Write Comment     |     E-Mail To a Friend     |     Facebook     |     Twitter     |     Print

                                                                        MAKINGS OF A SAINT
                                                                         AAMCHO PAADREAB

With feelings of great nostalgia and a sense of great pride, I, a fellow Barkurian welcomed the big news about the promulgation of our own fellow brother, late Very Rev. Father Alfred Roche, A SERVANT OF GOD  by the Vatican and would be publicly  and officially declared as such by the Bishop of Udupi Diocese  Dr.Gerald Isaac Lobo on 15 August 2021 during the special Mass at 8 a.m.  at the Holy Family Church, Brahmavar . A real Red letter Day for the young Diocese, for the Capuchins , for the people of Brhmavar, Kasarkod, Binaga, Ferangipet and for others who had physically known him.

But many skeptics may wonder how can this be? How a simple ,humble priest from a remote village in Karnataka can possibly be considered to such a status viz, that of Sainthood.! ?

Having known him personally during my childhood days in Barkur, this step that has been taken is not at all surprising and like me, to most of the people  who had known him. For most of us, there can be absolutely no doubt that Amcho Padriab , as he was known was a saintly person and that he rightly deserves sainthood and expect the Church in due course should declare him so.
I consider and believe this honor is due to him for following reasons and perhaps others have more :-

1.    It is possible to be a saint with the grace of God, however simple, humble and unworthy a person is, just like Mary, a humble and simple village girl became the Mother of God with His grace and like wise many others who became saints. All saints are filled with the love of God and choose God above all others. They live for the glory of God. They understand God as supreme good and they pattern their lives to do all things they can for the glory of God. Fr. Alfred excelled in this. He never claimed that all the good he did and achievements he accomplished were by his own effort but by the grace and help of God and he did so solely for the glory of God and not for his selfish glory and pride. His love for God was uncompromising.

2  All saints love other human beings. They work for the salvation of souls. They understand that the mission of Jesus Christ is to save souls, so they live their lives to spread the good news. As St. John in his letter (ch.4.20) says” if anyone says I love God and hates his brother is a liar”. All saints are generous. There are no stingy saints found in the church. Fr. Alfred was such a person. His sole mission was to go after the lost sheep. His hand was big and generous towards the needy. He was devoted to the poor. Whatever he got from his well wishers was given away to the needy. He was not concerned about his own health and safety to go and  help those in need, be it those who were flood affected or stricken by sickness or calamity. He shared whatever he had with others whether it is his food, clothes, other than his cassock, his money and  even his bed. He loved his flock religiously and went out of his way to help them to lead a good and better life. Children and youth were his main concern and did all he could to educate them  and send them to good schools..

3. All Saints are risk takers. When God called, they answered. Taking chance on a new way of life, just like Abraham, when at his right old age, was called to leave his country and go to a place and plunge himself into the unknown. Like him Fr. Alfred too heeded the call of God and God’s grace was with him to do His holy will and the locals bear witness to the good he had done to them in their respective parishes. He feared no obstacles to do good.

4.The Saints lived a simple life among their own families, friends and unknown people, serving God and His people with all their heart and never making a flash in the world. Fr. Alfred too lived a simple life. His room consisted of a table, two chairs, a bench or two for the people coming to see him and a simple bench used as his bed. He owned just one or two cassocks and just a few necessary clothes along with his Rosary, breviary and a Cross. His food was frugal and simple, which he shared when someone came hungry. He never showed off his numerous talents but used them for others and for the benefit of the common good. He attributed to God the talents he possessed.

5.Saints have great devotion to Mary, the Mother of God. They loved her tenderly. They understood Mary as a special gift of Jesus to each one of us.  Fr. Alfred was no exception. His devotion to Mary and trust in her was child like. He never missed saying his Rosary and encouraged one and all to never let a day go by without saying it. He made great effort to promote her devotion and celebrate feasts in honor of her with great fervor, preaching a well prepared homily in honor of Mary.

6.Saints are people of God and of prayer. Some spent entire days in prayer. Others found their time with God in other ways. They reached out to people, in whom they saw God. Fr. Alfred realized that prayer is fuel that feeds the interior life, the life of a personal relationship with God. Saints were devoted to the Eucharist. Fr. Alfred spent hours before the tabernacle on his knees in prayer both before and after celebrating the Eucharist and before going to bed. To receive Jesus in Holy communion was a great joy to him every day , from which he received nourishment both spiritual and physical.

7.Saints are not perfect. Each saint had some flaw or the other. They had faults. They made mistakes. They learnt from their mistakes and even at death bed they found themselves in need of contrition, pardon and reconciliation. And yet, the church honored them with sainthood, because they accepted their limitations and repented.  So, for skeptics, who think that Fr. Alfred does not deserve such a crown, because he had flaws  are mistaken. For Fr. Alfred never claimed that he was perfect.  He was humble and repented of his flaws and remained in the grace of God and because of this he was able to achieve the good in the broken families in the parishes, broken on account of bad marriages, sickness, drunkenness, unemployment, misunderstandings, natural disasters and other calamities etc.

8.Saints loved the church. Knowing that the church is the bride of Christ, they were loyal to the teachings, doctrines and dogmas of the church even when unjustly accused by the authorities. Fr. Alfred never questioned his superiors.  He spent his time and energy in explaining the teachings of the church to his flock. He accepted to work for the Lord in most difficult surroundings and parishes and with his love and zeal for the church brought his flock to love the church and it’s authorities.

In conclusion, to promote this noble cause for the next step for Beatification, local interest has to be harnessed. People should be made aware of Fr. Alfred’s life and work. People who knew him should make known to others about his heroic virtues and encourage them to imitate his life as worthy to the path to holiness. People should be encouraged to speak about him and study his life, in the family, in groups and in the parish. It is good to gather as many evidences as possible in writing.  They should be encouraged to come forward as witnesses. People should also be encouraged to make pilgrimages to his tomb alone or in groups and pray for miracles through his intercession. Encourage those seriously sick to pray for Fr. Alfred’s intercession and also take them to his tomb to pray for cure. Prayer meetings should be encouraged to pray for the success of this noble cause and finally arrange every year a Thanksgiving Mass, to thank God for giving us such a holy and saintly person in our own backyard.