Sinto José, a Catholic priest of the Syro-Malabar rite in Rome

"It is very nice to sit down to write my story on the day of St. Thomas, the founder of my Syro-Malabar Church in India. It is as a way to express my sincere thanks to God and my benefactors for the scholarship to study in Rome. 

I was born on January 16, 1987 in Aloor, Kerala, India. My father is a farmer and my mother is a housewife. I have an elder sister and a younger brother. My sister, Sr. Jeeva, is a nun and belongs to the Holy Family Congregation. She is now in India working in an elementary school in our Diocese. My brother, Shibin, is working at Christ College, Irinjalakuda as a clerk. His wife, Glady is studying in a private college. I can say without a doubt that my family is the rock and the foundation of my priestly vocation.

Community founded by St. Thomas 

My family and I are of the Syro-Malabar rite and belong to the Eparchy of Irinjalakuda. The Diocese of Irinjalakuda is historically and geographically rich. One of the important places in the diocese is Kodungallur, which is known as the cradle of Christianity, thanks to St. Thomas, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus, who, after receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, undertook the mission to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to the whole world.

According to tradition, St. Thomas arrived by sea and landed at Kodungalloor (Cranganore), the capital of the then Cera Empire, in 52 A.D. He baptized families in Kodungalloor and Palayur (Trichur). St. Thomas preached the gospel wherever he went, and founded communities. According to our Malabar tradition, the saint founded seven churches, which are located in Cranganore, Quilon, Chayal, Kokkamangalam, Niranam, Paravur and Palayur.

From there he went to Coromandel and suffered martyrdom in Tamil Nadu. His body was taken to the city of Mylapore and was buried in a sacred shrine. According to the "Songs of Ramban", St. Thomas converted 17,550 people; ordained priests and consecrated bishops. He also gave his followers a form of liturgy appropriate to their climate, culture and customs.

From the 4th century, the Church in India began to communicate with the East Syrian Church and soon began to introduce liturgical books and share rites. Thus, the Church in India became a member of the Babylonian (also known as Assyrian and Syro-Chaldean) patriarchate for practical, not doctrinal reasons.

The Eparchy of Irinjalakuda was erected by Pope St. Paul VI. Accordingly, the papal bull "Trichuriensis Eparchiae" was promulgated on June 22, 1978. Bishop James Pazhayattil was appointed the first bishop, while the current bishop is Msgr. Pauly Kannookadan. The eparchy currently has 56,958 families, or 269,867 baptized out of 1,326,000 inhabitants. My home parish is St. Thomas Anathadam Church.

Tradition and living faith 

In a family and in a tradition of faith so alive and so historical, breathing the same air of St. Thomas, I felt strongly the call of the Lord to be one of his servants in the Priesthood.

So, after ten years of priestly formation, I was ordained on December 29, 2014 as a Catholic priest of the Eparchy of Irinjalakuda. After my ordination, I served for one year as assistant to the parish priest at Mapranam Holy Cross Shrine. Pauly Kannookadan, the present Bishop of Irinjalakuda. I was then appointed prefect of St. Paul's Minor Seminary, Irinjalakuda, and assistant director of the Christu Darsan Communication Center. 

After a year, the Bishop gave permission for the licentiate studies in Communication at the Pontifical University of Santa Croce. I considered it a great opportunity to have a good formation in Italy and then return to my country, in the footsteps of St. Thomas. 

I am sure, therefore, that the media is an important channel for spreading God's good news to the world.that is, the Gospel. They are essential to spread Catholic teaching in the world. I am also sure that the success of my studies will be useful for the Department of Journalism and Communication of my Diocese as well as the whole Syro Malabar Church.

I love being a Catholic priest: it is one of the best ways to follow Jesus Christ.. It is a life completely focused on service, sacrifice and the will of God. It is a way of life to express God's love throughout the world.

I know I have many disabilities, but God says, "My grace is sufficient for you." In addition, one of the most wonderful things in the priesthood is to celebrate the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Confession.. Through my priestly life, I experience true brotherhood with other priests. For a priest every day is a new day with different events. Priesthood is leaving everything to follow Jesus, like the pearl of great price. Fidelity to one's vocation is an essential element of holiness.

I would like to thank my dear benefactors of CARF, Centro Academico Romano Foundation, and ask them to pray for me, so that I may be a holy priest faithful to Christ and that the seeds and fruits that St. Thomas began to sow in my land may multiply.