Fr. Ekka, missionary priest from India, returns home after 14 years

Father Alexis Ekka entrusted his health and safety to Almighty God upon arriving in Jefferson City 14 years and three months ago.

The Lord provided.

“God has kept me safe and sound and healthy, even though I am a diabetic patient,” said the missionary priest from the Diocese of Jashpur in India.

“My diabetes has been all under control, and although I was completely new to driving, in all the years I’ve been here, I’ve never even had a scratch on my car or so much as a flat tire,” he said.

Fr. Ekka’s bishop recently summoned him to return to his home diocese, completing a mission that was originally intended to last three years.

“I’m going to miss the people here,” Fr. Ekka said on Jan. 13, the morning before he departed for Kunkuri, see city of the Jashpur diocese.

“I’ll miss how smoothly things are done here, especially during my time in the hospital — how courteous the doctor and nurses are,” he said.

Since arriving in this diocese in the Fall of 2010, Fr. Ekka served as associate pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Jefferson City; then as pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Palmyra; then as pastor of St. Ann Parish in Warsaw, St. Bernadette Parish in Hermitage and the Mission of Ss. Peter and Paul in Cole Camp; then as pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Eldon and Our Lady of Snows Parish in Mary’s Home.

He retired from pastoral duties this past July, taking up residence in Visitation Rectory in Vienna and helping with Mass coverage whenever needed.

He said serving in this diocese taught him new ways to carry out his pastoral duties.

“In India, it’s still pretty much that pastor is the boss, and he runs the whole show almost by himself,” he noted.

“But here, I learned how to run the parish with the help of the parishioners — pastoral council, finance council and recently the stewardship council,” he said. “This is a great learning point which will help me continue my ministry in India.”

He’s also become more open-minded and tolerant of things that are different from what he grew up with, he said.

Saintly blessings

Bishop Emmanuel Kerketta of Jashpur visited this diocese several times since Fr. Ekka’s arrival here, including for the 150th anniversary of St. Joseph Parish in Palmyra in 2016.

That occasion marked the first time two bishops were present in that church.

The Jashpur diocese has a surplus of priests, as well as a bishop who appreciates the worldwide dimensions of Jesus’ Great Commission: “Go and make disciples of all nations ...” (Matthew 28:19).

Accordingly, Fr. Ekka, ordained in 1981, has spent more than half of his Priesthood ministering away from home.

He was the first from his diocese to volunteer to work among the aboriginal people of Australia in the diocese of Darwin, Northern Territory, in 2006-07.

His goal was to help lead people to Christ beyond his homeland while getting better at connecting with people who are waiting to hear the Gospel in his backyard.

He conducted mission appeals for four summers in parishes throughout the United States under the Missionary Co-op Plan of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith.

He assisted at a Milwaukee parish from 1983-85 while obtaining a master’s degree in journalism at Marquette University.

He later served in temporary parish assignments in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Youngstown, Ohio.

As a young seminarian, he interviewed St. Teresa of Kolkata for a Catholic newspaper.

“I can still feel the touch of her saintly hand holding mine when we greeted each other,” he said.

He also worked with sisters of Mother Teresa’s order as a seminarian in a nearby treatment facility for people with leprosy.

“You could say she has blessed me several times,” he said.

Joys and sorrows

In 2000, during Fr. Ekka’s time in Youngstown, he traveled with some friends to St. Louis for a Catholic Charismatic convention.

“And in the crowd, accidentally or coincidentally or providentially, I met some people from the Diocese of Jefferson City,” he said.

They invited him to come to Central Missouri.

So, in 2010, after newly ordained Bishop Kerketta gave him permission to take a missionary leave of absence, Fr. Ekka applied to spend time in the Jefferson City diocese.

“I like serving others and helping others,” the priest stated. “I guess I have what you’d call a missionary-orientation type of mind. I like working as a missionary. I like to work for others.”

Nonetheless, being a missionary can be difficult, with separation from family and lifelong friends being the hardest part.

When Fr. Ekka first came to the United States over 40 years ago, there were no telephones in his home diocese.

“So, I couldn’t even talk to them,” he said. “At that time, the pain of separation from my family was very grave.

“But, luckily, these days, with good technology, we can have video chat and things like that,” he said. “That makes it easier.”

Strange language

Fr. Ekka was well accustomed to U.S. culture by the time he got to Jefferson City, but not the first time he came to the United States.

“It was a big shock in 1983,” he said.

Arriving in New York, he came to an escalator in the airport terminal and didn’t know how to use it.

“Then, when I was leaving, the automatic doors suddenly opened and I was scared to death!” he said.

The priest who picked him up there at the airport said, “Let’s go and have a bite.”

“I had never heard that phrase in our Indian English,” Fr. Ekka recalled. “I was wondering what kind of ‘bite’ he was talking about.”

That’s when he learned about hamburgers and hot dogs.

“I remember thinking, ‘How can one eat a cooked dog?’” he said. “That’s what I thought they were eating here when they said ‘hot dogs.’”

Over time, the young priest became acclimated with local customs, phrases and cuisine, just as airports in India acquired escalators and automatic doors.

One thing he continued to miss about home were the elaborate decorations and celebrations, especially at Mass.

Looking ahead

Fr. Ekka noted that in recent years, the Jefferson City diocese has done a good job of helping missionary priests from other countries acclimate themselves to life in this country.

“Still, it may take some time for new missionary priests to get adjusted to the situations here, the food here, culture, language and especially the accent of American English,” he said.

For missionary priests coming to serve in this diocese, Fr. Ekka recommends a healthy dose of open-mindedness.

“Be ready to accept the cultural differences you face here,” he advised. “Otherwise, it will be very difficult for you.”

Having visited home several times, he said the Jashpur diocese hasn’t changed very much in the 14 years he’s been here.

“It’s basically the same bishop of the same diocese,” he said. “Except that with help from the Mission Office (of the Jefferson City diocese), we have been able to build a few churches here and there and some schools.”

Fr. Ekka said he’s grateful to Bishop Emeritus John R. Gaydos, who led the Jefferson City diocese from 1997-2018, and Bishop W. Shawn McKnight for allowing him to minister to the people here and grow with them in relationship with God.

He’s also thankful for all the people who helped him minister and develop relationships between this diocese and his own.

He noted that several priestly classmates in his home diocese have passed away.

Therefore, he asked for prayers for continued health and longevity, “so that I may continue to serve God and his people for a long time to come.”

He said people who plan to travel to India are welcome to visit him and his diocese.

He can be reached by email: alexekka@hotmail.com.