AURORA—“It’s a small world” isn’t just a cliché or a Disney tune. When people connect with each other through faith, service and culture, the world doesn’t seem so huge and unfamiliar.
When people come together by better understanding each other, they build friendships and sometimes a whole lot more.
And a whole lot more is exactly what Catholics at Holy Angels Parish in Aurora have done.
A visiting priest helped the Catholics there close the gap between themselves and the people at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Andhra Pradesh, India, about 8,400 miles away.
The connection began in 2005 when Father Marianna Ery was assigned to Holy Angels Parish after applying to several dioceses in the U.S.
“I took a sabbatical year in Chicago in 2000. I like this country very much and my bishop agreed to let me apply to stay in the U.S. for the duration of my five year visa here,” Father Ery said in an interview during a visit to the Rockford Diocese last fall.
Father Ery said he received a call from the Rockford Diocese and was assigned to Holy Angels from 2005 to 2010. During his five years here, Father Ery was able to share the story of his people, his country and his faith with parishioners.
“Our people (Catholics and all Christians) are the minority in India,” he said.
Christians are sometimes a very persecuted class there especially in the northern part of India. He described how people in his part of India are dependent on the Church.
Father Ery serves in the Andhra Pradesh state which borders India’s southeastern coast on the Bay of Bengal. There are about 19 million Catholics in India representing only 1.5 percent of its 1.2 billion population.
“The people of my country are simple people of faith and faith is very important. They are very dependent on the church for physical needs,” he said.
The faith becomes the center of life for Indian Catholics, he said, as they come to Mass sometimes for three hours. After Mass the parish provides a meal and time for people to socialize.
As Father Ery shared his story during his assignment, people at Holy Angels asked how they could help make things better.
Since the faith is the center of life, a new church was desperately needed for the thousands who worship. Father Ery welcomed donations.
The Aurora parish had some fundraisers, designated a monthly tithe and contributed money after mission talks given by Father Ery.
“All in all I would say approximately $75,000 was sent to India from Holy Angels,” according to Msgr. Martin Heinz, who was pastor at Holy Angels during Father Ery’s stay in the Rockford Diocese.
Father Ery “was so eager to serve. He was a very good and a very holy priest,” Msgr. Heinz recalled. “He shared the needs of his people, and the people at Holy Angels were very eager to help.
“His bishop also visited us at Holy Angels several times and it was good for us to hear about the life and needs of the Church in the world outside our, sometimes, very parochial view,” Msgr. Heinz said.
It helped having a “personal connection” with the rest of the world through Father Ery and his bishop in India, Msgr. Heinz added.
“People at Holy Angels are used to being generous and that comes from their ongoing work at Hesed House, various food pantries and other charities. It speaks well of the people at Holy Angels,” Msgr. Heinz said.
Father Ery was especially excited to make a visit back to the U.S. to let the people at Holy Angels know that their generosity was put to good use.
He brought back photos of a large plaque dedicating the new church in Tekurpet Parish. The plaque at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church acknowledges the generous donations of the Rockford Diocese, Msgr. Martin Heinz, Father Michael Lavan and all the parishioners at Holy Angels.
Father Ery said it took about three and half years to construct the new church, which now serves about 5,000 Catholics from 14 villages.
“It means a lot sharing the faith with the foreign people and helping to meet the needs of the poor. I am so grateful to Holy Angels and the Rockford Diocese,” he said.
“I learned a lot here and a lot of people help the church here. I encourage my people (in India) to return any service they can to the Church and be generous even in scarcity.
“It is beautiful to see people sharing because the faith is the same everywhere. We share the same faith and same Lord and we are concerned for each other,” Father Ery said.