'Finding my Faith' ... in Malayalam ~ Lin Thomas
Malayalam is my mother tongue and I have always known how to speak it. However, I was raised in a multi-cultural state of India called Goa where I had the opportunity to learn or comprehend about 5 different regional and foreign languages. As I grew up I always attended mass in English. Attending mass in Malayalam was something reserved for summer vacations in Kerala. My school, run by Franciscan sisters, contributed in my love for English hymns and English mass.
When the St Jude Community was initiated with the hard-work and effort of our community members, I was also excited to be part of this organization. However, there was always a little bit of apprehension on how this community would be. As most of us probably felt, I also had some doubts on how this would all turn out. Would folks be friendly to each other? Would there be politics and infighting? Would people be welcoming? And then there was the language issue. Like many others, raised outside Kerala, I always prayed in English. I consoled myself with the fact that I spoke Malayalam pretty decently, so I had nothing to lose. In fact my Malayalam had improved over the years as I was now an active volunteer for the local Kerala association.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that from day one people were extremely friendly and welcoming. Each memory is clear, with the energy and enthusiasm that folks generated for the picnic, Xmas programs, carol singing or any other event. Every Sunday, you are greeted by the smiling faces of other community members. I did miss the English masses and enjoyed the Youth masses, but overall it was a happy experience. I made several friends. My children have made plenty of playmates and look forward to go the “Indian palli”. They look forward to meeting the “chechimaar” and “chetanmaar”. I also volunteered as a CCD teacher, which has been a rewarding experience in itself. Each class, I looked forward to meeting my students.
And then something else happened. After going several Sundays to our Malayalam mass, I went for the regular English mass at my local parish. I was happy to go there because I loved to pray in English. It was out of the blue, that I suddenly missed the Malayalam prayers and the choir. In an unexpected manner, I realized that the Malayalam mass had now become an integral part of my spiritual self, not just my social self. After all, it doesn’t matter which language you pray in. It will take me a while to learn all the prayers in Malayalam, but the feeling of peace, while praying with the community is undeniable. It is now nearing two years since our inception, and today I can proudly state that this community –“my” community and its members have become an essential part of my life.
For those of you who do not attend regularly, keep coming more often and you will see that this can become an addiction. A couple of people told me that they felt a little lost when they come to our mass, because they don’t know the people that well. After that incident, I look out for new faces, so I can speak a few words and make them feel welcome. For those, new to the community, feel free to start a conversation with the others. We have all gone through the same feelings of apprehension that you have. For the long timers, take the extra step to greet that new face. For those who are not comfortable with Malayalam, and for the youth, I have learned through my moment of self realization that you can be bilingual in prayer. And of course, the only way you can improve a language is speaking it.
Living thousands of miles away from our homeland, we are trying to create an environment in which our children can thrive and grow. We are trying to build a place, where they can build a support system and strong friendships. As we move forward, I pray that we retain the camaraderie and friendships that we have built. I hope that we grow as a community. I hope that personal agendas never come in the way of the greater good. I thank God for making this community a reality and I pray that even 20 years from now our children can proudly state- I am part of the St Jude SyroMalabar Community of NVA.
(Published in the St Jude Souvenir Magazine - May 2012)
Malayalam is my mother tongue and I have always known how to speak it. However, I was raised in a multi-cultural state of India called Goa where I had the opportunity to learn or comprehend about 5 different regional and foreign languages. As I grew up I always attended mass in English. Attending mass in Malayalam was something reserved for summer vacations in Kerala. My school, run by Franciscan sisters, contributed in my love for English hymns and English mass.
When the St Jude Community was initiated with the hard-work and effort of our community members, I was also excited to be part of this organization. However, there was always a little bit of apprehension on how this community would be. As most of us probably felt, I also had some doubts on how this would all turn out. Would folks be friendly to each other? Would there be politics and infighting? Would people be welcoming? And then there was the language issue. Like many others, raised outside Kerala, I always prayed in English. I consoled myself with the fact that I spoke Malayalam pretty decently, so I had nothing to lose. In fact my Malayalam had improved over the years as I was now an active volunteer for the local Kerala association.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that from day one people were extremely friendly and welcoming. Each memory is clear, with the energy and enthusiasm that folks generated for the picnic, Xmas programs, carol singing or any other event. Every Sunday, you are greeted by the smiling faces of other community members. I did miss the English masses and enjoyed the Youth masses, but overall it was a happy experience. I made several friends. My children have made plenty of playmates and look forward to go the “Indian palli”. They look forward to meeting the “chechimaar” and “chetanmaar”. I also volunteered as a CCD teacher, which has been a rewarding experience in itself. Each class, I looked forward to meeting my students.
And then something else happened. After going several Sundays to our Malayalam mass, I went for the regular English mass at my local parish. I was happy to go there because I loved to pray in English. It was out of the blue, that I suddenly missed the Malayalam prayers and the choir. In an unexpected manner, I realized that the Malayalam mass had now become an integral part of my spiritual self, not just my social self. After all, it doesn’t matter which language you pray in. It will take me a while to learn all the prayers in Malayalam, but the feeling of peace, while praying with the community is undeniable. It is now nearing two years since our inception, and today I can proudly state that this community –“my” community and its members have become an essential part of my life.
For those of you who do not attend regularly, keep coming more often and you will see that this can become an addiction. A couple of people told me that they felt a little lost when they come to our mass, because they don’t know the people that well. After that incident, I look out for new faces, so I can speak a few words and make them feel welcome. For those, new to the community, feel free to start a conversation with the others. We have all gone through the same feelings of apprehension that you have. For the long timers, take the extra step to greet that new face. For those who are not comfortable with Malayalam, and for the youth, I have learned through my moment of self realization that you can be bilingual in prayer. And of course, the only way you can improve a language is speaking it.
Living thousands of miles away from our homeland, we are trying to create an environment in which our children can thrive and grow. We are trying to build a place, where they can build a support system and strong friendships. As we move forward, I pray that we retain the camaraderie and friendships that we have built. I hope that we grow as a community. I hope that personal agendas never come in the way of the greater good. I thank God for making this community a reality and I pray that even 20 years from now our children can proudly state- I am part of the St Jude SyroMalabar Community of NVA.
(Published in the St Jude Souvenir Magazine - May 2012)
Just found your blogsite. I really liked your writing Lin. This article in particular shares the views of so many women that its beyond counting! Never have set foot in a gym is quite normal contrary to what most people think..... Yet so many beleive they are the only ones who have not. Thanks for the honest sharing.
ReplyDelete