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September 3 , 2007 • VOL. 45, NO. 15 • Oakland, CA
Father George
Alengadan observes jubilee
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Fr. George Alengadan, SDB |
Salesian Father George Alengadan, director of priests
and deacon formation for the Oakland Diocese and former pastor of St.
Ambrose Parish in Berkeley, will celebrate his 25th anniversary of ordination
on Sept. 14 at 4:30 p.m. at the Berkeley church.
Born in Irinjalakvda, Kerala, India, he was ordained by Pope John Paul
II in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome on June 6, 1982. He holds a doctorate
in theology from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley and is currently
an adjunct professor at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology
at the GTU.
In reflecting on his years as a priest, he wrote:
“At this silver jubilee of my priesthood, I celebrate God’s
infinite goodness, kindness, and faithfulness. As Psalm 92:1-2 rejoices,
“It is good to give thanks to the Lord, And to sing praises to Your
name, O Most High; To declare Your loving kindness in the morning, And
Your faithfulness every night.”
“Reflecting on the years, I see the presence of God in the many
people who have inspired me, beginning with my family in Kerala, South
India. The sight of my grandparents and parents kneeling down in prayer
every morning and night was and is a continuing source of inspiration.
“I was first called when I was 12 years old, an avid soccer fan
in seventh grade. I was inspired to follow the Salesian priests and brothers
in my school who exemplified St. John Bosco’s educational method
of reason, religion and loving kindness.
“As time passed, I deepened in my vocation, sustained by the holiness
and zeal of my Salesian brothers, by the good and holy people in the four
Bay Area parishes I have served in, and by my ministry. What a privilege
and blessing the pastoral life of a priest is—to celebrate the Holy
Eucharist and the other sacraments that mark key moments of our parishioners’
lives.
“At this 25-year juncture, I look forward with hope and trust to
the new challenges that lie ahead. “For thou art my hope, O Lord
God: thou art my trust from my youth” (Psalm 71:5).
