Faithful in India joined Catholics world-wide in honoring St. John Vianney on his August feast day. A homily featuring the life of this patron saint of priests, and a cake to share with parishioners, marked the day at Sacred Heart of Jesus Mission in Kakinada.
Born in 1786, Jean Marie Baptiste Vianney said he owed his love of God to his mother: "Virtues go easily from mothers into the hearts of their children, who willingly do what they see being done."
Pastor at Sacred Heart, Fr. Varghese also learned faith from his mother, who taught him a life-long love of the Rosary.
St. John Vianney is a great role model for priests, and for anyone facing obstacles in his or her vocation. The French saint struggled in his studies, but after he was ordained, became so known for holiness and for his reading of souls in the confessional, that people traveled for miles to receive from him this sacrament. Stationed in Ars, France, where few seemed to show any interest in faith, the French priest won over locals and fueled a major renewal in the region.
Fr. Varghese prays for such a renewal in his mission, as do priests and faithful the world over. St. John Vianney, pray for us.
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