Deacon Alvin Joys' last name is not a misnomer.

The joy in the heart of the 29-year-old was evident throughout his phone interview with The Catholic Register.

Fr. Kevin Belgrave, a moral theology professor at St. Augustine’s Seminary, said Joys has exemplified this fruit of the spirit continually since he became a seminarian in the autumn of 2017.

“In some ways, it’s almost too easy to say he lives his last name very naturally,” said Belgrave, who directs St. Augustine’s Institute of Theology and lay spiritual formation program. “It is such a wonderful quality to imagine in a priest, someone who is affable and friendly, who just creates that approachability and welcome that draws people not just to him but them together.”

Joys, who will be ordained to the priesthood this spring alongside four of his seminary mates, said he is mindful about wanting to epitomize his surname.

“We are meant to be shepherds and ultimately point people to Christ,” said Joys. “The way that I can do that, I hope, is through my own last name by trying to be a joyful presence — a joyful witness of what a life of Christ is like.”

No joke: his mother’s surname is Lovely.

Joys moved to Canada with his family from India in 2000 as a four year old. His uncle, a Syro-Malabar priest, was a great early role model. Fr. Joshy Thevalakkara struck Joys as interesting as “he was just doing something so different than everyone else.”

Joys also appreciated the contrast between witnessing Thevalakkara in his ritualistic element and him coming over for visits and just being an uncle and brother to his father.

Immigrating to Ontario and acclimatizing to Canadian culture was a relatively smooth process for the Joys family. Many classmates of his parents also migrated to Canada around the same time so there was a solid social foundation. After spending a brief period in Etobicoke, they established roots in Woodbridge, north of the city.

Joys soon participated in various ministries, including altar serving, at St. Padre Pio Parish. He later became involved in Syro-Malabar services at St. Alphonsa Cathedral of Mississauga.

Spending his teenage years serving the Jesus Youth was particularly formational and seminal. Joys enjoyed the many fellowship, service and faith-building opportunities afforded to him through his involvement, but one experience stands out.

At age 17, Joys and a good friend travelled to India for a mission trip.

“It was a little crazy that we were even able to go. I don’t know what my parents were thinking,” joked Joys.

“We spent a week with the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta and then spent a month in northeast India in the small town in the mountains of a state called Nagaland. We spent (time) working with the youth — teaching them to pray, doing praise and worship and (helping) them in the schools. That was a beautiful, beautiful experience.”

Upon graduating high school, Joys pursued a degree in computer engineering from the University of Waterloo. His studies enabled him to secure gigs with various software companies.

Joys', well, joy for technology is still apparent today as he is the seminary’s “de facto tech IT guy.”

During his initial years as a student, Joys admitted he found himself “slipping from the faith a bit,” but devoting time to deep thought and contemplation inspired him to recommit to the faith. He realized “the peace that the Lord offers is so much greater than anything that the world can offer.”

The pivotal moment of vocational transformation came during a family drive through the Canadian Rockies as he was finishing university and deciding what he wanted to do.

“The Lord, I felt Him asking this question in my heart: 'wouldn't it be great to serve the God who created all this?' I hadn’t thought about that question. For me, the only answer that seemed to land at that moment was the priesthood, which was strange because I hadn’t thought of being a priest for such a long time. When I landed on that answer, I just felt my heart kind of inflamed and it felt like the right thing.”

The Lord granted him grace and peace in that moment, and later God gifted Joys with supportive professors and spiritual mentors at St. Augustine’s Seminary.

His fellow seminarians — “incredible, amazing men" — have been a blessing too. Joys said it is “iron sharpening iron.” They help each other grow and challenge each other when necessary. They also know how to have a good time together playing sports, games and just hanging out.

Based on tradition, Joys and the four other transitional deacons in his class will be ordained in May. 

Joys wants to be a priest who gives his all to the congregation he serves. Last summer, while visiting his uncle in India, he got a glimpse of what a true witness looks like.

“We went for a sick call to this young woman who is 19 years old with cancer in the leg,” reminisced Joys. “And so her leg had to be amputated and that cancer had come back. He came to give her communion and just to (spend) time there.

“For me, I think that was a very impactful moment because one of those things that I see as challenging is journeying with people who are struggling. Seeing how approached that situation and how he offered the love of Christ, and just his presence and prayer was a powerful moment for me just of what it means to be a priest.”