Ashvin Andrew a/l Xavier

Kuala Lumpur

I trace back the decision to join the seminary to certain graces that I received in my life. To begin, I was blessed to be part of a very loving family. Home was and always will be a place of love. The thought of becoming a priest crossed my mind one evening after mass in January 2006. I met and spoke with Fr. Michael Chua (the then Assistant Parish Priest of the Church of the Visitation, Seremban). He journeyed with me and welcomed me to join him on his trips to celebrate Mass in the outskirts of Seremban. This led to me joining the stay-in experience programme in College General which gave me a glimpse of life as a seminarian and some insights on the priesthood. At that time, I was also serving and reaching out to children from underprivileged backgrounds at the Infant Jesus Learning Centre at Kg. Pasir, Seremban. This brought great joy which stemmed from a deep sense of gratitude for the life I have been blessed with.

The years after was spent in college and later working at AirAsia. During this time, priesthood was furthest from my mind. However, this changed when I met Fr. Gregory Chan who was posted to my parish. In the next 2 ½ years I spent most of my free time with him. I accompanied him on his pastoral visits to the hospital, for house blessings, and visiting the sick and the homebound. It was through this exposure of meeting and praying with the sick, making the sacraments available for the people and being available for others that the call and attraction to the priesthood grew and remained inside me.

It also was during this time that I met a girl and later committed myself to a relationship with her with the purpose of discerning marriage. She was loving, kind, committed, and most importantly a God-fearing girl. However, I often held back in making a commitment to marriage. I traced this hesitation to a growing feeling of tension within me. Whenever I attended Mass, an ordination, or when I encountered a joyful priest, I often felt a growing desire to follow in their footsteps.

During my time in prayer and reflection while undergoing spiritual direction to make a decision with Fr. Norris Seenivasan, SJ, I began to feel a deep calling to make my life available for a multitude of people. After realizing this, I felt a great calm, almost as if I had finally found my purpose in life. After making the difficult decision to end the relationship, I continued to journey with Fr. Gregory Chan. He guided me in deepening my prayer life, heard my confessions and speak to me about the realities of the priesthood. The Carmelite Friars in Seremban in particular Fr. Kenneth and Fr. Nicholas were pillars of support and encouragement. Their wisdom on prayer and spiritual life helped me deepen my relationship with Jesus.

Throughout this journey, I have experienced God’s love and mercy especially through the Sacraments. I believe that my primary call in life is to be in a loving relationship with our Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus. This is to be done through unceasing prayer. I also sense a loving invitation from Our Lord to be in that relationship and to serve the people around me by living my life as a priest one day. It is definitely God’s love and grace that has brought me to the seminary, and it is His grace and love that will carry me through this beautiful journey and beyond.

Ashvin