Bishop To Attend Mass

Bishop Paprocki is planning to attend 4:30 Mass on September 7, 2024 at St. Peter Church in Petersburg to welcome Father Varghese Puthussery to St. Peter and Holy Family parishes. Both parishes are most welcomed and encouraged to celebrate this special mass with our Bishop and our new Parish Priest.

A reception is being planned immediately following the mass.

More details to come.

Welcome Father Varghese

I recently had the opportunity to meet and visit with our new priest, Father Varghese Puthussery at one of his current parishes in Villa Grove.

My first question was what would he like to be called (Father Varghese) and what is the correct way to pronounce “Varghese”. It’s var-GEESE.

Father Varghese grew up in India, a predominantly Hindu nation with only about 1.5% of it’s 1.2 billion people being Catholic. Father’s home in the village of Mambra, in Kerala state [map] is widely regarded as one that St. Thomas the apostle visited in 52 AD. Thomas is regarded as the patron saint of India and there is a strong Catholic presence in the southern part of India.

Father Varghese speaks with a British/Indian accent which I found very easy to understand.

Father was raised in a devout Catholic family, the oldest of seven children. He felt called to be a priest at the age of 8. He joined the seminary in 1978 at the age of 16.

After being ordained, Father Varghese became the co-pastor of a parish in northern India where he remained for five years. He them moved to another parish in central India going to the Philippines to complete his post graduate studies.

Upon completion of his studies in the Philippines, he returned to central India. He served as executive secretary of the commission of laity and family for the Catholic Bishops of India, the director of the Pallotine animation center, and the National Secretary to the Catholic Council in India, in addition to many other administrative leadership roles.

For all of these responsibilities, however, Father Varghese was called to move back to a role as parish priest, administering the Holy sacraments and ministering to the laypersons of the church. “For my own kind of renewal and I wanted to have more opportunity to administer sacraments as a priest. The sacrament of reconciliation and all other sacraments because I felt that it would bring a kind of or a renewal, a kind of spiritual depth to my life. Living with the ordinary and helping people and journeying with them, listening to their life struggles and challenges and difficulties helped me grow my faith,” he stated.

Through this calling he came to the United States just over a year ago to serve with the Pallotine Brothers and Sisters in their Milwaukee, Wisconsin location. The Pallotine Father in Milwaukee work closely with the Diocese of Springfield, and when the need for a Parochial Administrator for Forty Martyrs, St. John the Baptist, and Sacred Heart parishes became available, Bishop Thomas John Paprocki was glad to offer him the position. A position where he has felt quite welcomed and at home for the past year.

I asked Father how he felt about being moved to St. Peter and Holy Family parishes and he smiled and told me that he is quite happy to serve wherever the Lord needs him. He told me that he has been to Petersburg before, to visit his friend Father Maurice.

My personal impression of Father Varghese is that he is a warm and happy man who laughs easily, cares about the people in his care, and will be a blessing to our parish.

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This article quotes heavily from an article written by Tony Hooker in the The County Chronicle

Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Petersburg now has the beautiful Divine Mercy sign in the NE corner of the property. May all those who come visit know the strength of our Lord and His Mercy.

PRAYER FOR MERCY FOR SOULS IN PURGATORY
Eternal Father, I offer the most precious blood of Your Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, for those in my own home and within my own family. Amen

-Prayer of Saint Gertrude (Chosen by Saint Faustina as one of her patrons)

Father Maurice prepared an African dinner from the recent Fish Fry auction held in March at Wankel’s Petersburg. This meal was one of the live auction items, and Andrew and Anita Riley were the winning bidders this year. The event was held at Three Pines Petersburg, who had donated the venue for the auction June 28th. A fun night, great food and hospitality was had by all who attended. Father Maurice was assisted in preparing the meal by his fellow priest, Father Florent, Pastor in Farmersville, Il. Bettie Churchill and Mary Stewart served as hostesses for the evening, prepping the food for cooking, set up and clean up.

Father Maurice will be on retreat from July 15th to the 19th, there will be no weekday masses during this time at St. Peter Church.