Jesuit Retreat Center In India

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Gaurav Shroff

Gaurav Shroff. Gaurav, who was raised as a westernized upper caste Hindu in India, first encountered the Catholic faith through hearing Gregorian chant at his high school in Mumbai: "The sublime music of the Mass undoubtedly assured me of God's presence; the Gregorian chants elevated my spirits, creating in me a sense of awe for the Sacred. I was instinctively drawn by the aesthetic beauty of the Eucharist and this experience filled my heart with immense joy." A year later, he attended a Good Friday service and participated in the veneration of the cross: "As I knelt down and kissed the Cross, I vividly remember the clear voice in my heart saying to me: 'I died for you,' and I began to weep unashamedly, and though I did not understand what it meant, I was certain, that the Crucified Christ loved me. Then it wasn't about music anymore, I wanted to learn more about this Jesus. Either Jesus was completely crazy or he was God." Remarkably, Gaurav sensed a call to the priesthood before he was baptized: He began reading everything about the Catholic faith, the Bible and regularly went for Sunday Mass. IN 1993, GAURAV WENT TO A JESUIT RETREAT PRAYING ALONE AT NIGHT BEFORE THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. I STRONGLY FELT THE PRESENCE OF THE DIVINE, THE DEEP LOVE OF GOD FOR ME, AND IN THE DARKNESS, I WAS ILLUMINATED: MY LIFE BELONGED TO JESUS, TO KNOW HIM, TO LOVE HIM AND TO SERVE HIM. THIS WAS MY MISSION AND VOCATION. I FELT CALLED TO BE A PRIEST." ON THE FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION, 1994, GAURAV WAS BAPTIZED (WITH THE BLESSING OF HIS FATHER) AND THEN MOVED TO THE US WHERE HE EARNED A MASTER'S DEGREE IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES AND WORKED IN CAMPUS MINISTRY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA. AFTER EXPLORING A POSSIBLE CALL TO RELIGIOUS PRIESTHOOD WITH THE PAULISTS IN WASHINGTON DC (WHERE I ORIGINALLY MET HIM) GAURAV DISCERNED A SPECIFIC CALL TO DIOCESAN PRIESTHOOD AND WAS ACCEPTED AS A SEMINARIAN FOR THE ARCHDIOCESE OF ATLANTA IN 2007. THEY KEEP GAURAV INCREDIBLY BUSY AT MOUNT ST. MARY'S IN EMMITSBURG THESE DAYS BUT HE STILL MANAGES TO SQUEEZE IN CALLED ">LINK (HERE) TO SIENA.ORG