Welcome aboard, Father Alwin! We are blessed you have joined our Catholic Parishes of Arlington family!
Father Alwin Joseph Chinnappan was born in Ammanpettai, Tamil Nadu State, India, on Aug. 16, 1992, Father Alwin is the youngest of three brothers in the Chinnappan family. The family’s home parish is Our Lady of Refuge in Ammanpettai. Father Alwin attended local Catholic schools in the Diocese of Kumbakonam, before attending the Government Arts & Sciences College in Kumbakonam - graduating with a degree in Physics. Upon his decision to discern a call to the sacred priesthood for his home diocese, he entered the seminary in India, and later accepted an opportunity offered by Bishop Antonysamy Francis to transfer to Saint John’s Seminary in Brighton, where he completed his studies. Father Alwin served his diaconate assignment at Saint Michael the Archangel Parish in Winthrop. He was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal Seán O’Malley on May 22, 2021 at The Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston. His first priestly assignment is to the Catholic Parishes of Arlington, MA (Saint Agnes and Saint Camillus Parishes).
Father Alwin Chinnappan meets with Scot Landry to discuss his ordination, first weeks as a priest, the seeds of his vocation, why he thinks CPARL is the best first priestly assignment, and much more.
Topics Covered
0:18 | Moving Memories from His Ordination
2:37 | Celebrating His First Mass
4:04 | Standing “In Persona Christi”
6:08 | Giving First Priestly Blessings
8:24 | Hearing First Confessions
10:12 | Speaking the World’s Oldest Language & Growing Up in Southern India
11:58 | His Family & Home Parish
14:28 | Southern India is only 5% Catholic
16:33 | His Catholic Schooling
17:30 | His Favorite Subjects in School
18:21 | How He First Experienced a Priestly Call
20:15 | Entering Seminary at 15
22:50 | His Seminary Experiences in India
24:17 | Path to Studying at St. John’s Seminary in Boston
25:24 | Reaction to Being Sent to Study in the US
26:38 | Favorite Subjects at St. John’s Seminary
28:12 | Passion for US Church History
29:10 | Why CPARL Is a Great First Assignment
30:22 | His Excitement to be the ACHS Chaplain
33:00 | Advice to Young Men Discerning a Priestly Vocation
34:34 | His Favorite Hobbies
35:22 | His Favorite Food
36:13 | His Favorite Saints
37:14 | Mother Mary’s Influence on His Vocation
39:15 | His Favorite Scripture Passage
42:18 | His Prayer Requests