Fr. Prabhu Toniyo Pastin
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Parochial VicarFr. Toniyo grew up as an active member of Our Lady of Fatima Shrine in Tambaram. “My parents are big sticklers about going to Mass,” he says. “Also in my parish, Our Lady of Fatima Church, we have regular catechism. When I was a child, it was in the evening, 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., and I was a regular, not only myself but my brothers and my sister.”
Fr. Toniyo says he thought about the priesthood when he was still a boy. He remembers raising his hand when his fourth-grade catechism teacher asked if anyone in the class wanted to become a priest. He says that teacher, Jayaseeli David, was one of the early influences in his vocation journey. “After ordination, I called her and said, ‘I became a priest, and I am very grateful to you because you were one of the instruments in that,’” he says. “She is a very devout Catholic.”
Fr. Toniyo says he was an altar server until he left to attend a boarding school in the eighth grade. He says vocation promoters from many different orders often visited the school, and he chose the Heralds of Good News despite not knowing much about them. Fr. Toniyo says his first year at the minor seminary was difficult because his native language of Tamil was not spoken there. He considered quitting, but with encouragement from his parents, he decided to continue. “I went back to the seminary, and after my first year of minor seminary formation, I never looked back,” he says. “My parents were really guiding me, and they were helping me.”
He describes his ordination in 2013 and celebrating his first Mass at his home church as wonderful moments. “That was my dream,” he says. “I did not allow anyone to preach at my first Mass. I preached myself. I wanted to talk about my vocation experiences.”
Fr. Toniyo’s first assignment was in the northeastern part of India in the Archdiocese of Guwahati. “That was kind of a new experience to me because the state is filled with different tribes of people. I was working among the people of Garo, and the language was something new for me. I really did not know any of their language or culture,” he says. The people, he says, were poor, with most not having electricity, something that has since changed. He describes it as a difficult time but credits two priests there for guiding him. “They really helped me to mingle with the people, and especially, they arranged for a teacher to learn the language,” he says. Through his two years there, he built relationships with the people, and he says that eight years later, they still write to ask him when he will be coming back.
After that assignment, he returned to studies and then began teaching philosophy at the major seminary in Khammam. He then served as administrator of a nursery and primary school, his last assignment before coming to Maine.
Fr. Toniyo says he is looking forward to returning to parish ministry, saying he still cherishes the two years he spent with the Garo people. “Any priest who is ordained loves to work in a parish. We like to be working in parishes — meeting people, administering the sacraments, which I missed for almost seven years,” he says.