We interviewed the new bishop of Port Blair, Andamans, who was consecrated on August 21. Here is his vocation story—of a naughty boy from a business family with no priests—his enthusiastic vision and his keenness on being a cheerful giver.
1. Please tell us something of your vocation story. Why did you want to become a priest? When did you sense this as God’s call for you?
I hail from a business family, which has no precedence of having a priest. So, it was a surprise for many that my family members should allow me to enter the seminary. I do not remember any particular reason or incident that led me to join the formation house for priests. All I remember is that I was an altar boy at Our Lady of Guidance Church, RA Puram, Chennai, from 1977, the year after my First Holy Communion and Confirmation. I was ten years old then. Although my house was about two and a half kilometres from the church, I used to participate in the daily Eucharist since then. I continued to serve at the altar till the day I entered the minor seminary on the 15th June, 1981. I suppose my serving at the altar of the Lord and my acquaintance with the priests in the parish must have inspired me.
2. What do you remember best about your formation? What helped you most during your years of formation?
During the period of formation, the seminarian needs to have good formators. I thank God that I had excellent formators throughout my formation period from 1981 to 1994. In St. Thomas Minor Seminary, Santhome, Chennai, I had the Diocesan fathers. in Sacred Heart Seminary, Poonamallee, Chennai, I had the Salesian and the diocesan fathers. During my regency, I had the Pilar and Jesuit fathers. In St. Albert’s College, Ranchi, Jharkhand, I had the Jesuits.
I believe, however, that the family is the first formation house for everyone, including priests and religious. God gave me good parents, brothers, sister, sisters-in-law, nieces & nephews, grand-nieces/nephews, other relatives and friends. I am grateful to God for giving me such a wonderful formators and family members. I am thankful to all of them who played a vital role in my years of formation.
Each formation house is unique. I must admit and be thankful to every formation house from where I received the Grace of God. Thank God I had an excellent group of formators, and excellent companions wherever I was sent. The love, concern and, of course, the knowledge that I received from these formation houses were responsible for me to be what I am today.
Thanks to my father and brothers, by the Grace of God, I am an out-going person with a helping nature. This helped me to keep up good relationships with everyone. I never regretted being in a particular seminary throughout my formation. I was always happy. I never missed any classes except for a few days when I was admitted in the hospital during my minor seminary and when I had to go home for my brother’s death. It is also very true that I was very naughty. Thanks to my superiors for being considerate…. Otherwise I would have been sent out from every seminary I studied.
3. You started studying for Madras-Mylapore Archdiocese. How did you shift to Andamans?
That remains to me a mystery even now—how I decided to leave Madras-Mylaore and join the Diocese of Port Blair. At age fifteen, I entered the Minor seminary in Santhome, Chennai, for the Archdiocese of Madras-Mylapore. A that time I did not know what it meant to be a diocesan or a religious. As years passed, I realized that my call to the priesthood was meant for a missionary diocese. I was thinking of going to Africa—provided my family would allow. In 1987, when my parish priest, the late Fr Kripakaran, suggested that I the Diocese of Port Blair, I said “YES” spontaneously—without knowing what I was saying. I believe that the spontaneous “Yes” at that moment, was not my decision, it was an inspiration by the Holy Spirit. I am grateful to Archbishop Casimir Gnanadikam of Madras-Mylapore, Father S.J. Antony Samy, my spiritual director, and Bishop Antony Devotta, who was then in charge of Madras-Mylapore seminarians, for encouraging me to follow my conscience; and to Bishop Alex Dias for accepting me as a seminarian for the diocese of Port Blair.
4. Can you share a few of your most beautiful experiences as a priest?
Fr Joe Mannath once guided our annual retreat in the diocese of Port Blair. When I met him for spiritual guidance, he asked me, “Visuvasam, are you a happy priest?” My spontaneous answer was “Yes.” If the same question is put to me today, my answer would be “Yes.” I pray that this “Yes” continues to be active till the end of my earthly life.
My journey as a priest has always been a happy and beautiful story. Of course there are ups and downs. I am human, after all. I admit that I made mistakes, even grave ones, at times. I thank my considerate and understanding Bishop, Most Rev. Alex Dias, for helping me. I consider him as my mentor.
I am now 27+ years a priest. If I were to write about the best part of my priesthood, I would mention my three years as a parish priest in a remote place called “Katchai-Kamorta Islands” in the Nicobar group of islands. It was a small parish with two islands, apart from each other by a two-hour boat journey. When I was there from 2006 to 2009, the mobile network was very poor. The ship connectivity between Port Blair & Katchal-Kamorta was twice or thrice a month. In the sense of comfort, there was very little to talk about. But, as a priest, I learned to slow down, learned to talk to people at their level, learned to spend more time in prayer… learned to reflect on my priestly life. I should say that those three years made me a changed person.
The time I got involved in Post-Tsunami activities as director of social work is another period of Joy. That period taught me to work with the laity. It taught me to share responsibilities in decision-making.
5. What do you see as the toughest challenges for priests and religious?
The toughest challenges for priests and religious are many:
- Seeing and perceiving good in everyone and in everything, and being a positive person.
- Discerning God’s will for me in a particular situation, since this is more important than what I wish/want to do.
- Learning to work with another without jealousy and envy, and being a community person. I feel that witnessing value that we give by working fraternally with our brother priests is more important than one’s individual efficiency.
- Humility in expressing oneself and appreciating others when they do well.
- Obedience to the superior, especially when one is challenged to accept superior’s decision.
6. From your experience, what is the main thing our people expect from priests and religious? What are the best things we can do for them?
People want us to see a priest as a “priest of God, servant of God.”. People want to see us as loving and caring. This is my experience: when I am loving and caring, people forgive and forget my shortcomings and my inefficiency.
7. What are your main dreams and desires as a new bishop?
I don’t have a dream or a desire as such. But I can say the following:
- The Church in Andaman and Nicobar Islands should be a Church that is led by the Holy Spirit.
- The Church in A & N Islands should remain a poor church that emanates the Light of Christ both “ad intra & ad extra.”
- I want to see myself and the other priests with the zeal of St. Paul, burning with passion for the Risen Christ.
- I often said that my former Bishop, after governing the diocese for thirty-four long years, handed over to us, “One united Church.” I will want to hand over the same to my successor—priests, religious and the laity living in unity.
- I want to see the Church in A & N Islands as Church, where Priests/ religious and the laity work in tandem and that we make truly promote the participation of the laity, and become a “Laity centered” Church.
8. We see you as happy and enthusiastic. What is the secret of your enthusiasm? What gives you strength and hope?
It is true that I am a happy person and a happy priest—and I want to be a happy bishop as well. I have chosen as my Episcopal Motto, “God Loves a Cheerful Giver” (2 Cor. 9:7b). My life has been and will be one of “giving.” Throughout my priestly life, I have tried to be close to the people and to the Presbyterium. I am always a “community person.” I will continue to be the same in the future. I pray that the missionary spirit of the great Apostle St. Paul, whom I consider to be my patron, be my spirit as well. I wish that, at the end of my life here on earth, I may say with St. Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith”, (2Tim 4:7).
BISHOP VISHUASAM SELVARAJ
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