Story and photography by Michael Cooney | For On Mission
OSHKOSH — When you meet Fr. Louis Golamari, the first thing you notice is his calm joy — a quiet steadiness that comes from someone who has lived his vocation through challenge, distance and deep faith.
Raised Catholic in a country where fewer than one percent share that faith, he now shepherds the thriving St. Jude the Apostle Parish in Oshkosh. His story bridges continents, cultures and the unbroken thread of a priestly call that began in childhood.
Being Catholic in India is both a blessing and a challenge, Fr. Golamari said.
“It’s hard living our faith as a minority. People look at you and say, ‘You have Hindu blood in you,’ as if Catholicism doesn’t belong. For many, being Indian means being Hindu. But once you embrace the faith, you just live it — whether people recognize it or not.”
Fr. Golamari grew up surrounded by Hindu and Muslim neighbors.
“Muslims accepted us a little more because they, too, are a minority,” he said. “And most Hindus, even if they didn’t understand our faith, respected the way we live and pray together as a community. Many of the poor came to us for prayers. They didn’t need to understand the Mass — they believed in the power of prayer. That always gave me hope.”
From childhood, he felt drawn toward the priesthood.
“As a child, I wanted to be a priest, though I didn’t know what it meant,” Fr. Golamari said. “Sunday always meant going to Mass, no matter what. Every evening, our family prayed the Rosary before dinner. The priests and nuns encouraged us to attend daily Mass, and that life of prayer just drew me in. Nobody told me to become a priest — it was simply a call I felt in my heart.”
Fr. Golamari’s priesthood began in India, where he served as a teacher, pastor, principal and diocesan administrator — roles he never sought but accepted in obedience.
“I saw it as God using me in different ways,” he said. “I felt humbled by the responsibilities given to me so early. Many times I felt inexperienced or unqualified, but when the bishop showed confidence in me, I surrendered it to prayer and went on.
“What encouraged me was seeing how we could touch lives — students in schools, parishioners in the diocese. I often thought of Mother Teresa’s words: ‘I am just a pencil in the hand of God.’ Who am I to be given these responsibilities? But when I saw God working so powerfully through them, I knew he was leading.”
Fr. Golamari admitted that the shift from pastoral to administrative work brought its own conflict.
“I always understood priesthood as celebrating Mass and administering the sacraments,” he said. “When I became principal of a school or director of a college, I sometimes wondered, ‘Did God really call me to this?’ But later, I saw that God uses us in many ways to touch lives. Whether in a classroom, an office or a parish, it’s all part of his plan. Once God calls, he finds the work for us to do.”
That call eventually took him to Wisconsin.
“I always had a small desire to serve in a far-off place,” he said. “The word Catholic means universal. When I asked my bishop to relieve me of some duties, I told him I’d like to serve elsewhere. He supported it — and soon I was on my way.”
At St. Jude the Apostle Parish, Fr. Golamari helped guide the parish through the difficult months of the pandemic and back into full life.
“There’s no secret,” he said. “During COVID, we decided that even if we couldn’t meet in person, we would stay connected. We called parishioners, checked on those in need, and met every week as a staff. We never said the parish was closed. I told the staff, ‘Find your own ways of reaching people — there’s no single answer.’
“They worked day and night to keep people connected. When restrictions ended, our parishioners came back because they had never felt forgotten.”
When asked why young people should consider the priesthood today, Fr. Golamari paused.
“It’s a beautiful vocation,” he said. “God chooses weak and ordinary people and gives them the grace to touch countless lives. A priest walks with people in every season — joy and sorrow, celebration and grief. Tell me, which other vocation lets you do that?”
“I don’t think of it as a profession — it’s a call. You listen, you walk with people, you hold their confidence. When someone opens their heart to you, that’s a sacred moment. It’s a privilege.”
Fr. Golamari believes discernment grows through conversation and example.
“Young men need to talk with priests and hear their stories,” he said. “When they see the joy behind the service, they’ll understand what it really means to be called.”
“I want to love people,” said Fr. Golamari, speaking of what he wanted to leave behind. “Love may sound like a big word, but it’s the one language everyone understands. People may not always get my words or my ways, but they can feel when love is genuine. I’ve been blessed to be loved in every community I’ve served. In Chicago, when I knew no one, people embraced me as I was.”
Before coming to Oshkosh, Fr. Golomari served in Chicago as the national chaplain for the Christian Family Movement, a Catholic lay organization that seeks to promote Christ-centered marriage and family life.
“Here in Oshkosh, I feel the same warmth,” he said. “More than sermons or programs, people remember how you live and how you make them feel. Love is the language of Jesus. That’s why he made it his greatest commandment: Love God and love one another.”
Fr. Golamari’s story is one of humility and conviction — a priest who sees his vocation not as a position of authority but as a lifelong act of love and joy. “I am just a pencil in the hand of God,” he repeats, not as a metaphor but as a truth learned through faith, surrender and service.