Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Island Affairs

Fall E-Newsletter 2021

Celebrating 5 years in 2023

Encountering Christ in Harmony: A Pastoral Response to Our Asian and Pacific Island Brothers and Sisters

By: Sr. Myrna Tordillo, mscs

In the website Welcome Message, Bishop Oscar A. Solis, D.D. of Salt Lake City and chairman of the USCCB Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Island Affairs (SCAPA) says, “Three years ago, the Bishops of the United States, during the Annual Spring Assembly, unanimously approved a new document, “Encountering Christ in Harmony: A Pastoral Response to our Asian and Pacific Islander Brothers and Sisters,” an official recognition of the nation’s nearly three million Asian and Pacific Island Catholics as one of the fastest-growing minority communities in the US.”

Since the approval of the document in 2018 until recently, SCAPA in collaboration with national, diocesan, and local church entities, carried out many activities as part of the dissemination and implementation process to make known the document as a resource that can enrich the mission of evangelization of the Catholic Church in this country and to strengthen ministries with Asian and Pacific Island communities so that they are fully integrated in church life and leadership.

In preparation for the 5^th anniversary of the approval of Encountering Christ in Harmony in 2023, SCAPA is convening a virtual consultation/listening session on November 5, 2021, to provide a framework and surface ideas to plan for the 5^th anniversary. Invited are diocesan leaders, pastoral leaders who minister to Asian and Pacific Island (API) communities, the API Young Adult Advisory Board, and other stakeholders.

In the document, the U.S. bishops say, “Asian and Pacific Island Catholics in the United States embody a rich and deep history of Catholicism, a synthesis of traditional Catholic practices infused with unique cultural characteristics particular to each of the various ethnic groups that make up those identified as Asian and Pacific Islander. Asian and Pacific Island Catholics are eager to share their experiences and gifts as well as to receive support from the wider Catholic Church in the United States.”

In solidarity with and for the preparation of the 5^th anniversary of the document’s approval, please join us in praying by clicking the link, Prayer for Encountering Christ in Harmony.

May the efforts of the Subcommittee in the pastoral care of Asian and Pacific Island communities and the virtual consultation be blessed abundantly by the Lord through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Introducing Jonathan Gaworski our new Administrative Assistant to the Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Islanders

Jonathan Gaworski serves as a staff assistant in the Office of Cultural Diversity in the Church. He is originally from Saint Paul, MN. Jonathan graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2015 majoring in Philosophy, Theology, and Italian. After college, he returned to the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis where he discerned the priesthood as a seminarian for two years. He later earned a master’s degree in Theology from Boston College. While in Boston Jonathan interned as a college counselor at Cathedral High School. He is currently pursuing his PhD in Theology at The Catholic University of America.  

Consecration of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Syro-Malabar Catholic Church of Greater Washington

By: Fr. Roy Moolechalil

The Catholic Church is the communion of the Western (Latin) Church and 23 Eastern (Oriental) churches, that includes the Syro-Malabar Church also known as St. Thomas Christians. According to tradition, St. Thomas the Apostle came to Kerala, India, in A.D. 52 and founded seven Christian communities. In the 1950s the Syro-Malabar Christians started to migrate to different parts of the world and a great number of faithful arrived in different cities of the USA forming small faith communities. On March 13, 2001, Pope John Paul II established a diocese for the Syro-Malabar faithful in America based in Chicago and appointed Mar Jacob Angadiath as the bishop.  

In 2004, the Syro-Malabar Catholic Mission of Greater Washington was initiated with Fr. Mathew Punchayil as the Mission Director. Holy Mass and services at the time were held at Mother Seton Parish in Germantown, MD. The first parish council was formed in February 2007 with Shaji Joseph Kottooran and Thomas Antony Puthussery as trustees of the mission. In June 2007, the community moved to St. Rose of Lima Parish for liturgy and services. In September 2007, faith formation classes for children began, and seventeen children of all age groups enrolled that year.

