Each Priest is called by God in a different way

Fr. Raju Thottankara wears many “hats”: pastor at St. Peter, Prince of the Apostle Parish in Calallen, Dean, Vicar for Clergy and Moderator of the Curia, and Lieutenant Colonel as a Military Chaplain. However, the most important thing for him is to be a simple pastor, reachable for his parishioners. His vocation led him from his native India to Corpus Christi—but how did it all begin?

“I joined the pre-seminary at the age of 15. At that time, I didn’t feel that God was calling me… I wanted to study,” he confesses. Going to the seminary opened the door to learning English and later attending college. “A bachelor’s degree was a big deal.” However, his college time differed significantly from the common experience: “It was in a remote place, in the deep jungle… It was a hard life; we had to work in the garden, grow our vegetables, and eat together. Now, when I look back, I love it.” However, young Raju was determined to continue to earn a bachelor’s degree, so he was sent to Kolkata to study philosophy.

That came with a twist: “Every seminarian had to go to work in the Mother Teresa shelters once a week. I was going with other seminarians every Thursday. We had to care for those with tuberculosis, shower them, cut their nails, and feed them. Did I like the job? No, not at all.”

Reluctantly, he continued to serve there weekly. “I did it without love, and I thought that I shouldn't be doing this job. But I overcame that, and once you overcome it, you find joy.” And occasionally, Mother Teresa visited: “She would talk to all of us and see the patients without a mask or gloves. Tuberculosis is very contagious and dangerous, so we were all protected. But Mother Teresa wasn’t getting sick. And that inspired me… God takes care of His people.”

Fr. Raju was touched by the joy he encountered: “I saw a group of nuns washing their clothes outside; they had no washing machine, but there was a big pond where they washed their clothes by hand. I saw this nun, a foreigner, so I asked her where she was from. ‘Wisconsin.’ Then I asked her, ‘What were you doing before you came to Mother Teresa to be a nun?’ and her answer shocked me – she said she was a doctor. She had everything but left everything to serve humanity and the poor. That was an amazing story for me. God calls people!”

Eventually, these experiences inspired him to continue pursuing his vocation to the priesthood. He served in a rural mission in his pastoral year: “I would walk miles, sleep under a tree. This was all new to me! When I was teaching catechism to the children, there were no classrooms; they lived in huts. They cooked outside and showered outside… But I found the same joy as in the shelter: There is happiness because they care for each other. They gather in the evening, sing songs, and tell stories; you are one of them. As a seminarian, that’s a great exposure.” This has helped him in all the parishes he served: “Anybody can walk in; anybody can talk to me.”
He completed his studies and was ordained in 1995. His first appointment was…   as a chaplain to the Mother Teresa Sisters. “I was back to the same thing! But this time, I did it with joy!”

In 2000, he came to the United States: “It was tough adjusting to the culture,” he says. He started in San Antonio to learn the culture, customs, and habits. His first assignment in the Diocese of Corpus Christi was St. Gertrude in Kingsville, “and there were wonderful people who took care of me.” He also noticed a great sense of charity, which gave him the same joy as in his home country.

Yet God had another opportunity to serve in store. While he was in Kingsville in 2008, a parishioner who was serving in the military was killed in an attack in Yemen. After the funeral, talking to some military personnel, they told him, “Father, we need more chaplains; you don't have anybody who could join us?” He went to the bishop and became a chaplain in reserve. During Hurricane Harvey, he was activated: “I went to College Station, where the helicopters got people and pets who were trapped. When they returned, I had to take care of their spiritual life. I read their faces to see if they are doing okay or if they risk falling into depression…”

Now, Fr. Raju serves one of the biggest parishes in the diocese and looks after the priests as a Vicar for the Clergy. Conversion, he thinks, should happen every day: “Before I offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass when we all say the ‘I confess…,’ it’s always a call to change.” Every morning, we should know that God has given us another day. “Every moment, conversion happens – turning to God, but especially in Advent and Lent, we can experience conversion and the joy of purifying in prayer and confession.”

However, prayer should go hand in hand with deeds: “St. James says, ‘faith and action.’ We need faith and good works; I told this to my parish, ‘When we die, what goes with us are our good deeds, nothing else, so do good. Not just praying the rosary, but also action.” Eventually, he continues, “God created us for happiness. So many people say they miss happiness and joy in their life. Those nuns that I saw they were never regretting….”

In that way, he experiences every day as a rejuvenation, “bringing me back to what I was ordained for. And I truly believe that Mother Teresa, whom I was lucky to work with, also takes care of me.”