More Indian priests to preach in British churches

LONDON: The latest Indian priest to join what has become a trend of Indians taking over parishes to meet shortage of priests in Britain is Reverend Kesari Godfrey, who has been appointed curate at the Priory Church in Bridlington, Yorkshire.

For some years now, Indian priests are not only meeting the shortage of priests in churches in Britain, but Christian migrants from India, particularly from Kerala, are helping boost dwindling church congregations.

Western missionaries in the 19th century trekked to remote tribal areas of India and converted tribes, who are now returning the favour by moving to places such as Wales to meet a shortage of priests there.

Godfrey, 34, is a member of the Church of South India, where his father is a retired bishop. He is joined by his wife Pradhma, 28, a qualified dentist who also taught dentistry, and their two children. Godfrey's curacy will be for three to four years.

Before taking up his first full-time post, Godfrey spent three years working on a PhD at the University of Birmingham and was licensed by the Archbishop of York, the Rev John Sentamu, to assist at St George's Church in Edgbaston as a preacher and teacher.

Before coming to England, Godfrey gained a BSc in chemistry and a BD from the United Theological College in Bangalore and spent a year studying at Princeton Theological Seminary in New Jersey in America.

He said he admired the priory church but was keen to explain that it was much more than a magnificent building. He said' "I am looking forward to meeting more of my parishioners.

"I want to encourage people to think of it as part of their community and realise it is also home to a living and growing congregation. We want to be known as a living church, a growing church and a healthy church full of enthusiasm, full of commitment, full of joy and full of hope.

"I want to share my experience of God and encourage more people into the church."

One of the first Indian priests to arrive in Britain to preach Christianity was Rev Hmar Sangkhuma, from the Diocese of Mizoram in northeastern India. Mizoram has a majority Christian population that was initially converted by missionaries from Wales between 1840 and 1960.

Sangkhuma has been offering spiritual guidance to the local Welsh population in Maesteg, near Bridgend. Some time ago, a Methodist church in Swindon had its first Indian minister, Rev Ajay Singh.

During the colonial era, Christian missionaries were encouraged to spread the gospel in India's tribal areas, including the northeast. Much of the work was undertaken by missionaries from Wales, Ireland and Scotland. The Mizos consider the Welsh Presbyterian Church the "mother church".

India's former Home Secretary B.P. Singh wrote in his book, "The Problem of Change: A Study of North-East India": "(The) impact of Christian missionaries on the tribal population was spectacular.

"The Nagas, Mizos and Khasis in particular have undergone profound changes as a result of the spread of Christian ideals among them. Christianity taught these tribes the value of peace, tolerance and co-existence.

"The familiarisation of these tribes with new ideals, coupled with the subsequent independence and democratisation of the polity, have taken them into the modern world, with all its strengths and dangers."

Church sources say that attendance in churches has been progressively dwindling in various parts of Britain. The 2001 census showed that fewer than one in 10 people in Wales regularly attended church or chapel. Churches also face a shortage of priests.

The latest to report this is the county of Staffordshire, where recent migrants from various countries, including India, are helping boost congregations. According to reports from Stoke, Staffordshire, the Holy Trinity Church in Hartshill hosts two groups of worshippers from North Staffordshire's Malayali community.

Others boosting the church congregations in Staffordshire hail from Fiji and Poland.