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Dear brothers and sisters, and the viewers of this web site Barkur.com, I am Fr. Joseph Anthony Andrade better  known as Fr. Tony Andrade. I was born and brought up in Barkur. My primary education was in Barkur. In 1980 I joined the seminary to become priest and was ordained to the Holy Order of priesthood on the 19th of December, 1992. I served a short period of time in Bangalore (India) and then went to the USA to serve in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in the state of Minnesota. Presently I am the parish priest of St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church located in St. Paul, Minnesota (visit our web site:- www.stthomasap.org).

I Hope and pray this column "Spiritual Corner" will inspire many viewers of our Barkur.com web site. As all of us know the need of spirituality in our daily life. We walk our faith journey trusting in God our creator and we are certain one day we will meet our creator God in Heaven. Meanwhile here on earth we need good insights to enlighten our minds and hearts in our spiritual life. in this column I will write articles which will be short and precise that may help our interested viewers to reflect on their own spirituality. I welcome others also to share their articles and reflections. This column is open to all the faith denominations. What is important is that we inspire each other on our own spiritual journey.

My sincere thanks to Kishoo de Barkur, the designer of this beautiful web site, and for giving me this opportunity to share my thoughts and reflection on our Barkur.com web site.

Fr. Joseph Anthony Andrade


                                    THE JOYS OF FATHERHOOD.         

                                                        

This weekend we celebrate Father’s Day and a few weeks ago we celebrated Mother’s Day. We celebrate these days with great joy in our hearts. As a result of their goodness and what they have taught us, it has helped us to be who we are and how we can best help each other in our life journey.

I believe Fatherhood is one of the greatest blessings that God has bestowed on man. In a way He condescends to take the help of parents in the great work of creation and in the noble task of filling the ranks of the Christian family, that makes up the Mystical Body of Christ.

Whenever I think of Fatherhood I think of a valuable piece of advice I received as a young seminarian years ago from Cardinal Simon Pimenta of Bombay, India. For our seminary reopening day he was invited to address the seminarians as they began the new academic year. In his address to us Cardinal Pimenta said; “If you want to become priests take your time and grow with the love of Jesus. If you want to remain single, think twice, then twice again. If you decide to get married do not wait like many young men in our community until you are so old that when you marry and have children you cannot even play with them.” I felt this was good advice for some who were in the discernment process in deciding their future.

In our Catholic Church parishioners call their pastor “Father.” I don’t know the exact origin of that title for Catholic priests, but it does make sense. As priests we care for the spiritual needs of our people and dedicate our entire life to the service of the church and to Christ.

For parents it is always a great joy to see their sons and daughters grow and become involved in family activities. Children are the greatest gift from God to parents.

Let me conclude with A FATHER’S PRAYER.

·         God, giver of life and Father of us all, help me to be the kind of father to my children that you are to me. May I love them unconditionally, forgive them when they fail, counsel them when they doubt, lift them up when they fall, guide them in the darkness and walk beside them in the light. Show me, loving God the Father, how to teach them, to play with them, to share with them, and to pray with them. Thank you God for the beautiful gift of children, thank you for my role as a father. St. Joseph patron of Fathers pray for me Amen.

 I wish you a Happy Father’s Day!!

Fr. Tony Andrade.

FOR ARCHIVES......

 

Barkur, located in Udupi Taluk, Karnataka, India. 576 210

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