I cannot imagine what it must be like to minister in a new country, a country that is not your own. Still, since Wednesday I have seen it in the face of Fr. Jerard. His is such a gentle and joyful face, yet filled with wonder at all the things around him. He has been in the country for about 40 days at our center in Ohio and travelling with other members, but on Wednesday he arrived here at his new home.
Let us all welcome the Reverend Jerard Raj IradayanathanIradaya, C.PP.S., a Precious Blood Missionary who has been assigned to work among us for the next five years. He comes to us from our Indian Vicariate.
I met him on Wednesday with the Sunderaj family, and he expressed delight to be able to hear his own language in this new country. We treated him to an Indian feast at the Sunderaj house, and then brought him to the parish where the team was waiting for him. All in all it has been a full week, and soon we will get him settled, get him a drivers license, and we will be an international house ministering in an international parish.