On June 26, 2011, Bishop Mar Jacob Angadiath created a new mission called St. Jude Syro-Malabar Catholic Mission of Northern Virginia and appointed Fr. Joseph Elampara OCD as the Director of the Mission for the Syro Malabar faithful in the Northern Virginia area, who then became part of that mission.

On September 20, 2015, this community moved to Visitation parish, Darnestown where Fr. Mathew was serving as the Assistant Pastor. During this time, the community discerned the need for its own church building and initiated many fund-raising events including car raffles, cultural events, and community programs. On November 16, 2016, the Mission purchased land for a church building in Gaithersburg and began pursuing loans to begin construction. On November 4, 2018, the community had to move yet again to the Mother of God facility in Gaithersburg.

Fr. Mathew Punchayil retired on December 1, 2018, and Fr. Roy Moolechalil was appointed as the mission director. A year later, the bank loan was approved and on September 22, 2019, Bishop Mar Joy Alappatt, auxiliary bishop of the Chicago Syro-Malabar Diocese presided over the ground-breaking ceremony. Manoj Mathew Kollamparambil and Thomas Abraham Theniyaplackal were named as trustees of the Church. A building committee was formed with Johnson John Kurichiel as the project coordinator. Dave Mckee of Benning Associates was hired as the land planner, Thomas J Taltavul as the Architect, Chuck Croker served as the site work coordinator, and Holland Construction as the builder.

Site work commenced on February 11, 2020, marked by the feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes, while the actual building construction started on November 2, 2020, the feast of All Souls. After 9 months and four days of intense work supported by prayer, fasting, and penance, the church construction was completed and dedicated on September 6, 2021, by Bishop Mar Jacob Angadiath and Bishop Mar Joy Alappatt. On the same day, this mission was elevated to the status of a parish, and Fr. Roy Moolechalil was appointed as the first Vicar of the Parish.

Indian American Priestly Formator Celebrates 25 Years of Priestly Ministry

By: Fr. Chris Arockiaraj, an Indian American Priestly Formator Celebrates 25 years of Priestly Ministry

Father Chris Arockiaraj was ordained in 1995 for the Archdiocese of Chennai in India. For the past several years, he has served as a priest of the Society of St. Sulpice, dedicated to the initial and ongoing formation of seminarians and clergy. Last year, he celebrated his 25th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood. With his expertise in psychology, spirituality, and Pastoral Theology, Fr. Chris has significantly contributed toward the formation of Seminarians and continuing formation of priests internationally.

Fr. Chris currently serves as Vice Rector, Dean of Men, Director of Pastoral Formation, Formation Advisor, and Spiritual Director at Theological College, a National Seminary of the Catholic University of America. He is also an adjunct Assistant Professor in the School of Theology and Religious Studies at Catholic University. He is also the coordinator of the placements for the Supervised Ministry Program at Catholic University.

He holds a Ph.D. in Pastoral Psychology and a D.Min. in Pastoral Theology. He previously served on the faculty of St. Patrick’s Seminary and University in California for about seven years, as well as Sacred Heart Seminary, India, for 13 years, and has taught both philosophy and theology.

As a priest, he has held various positions, including those of pastor, hospital chaplain, formation advisor, spiritual director, academic dean, dean of men, director of field education, and coordinator of the pastoral year program. He is a certified pastoral counselor and has clinical experience working with families and individuals.

Besides his priestly and professional commitments, Fr. Chris supports Asian Indian Catholics in many ways. Currently, he serves as a spiritual director for both the Indian American Catholic Association and Capital Area Tamil Catholic Association.

Fr. Chris encourages vocations in Asian American families to serve the American Church with the fast-growing Asian American Catholic population. He says, “The parents need to encourage their children and young adults to respond to the urgent needs of the Church to better serve the Asian American and Pacific Island Catholics”.

Indian American Catholics Celebrate the 24th Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Good Health, Vailankanni

By: Fred Semendy

 The Indian American Catholic Association (IACA) hosted a beautiful and memorable 24th anniversary pilgrimage to Our Mother of Good Health, Vailankanni at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC on September 11, 2021. It was a sunny and pleasant day, a perfect setting for pilgrimage at the Basilica during the waning pandemic days. In attendance were pilgrims from the DC area and states including Maryland, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Seeking peace and solace, the attendees came just to pray and seek blessings after several months of shut-in masses.

The pilgrimage started with prayers and rosary in the upper church. The rosary was recited in various languages followed by the Litany of Loretto. This was followed by a procession of the faithful with devotional singing and prayers and carrying the statue of Our Lady of Good Health, Vailankanni. The procession included children holding white flower baskets, ornamental umbrellas, and banners with images of many saints from the Indian subcontinent. People followed in a solemn and prayerful manner, with many wearing the colorful and traditional attire of the countries they represent. The statue of Mother Mary was adorned in a beautiful Indian saree. The procession entered the main sanctuary followed by small children from the Bangladesh community performing a devotional liturgical dance.

In his welcome address, Msgr Walter Rossi, rector of the shrine, welcomed the community and introduced the main celebrant Most Rev. Mario E. Dorsonville, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington. He further explained the significance of the first major pilgrimage in the Shrine this year after many months of inactivity. He mentioned that ‘Our Lady of Good Health Vailankanni’ oratory in the crypt church since its establishment in 1997 is one of the most visited chapels in the shrine. Msgr. Rossi remembered IACA’s Pushparajan Arokiaswary who recently passed away. Pushparajan was a dedicated supporter of IACA as well as of the Shrine.

Bishop Dorsonville celebrated the Holy Mass along with several priests and deacons. Bishop Dorsonville delivered an inspiring homily. He highlighted the importance of prayer, service, and dialogue within as well as with other communities. He spoke about the importance of intercession through Mother Mary and shared examples of how Mother Mary answered the prayers of the faithful. The intercession prayers were recited in different Indian sub-continent languages and English.

The President of IACA, Agnelo Gonsalves thanked all those who made this event possible. After the liturgy, a children’s blessing and dedication ceremony was held. This included the lighting of the candles, distribution of rosaries, and an Our Lady of Vailankanni novena prayer card to every one of them. After this children’s special ceremony, all proceeded to Caldwell Hall at The Catholic University of America for a wonderful dinner reception. Carol Figueira was the emcee in charge of the function. Cakes were cut to celebrate the Blessed Mother’s birthday.

We're Thankful to be part of the Good Shepherd Catholic Church of San Diego Diocese

By: Kevin Souvannaphong

As we all know, life during the Coronavirus pandemic has been very hard for most, but some of us have experienced a new and better world. In the Lao community, we faced the fear of death and experienced confusion not knowing exactly what to do if a family member got exposed to the virus. We’ve been dealing with many losses of loved ones in the Lao community.  I personally went through a major distressing, devastating, heartbreaking, and life-changing event when we lost our beloved mother.

I thank Fr. Michael Pham, his staff, and Sr. Alice Thepouthay for the love, support, and guidance during the difficult time. I am grateful that they were able to assist and help me to have a beautiful funeral service for our beloved mother.

Although, it was very difficult to have the entire community attending the outdoor funeral service, Fr. Michael and the music ministry did a beautiful and memorable service. To this day we’re thankful to be part of the Good Shepherd Catholic Church of San Diego Diocese. We’re such a small Laotian Community that comprises 45 Laotian families. 

Fr. Michael Pham and his staff were willing to hold a Mass for us in our ethnic language and offered homilies in English. This has taken place bi-monthly at Good Shepherd Church prior to the Covid19 pandemic. In Lao ministry, we pray together either over the phone or through group texts for God’s healing and an end to the pandemic.

Also, we get support from the Lao Catholic Association of San Diego and the Senior Advisor making sure everyone does their part and praying hard to never let our guard down.

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