. A deep sense of being with Jesus, working with Him and for Him developed in me even from my childhood days.” He said he would come home from school and use the tiffin pans to pretend he was celebrating Holy Mass. “I used to sense something beyond, in everything.” He also recalls his mother praying, telling God, “One of the eight boys is for you!”

At the age of 15, in 1984, Fr. Johnson entered the minor seminary of the Archdiocese of Ernakulam -Angamaly. After eleven long years of philosophy and theology studies, he was ordained in 1995. In 2000, he was sent to Rome for higher studies. After returning to India, Fr. Johnson served in several different parishes and as a spiritual director and professor for seven years in the seminary. “In the 27th year of my priesthood, I was recommended by my Archbishop to work in the Diocese of Phoenix, Arizona. I asked myself, why does God want me to go to the USA? God told me, ‘A priest is always and everywhere the same.’ I will sing of the mercies of the Lord, forever I will sing…. At Corpus Christi, God gave me the best chance to identify myself with the Body and Blood of Christ.” Fr. Johnson hopes to remain in the Diocese of Phoenix for the next ten years, but has also said, “Send me God, where you want me to be!” Father said he loves the freedom with responsibility we have here in America. “I find it a miracle country! Fifty states united with freedom respected by all!” Here in Arizona, he enjoys the beautiful climate, people, and the cleanliness. He does, however, miss his family that was close to him in India and the taste of certain foods, but he’s been able to maintain communication and his palate is adjusting.

Fr. Johnson expressed that his most profound experience as a priest has been his effort to make himself one with Christ, especially in the Eucharistic celebration. “All other activities depend on this identification with Him. Through prayer and intimate relationship with Jesus, I am able to find maximum happiness in all my services for Him.” He wants everyone to understand that it’s the vocation of each of us to bring our knowledge of God to those who do not know Him. “God takes us seriously, so take Him seriously, too!” Fr. Johnson also encourages everyone to give thanks for the Faith we have and to develop it through daily prayer, the Rosary, regular confession, and Mass.

Please join me in making Fr. Johnson feel very welcome as he begins his assignment here at Our Lady of the Lake.