Cum illo
Cum illo (Latin for ‘with him‘), an expression inspired from Mark 3:14, has been the vision of my life ever since my ordination to priesthood on 19 April 2009 and incardination to the Archdiocese of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. The essence of discipleship according to the Evangelist Mark consists in ‘being with Jesus.’ I, as a disciple of Jesus rejoice in being with him. Through this I love God, am rooted in him, and open myself to love fellow human persons and Nature.
My ikigai
In Japanese, IKI, means life, and KAI, means the realisation of hope and expectations. IKIGAI is a concept that combines what you love, what do you do for living, what the world needs, and what you’re good at; it represents the intersection of four elements in a person’s life: vocation, profession, mission, passion. In my coat of arms, ‘heart‘ represents priest and missionary of mercy, my vocation; ‘a writing hand‘ symbolises content writer and translator, my profession; ‘overseeing eye‘ stands for inter-scriptural scholar, my mission; and ‘talking mouth‘ depicts soft skills trainer, my passion. The intersection is the cross that illustrates victory through pains. The ‘sowing hand’ shows the path of my life.
Soils of my life
The Parable of the Sower in Luke 7:5-8 describes four types of soil where the generous farmer sows his seeds: along the path, on rocky ground, amidst thorns, and in good soil. These soils have been different stages of my life. Often I have allowed seeds to be trampled and be eaten up by birds; my various contributions have been like seeds growing on rocky path – came up but had no moisture; too often I let the distractions of my life, lack of focus, and deviations choked my plants; NOW I am resolved to be good soil, to make space for the seeds to grow hundredfold. After all, the scope of the seeds is to be back to him, the Sower.
My Core Values
Serenity. Simplicity. Sincerity. Stewardship. Smartness. Smile. Success.
Where have I come from?
Academic Journey
1. Diploma in Safeguarding Minors, Pontifical Gregorian University [2022-23];
2. Doctorate in Theology (Ph.D.), Jnana-Deepa, Pune [2015-17];
3. Licentiate in Sacred Scripture (LSS), Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome [2012-15];
4. PG Diploma in Journalism, Bharathidasan University [2019-20];
5. Master in Business Administration, Madurai Kamaraj University [2009-11].
Pastoral Timeline
1. Secretary, CCBI Commission for Bible [2021-till date];
2. Facilitator-cum-Professor, Saint Paul’s Seminary [2018-21];
3. Secretary to the Archbishop, Archdiocese of Madurai [2017-18];
4. Archivist & Librarian, Archdiocese of Madurai [2016-17];
5. Associate Pastor, Parrocchia di San Giuda Taddeo, Rome [2012-16];
6. Associate Pastor, Theni [2011-12];
7. Associate Pastor, Gnanaolivupuram [2010-11];
8. Parochial Administrator, New Ellis Nagar [2009-10].
Where am I going?
S.O.W.E.R. [Sent Out for Word, Empathy, and Resilience] is the path of my life now. ‘Word‘ is ‘Word of God as revealed in the Holy Bible and other Sacred Scriptures, and Words of Humans which we use to communicate, convince, and converse; ‘Empathy‘ is ‘the ability to understand and share the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of another person. It involves stepping into someone else’s shoes and seeing the world from their perspective, recognising and acknowledging their emotions, and responding with care and understanding.’ ‘Resilience‘ ‘encompasses qualities such as flexibility, optimism, problem-solving skills, social support, and a sense of purpose or meaning in life.’ My ikigai as Priest, Missionary of Mercy, Content Writer, Translator, Inter-scriptural Scholar, and Soft skills Trainer will have these as my point of departure-course-arrival. ‘Being with him’ is complemented by ‘being sent out.’
Baby steps
Born of a Śaivite Father, Mr. Karunanidhi Thangavel and a Catholic Mother, Mrs. Maria Selvam Karunanidhi, on 6 December 1981 (as per Government Records 29 May 1981), at South Nathampatty, a village of the Parish of Our Lady of Mary Help of Christians, Rajapalayam, in the civil district of Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu, India, I speak and write Tamil, English, Italian, Spanish, and have comprehension skill in Ecclesiastical Latin, Biblical Hebrew, and New Testament Greek.
Yesu Karunanidhi 