I cherish Saint Francis De Sales’ saying, Bloom where you are planted, and I attempt to follow this maxim in my life. 

Before I accepted the position of parish priest of St Boniface Okehampton, Bishop Christopher Budd asked me to make a visit here to find out if I liked it. This was back in 2010, in the middle of hot summer. As soon as I saw the church, I fell in love with it, since it gave me a welcoming feeling and felt instantly cool. When I came to take charge of the church in the bitter cold winter of 2011, I began to regret this coolness! However, my missionary spirit did not give up, and I decided to plant myself here in order to bloom eventually. The bishop, the dean, the episcopal vicar of the diocese, and the outgoing priest at that time were all good to me as I moved into the parish. 

They recognised that, as the first non-European priest, everything may feel strange, especially for a Tamil Indian a long way from home. The people of Chagford held a welcome party within a few months of my arrival, and ‘Fr Darline’s Lunch’ became an annual event until the Covid-19 restrictions. The love and the caring warmth from parishioners and others enabled me to pay less attention to the cold of the buildings and the moor. I am now the second longest serving priest in the 102-year history of St Boniface having been here for nearly 12 years. I found my ministry and life at Okehampton and Chagford really fulfilling and highly rewarding. Throughout my stay here I have been involved with academia and research work in addition to my parish ministry. Yet I have spent quality time with people, from conducting important services in their lives to going out in the middle of the night to offer the last sacrament to the dying and accompanying the grieving while waiting for the emergency services to arrive. We are one of the very few parishes in the country that gave uninterrupted services online during Covid-19. This is because since 2011 we have been live-streaming our church services to the housebound and family and friends overseas. My book, Fiery learning from the pastoral frontline, recalls some of my experiences during my time here. My interest in writing for various magazines and newspapers, especially the Okehampton Times, has the community concerns at the forefront. I try to make the cry of the voiceless and the less fortunate loud and clear in all my writings, republished as a book as 101 Issues. The Okehampton Town Council welcomed and recognised me at every opportunity, resulting in me becoming the mayoral chaplain for two consecutive terms. Many past mayors and councillors have become very good friends as have many others. I want to thank every one of you for your welcome, friendship, care and love.  I feel sad and sorry to leave, but I am aware that my vocation is to be a Catholic priest, which calls to be available to wherever I am sent and take whatever responsibility is given. I want to add that, despite my good will and efforts, I have my own failures and limitations that may not have impressed some people, and for that I apologise. However, I feel confident to say that I have bloomed where I was planted, and therefore like to repeat what St Paul said, “I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith” (2 Tim 4:7). 

May God bless you all. 

Father Darline Joseph Marianathan

St Boniface Okehampton & Holy Family Chagford