VERY REV. FR. GERARD FRANCIS OMI
Rev. Fr. Gerard Francis, OMI, the Founder and Director General of the Society of St. Eugene De Mazenod (SDM). He was born in Kodaikanal on 8th June 1955 in the Archdioceses of Madurai. His father is a Hindu Convert belonging to the shiva pillai sect. His mother was a convert from Islam. He was educated in Kodaikanal at St. John’s elementary school up to 2nd standard. Afterwards, he studied up to the 5th standard in RCM school- kodaikanal. He had his higher studies up to SSLC in the government school, Kodaikanal. After his Higher Secondary School Education, yielding to the call of God, he joined the Congregation of Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) and was ordained to the priesthood in the year 1979 by Rt. Rev. Dr. Michael Augustine, the Archbishop Emirates of the Archdiocese of Pondicherry-Cuddalore. Soon after his priestly ordination, he was asked to go to Bangladesh country to serve God and His people there as a missionary for ten years. Then he came to serve the people in India. During his priestly life, he studied Masters in Arts and Philosophy at Kamaraj University in Madurai and Licentiate in Dogmatic Theology at Sacred Heart Seminary, Shillong, India. He also did his M Phil in Gandhian thought at Kamaraj University in Madurai.