Purushottam Nayak
Chatrapur, January 5, 2023: Kandhamal survivor among three Capuchin priests ordained in Odisha.
Bishop Sarat Chandra Nayak of Berhampur January 4, 2023 ordained Deacons Aspin Digal, Ramesh Parichha and Samant Nayak at San Damiano Capuchin Minor Seminary, Sindurapalli, Chatrapur of Ganjam District of eastern Indian state of Odisha.
“The priest is given a sacred power to serve God’s people, to lead them to union with God. He does this principally by teaching the people, shepherding them through leadership, offering pastoral care and spiritual guidance and sanctifying them through the sacraments. He has the role of priestly, kingly and prophetic,” said the Bishop Nayak in his homily.
“There are challenges and risks in priestly life in modern days yet he finds true happiness in administering sacraments, reaching out the word of God to the people, striving to know the faithful entrusted to his care by visiting families, sharing especially in the care, anxieties, worries and grief of the faithful, strengthening and restoring faith them in the Lord,” continues the prelate.
Around 65 priests 40 nuns and two hundred laypeople attended the ordination ceremony.
Father Digal was born on July 9, 1994, as second of four children of Joseph and Emjini Digal, resident of Jagerimaha village of Mary Mata Parish, Simonbadi, Kandhamal under the archdiocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar.
After his novitiate at Manalikard, Kerala’s Thirussur district he took his first vow on May 15, 2015 at Pedaautopali , Andhra Pradesh. He studied philosophy and theology at Janampet in Andhra Pradesh’s Eluru town.
“I spent days and nights in the forest in anti-Christian violence of 2008 when I was fourteen years old,” said new priest Aspin.
“My hiding in the forest in the time of the anti-Christian of 2008 reminded me the flight of Joseph and Mary to Egypt to save infant Jesus since King Herod would seek the child to kill him. Despite threat from the time of teenage I never gave up the faith in Jesus Christ and heard the call of God to work in the vineyard of Kingdom of God,” continued Digal with firm faith.
Father Ramesh Parichha was Digal’s companion in novitiate. He was born October 12, 1994, as the fourth of six children of Bernard and Bisintha Parichha at Jhalarsing under Shantinagar Parish of Berhampur diocese.
“Fear of following Jesus spread widely even to my parish while I was studying grade 8 but it did not shake my faith in Christ,” asserted Parichha.
Similarly Father Samanth Nayak too had faced fear of life for being a Christian.
“The hatred towards Christians spread to my parish in the time of anti-Christian violence of 2008 as well from my neighbour district Kandhamal but neither hatred nor threat could stop me to remain firm in my faith in Christ for which I am a priest to serve people of God,” he told Matters India.
Samant was born November 18, 1994, at Raisingh village , Mohana Parish of Berhampur diocese as the second among four children of Prasant and Parinda Nayak. He completed tenth grade in 2010.
He did novitiate at Manalikad in Kerala’s Thirussur district.
Father karunakar Kasu, provincial of Capuchin’s Mary Mata Province of Odisha- Andhra- Telengana, said they have been proud of doing the mission of Jesus Christ for the past 31 years.
“God has blessed us with the gifts of three new priests in 2023 from Odisha. We have total 31 priests from Odisha,” told Father Kasu.
They have three each houses in Cuttack-Bhubaneswar archdiocese and Berhampur diocese, and two in Rayagada diocese.
The congregation has 12 provinces and around 1,210 priests in India.