Notes from Rome By the Most Rev. Joe Roesch, MIC “I am from Thoothukudi (Tuticorin), Tamilnadu. I had a deep desire to become a Catholic priest from a young age since we are a very devout Catholic family. My grandma had five daughters. She wanted to have a male child, but she did not. My mother is the first daughter among those five. My grandmother had supposed that if my mother had a male child, she would offer him to God. It happened to be me, and I have also wanted to become a priest to serve God. “I realized that I had been called by God. I therefore joined the Marians in 2012 and I’m happy to be a Marian priest now! “My mother is a teacher and my father is a farmer and a hard worker. They are happy to send me to serve Christ and His Church. They cherish each moment of my presence with the Marians. “I had a sister but, sadly, she died six years ago in a tragic accident. This was a great loss for my entire family. Despite everything, my parents are convinced that God can bring good from everything in His plan. “After my ordination in 2022, I spent one year as an assistant parish priest in Palayamkottai Cathedral in the nearby diocese in Tamil Nadu. It was a great pastoral experience for me. I enjoyed being with the people, consoling them, and especially assisting the parish priest and learning from him. “Then I spent one year as the prefect of students in our minor seminary in Karumathur. I lived in our religious house and spent time with the students. I found this experience to be a bit challenging, but by God’s grace, I was able to be with our brothers and to teach the students many things about what it means to be a good Marian. “During that year, I also had a chance to fly to Sri Lanka to visit our Marian Novitiate. I was able to teach about our charism of assisting the Holy Souls in Purgatory. It was my first time in Sri Lanka and I was happy to visit our men there for a week. “Now I am in Rome to study, and I am so happy to see so many places and churches, and especially the Vatican. I am enjoying living in our Marian Community House where there are Marians from different parts of the world. “I currently go to a language school five days a week for four hours a day to study Italian grammar and conversation. In our house, we pray in Italian and speak Italian during our meals, which is a great help. “Please pray for me as I pray for you!” We certainly will, Father! And we pray for all of our student priests here in Rome, as we do all of the Marian Fathers around the world. SCHOOL’S IN SESSION! Fall means back to school, and that includes many Marian Fathers! Our newest Marian priest student in our Marian College in Rome is Fr. Inigo Iraiarasu, MIC, who hails from southeast India. His first name comes from St. Ignatius of Loyola, and his last name means “Kingdom of God” in Tamil, his native language. Let’s get to know him, in his own words. The Most Rev. Joe Roesch, MIC, is the Superior General of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception. He lives in Rome. Listen to his podcasts, including “Saint Faustina’s Diary in a Year,” on TheDivineMercy.org/podcasts and DivineMercyPlus.org/podcasts. Marian Helper • Fall 2024 • Marian.org 7 Father Joe talks with Fr. Inigo Iraiarasu, MIC
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