The congregation of the Church of Our Lady in Carlyle, a Roman Catholic parish, have been seeing a new face at the front of the church recently.
The parish's usual priest, Father David Banga, has taken a leave of absence to pursue a pilgrimage.
In the meantime, his flock have fallen under the careful eye of Reverend Father George (Varki) Thattuparampil.
"I only expect to be here a few months, four at the most," said Father Thattuparampil, or Father George, as he likes to be called. "Father Banga has a large and devoted congregation, so I am certain he will be happy to return to the church as soon as he is able, however for the time being I am here to service the community."
Father George hails originally from the Indian subcontinent, in the state of Kerala.
Located at the furthest south-western tip of India, Father George said he always knew what it was he wanted to be.
"Oh, I knew I wanted to be a priest, right from when I was a child," Father George said. "It is a calling that was always there, always calling me."
It was just a couple of years ago that Father George celebrated his silver anniversary since his ordination.
"It was a very happy day for my family and I," Father George said. "Twenty-five years seemed to pass very quickly when I look back at it though!"
A member of the Missionary Society of Saint Thomas (MST) Father George is one of 360 priests within the order.
Providing priests for communities that either cannot find one, or as in the case in Carlyle, providing support services while acting clergy are away, belonging to the MST ensures that Father George will have an active and well travelled career.
"Oh, it is a long way from my home to come to Canada," Father George said. "But the people are so friendly and welcoming, it is really a pleasure to be here."
As his first experience in the prairies, and in a very rural congregation, Father George was very pleased with the faith he has witnessed from his parishioners.
"There seems to be a lot of faith, and a lot of joy in faith, from the community here," Father George said. "People take their church seriously, and Sunday services are very special to them, unlike some more urban places where people are a little more robotic about attending."
"It has been a real pleasure to have had a chance to be assigned here, even for a while," Father George said. "I know that I will cherish the experiences I have while serving this community."
Father George will continue to attend the Carlyle congregation until the return of Father David Banga.
After Father Banga's return, Father George will move again to his next posting, though he does not know at this time where that posting will be.
