ENID, Okla. (AP) — When the Rev. Rajesh Mankena was assigned to leave his home in India to serve the Catholic Church in Oklahoma, he wasn't sure what to expect. Now, he oversees social services for 50 parishes back in India, but still returns annually to visit friends he made in Oklahoma's Catholic community.

Mankena first came to the United States in 2011 as part of a program that provides priests from the diocese of Nellore, in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, to parishes in Oklahoma.

He accepted a position as associate pastor at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church in Duncan. When the Rev. Joseph Irwin transferred from Duncan to St. Francis in Enid, Mankena transferred with him, and served as associate pastor at St. Francis Xavier, St. Gregory the Great, and St. Michael in Goltry from 2012-2015.

Mankena said when he arrived here in 2011, he was unsure of how his new parishioners would view a priest from India. He said it did not take long for that uncertainty to be dispelled.

"I was really scared about how people would receive me," he said, "but as the days went on the people loved me, and I loved them, and the church was really very vibrant.

"People here loved me so much, even though I'm not of their color, and I'm not of their language," Mankena said. "They loved me so much without seeing any differences."

He returned to his native India in 2015, worked as a school principal for a year at a parish school in Nellore, and has since worked as the diocesan director of a Catholic Charities social service center.

Mankena said his new position, which covers social services for 50 Catholic parishes, aims to give locals a path out of poverty.

"Almost all of the people there are very poor," Mankena said, "and our mission is to empower them."

The Enid News (http://bit.ly/2sQmISi ) reports that services focus on empowerment of youth, children and women, providing computer skills, driving courses, tailoring and other skills they can use to generate income. Mankena's office also works to provide locals with tuition, fees and the cost of uniforms for parish schools, to provide the destitute with an education that can improve their future.

In addition to direct services from Catholic Charities, Mankena also helps the parishes write grant applications and connect with resources from other non-governmental organizations.

When natural disasters occur, such as flooding, cyclones and typhoons, Mankena's work switches to coordinating Catholic Charities disaster relief.

"It is a big job, and a challenging job," