"I am happy and well prepared to be God’s instrument to accomplish
his will,” said Brother Stephen Paul, who is preparing to take priestly
vows.Brother Paul is an Indian deacon and now lives in the Andaman Islands, thousands of kilometres from home.
He spoke to AsiaNews about his vocation, whose "seeds were sown by my parents in early childhood."
His congregation, that of the Blessed Sacrament (Societas Sanctissimi Sacramenti, SSS), sent him here to complete his diaconate, before his ordination in May.
"I look forward to that moment," he said. In the meantime, he serves the faithful of the Church of the Rosary in Oralkatcha, 93 km from the Andaman capital of Port Blair.
The religious was born in Sapehpor, in the diocese of Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh), into a practicing Catholic family.
"My four brothers and I used to recite the prayers constantly,” he explained. “We participated in the Eucharistic celebrations that took place in our parish. From childhood I have felt the desire to serve God and enter into an order to put myself at the service of people and proclaim the Good News."
As a young man, he was not well acquainted with religious congregations, "Until, by chance, I met some Fathers of the Blessed Sacrament who came to my village. That is when I told them of my desire to be part of their congregation. "
At that time, Brother Paul had just completed Grade 12 and "was sent to Chennai, Tamil Nadu, as a candidate to the priesthood.”
“Inspired by God’s love manifested in the Eucharist, I entered the congregation in 2006 and on 22 November 2016, I expressed my perpetual profession of faith. "
"I feel that God has blessed me with so many wonderful gifts and I must express my gratitude by serving his people who need love and care."
The challenge that awaits him every day "is to discover Jesus in the broken bread. He gave his life to save others. For this reason, I pray to God every day so that he makes me able to break myself to feed others."