St. Mary Church at 2500 North Franklin Ave, Flint, MI 48506 US - Our Pastor, Father Santhiyagu Arockiyasamy, msfs
| Our Pastor, Father Santhiyagu Arockiyasamy, msfs |
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To best describe myself, I am Indian by birth, Catholic by faith, and a missionary priest by my vocation. My native place is Susaiyapparpattanam in Tamil Nadu, South India. There is a primary school with 120 children. I studied in this school till my fifth grade. About my family, my parents are alive. I have three sisters – one elder sister and two younger sisters. They are all married and have two children each. I have two nephews and four nieces. I did my high school in the Government Higher Secondary School at Jayankondam, which is the nearest town for us. I had to walk to school about 10 miles both ways.
After I graduated from the high school, I joined the minor seminary run by the Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales. After eleven years of my studies in the seminary (Philosophy, B. A, and Theology), I became a priest on April 19, 1996. I came to the USA in July of 2001. I first served as associate pastor at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Jackson and then I was transferred to St. Mary Cathedral in Lansing where I worked as associate pastor for four years. I came to St. Mary, Flint as pastor in the month of June 2006. I have been working in the Diocese of Lansing for seven years. I love this Diocese, especially the people of St. Mary parish, Flint. It is a life-giving faith community that has a long tradition of Catholic faith, being vibrant, welcoming everyone, and caring for the poor with a sense of belonging. The people through their faith witness serve as a beacon of hope and shine out the light of newness at the Eastside of Flint. May the Grace of God shine forth to everyone from here.