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Prayer for Priestly Commitment
Lord Jesus Christ, on my ordination day, I accepted the responsibility of the priesthood of the New Covenant out of Love for you and your Holy Church. With your help, I now willingly renew my commitment to priestly service.
Good Master, I am resolved to unite myself more closely to you and try to become more like you by joyfully sacrificing my pleasure and ambition to bring Your peace and love to my brothers and sisters.
Eternal High Priest, I am resolved to be faithful minister of Your mysteries, to celebrate the Eucharist, the other sacraments, liturgy and prayer with sincere reverence and devotion.
Gentle Good Shepherd, I am resolved to imitate You, the head and Shepherd of the Church, by teaching the Catholic faith without thinking of my profit, solely for well-being of the people I was sent to serve.
Loving Redeemer, bless me with the fullness of Your love, and keep me close to You always and, in the end, bring me and all of Your priests and people to eternal life. Amen.
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Reverend Jose Thomas Mudakod
iyil was born on May 5, 1972 in Kallara in the state of Kerala in India, the sixth and last child that includes three elder brothers and two elder sisters. He completed his lower and middle school at SKVUP School and the high school at St. Thomas school.
He felt God’s call to priesthood and in response to that call he joined the seminary of the Salesian Religious Order at Mannuthy in Kerala in 1987. After one year of intense learning of the English language he completed his 11th and 12th grades remaining at Don Bosco seminary in Aluva. He entered the novitiate in 1990 and became a professed member of the Salesians Don Bosco (SDB) Religious Order on May 24, 1991. After completing his philosophy and English Literature studies, he made his final Profession in the Salesian Religious Order on May 24th 1998 and chose to belong to the Lord entirely. At the end of the Theological studies in Bangalore he was ordained a priest on 28th January 2002 in his home parish in Kallara.Soon after his ordination Fr. Jose Thomas was appointed an associate pastor at St. Theresa’s church in the city of Hyderabad, where he also completed his masters in Psychology from Madras University. After two years at St. Theresa’s Parish he was transferred to Don Bosco Minor seminary to train the young aspirants to priesthood.
Desiring to serve God in full time pastoral ministry, Fr. Jose Thomas applied to some dioceses in the US and was accepted by Bishop Vasa to join the Diocese of Baker. He was appointed pastor of Holy Redeemer Parish in La Pine right away on 24th June 2007. Besides the parish work at Holy Redeemer church in La Pine, he also took care of the pastoral needs of parishioners in mission churches at Holy Trinity in Sunriver, Our Lady of the Snows in Gilchrist and Holy Family in Christmas Valley. Fr. Jose was transferred to Blessed Sacrament in Ontario where he became the pastor on 17th August 2012.
Fr. Jose's recreational interests are hiking, boating, fishing and sightseeing. He loves basketball, volleyball, skiing and swimming. He loves the company of people, talking and dining with them sharing their sorrow and joy.
Fr Jose says: "I used to hear my mother talking at home about becoming a priest from the time I was small. From the time I could remember we used to receive at home calendars and brochures about vocation from a few religious orders. I also used to have correspondence with my senior friends who were already in the seminary. All these helped me to discover my vocation. Reading the life of St. John Bosco helped me to choose the path. I entered the seminary at the age of 15 after completing my 10th grade. I was ordained a priest at the age of 30 after years of study and formation.
It has been a joy to be a priest. Life as a priest has given me great satisfaction and fulfillment. My greatest joy is to be with the people God has entrusted to me, accompanying them in their journey of faith and being with them in all the significant moments of their lives. I worked as priest in India for five years and came over to the US to minister in the Diocese of Baker at the invitation of Bishop Robert Vasa in 2007. I served with great joy the Holy Redeemer Parish for five years and now I am happy to be the pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Ontario. My prayer and the prayers of others continue to nurture my priestly vacation. I have found my greatest satisfaction in priestly ministry serving the Lord and His people. "Serve Him with your whole heart and soul." (Joshua 22:5)
Fr. Jose Thomas now resides in Bend, OR, where he is Pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church.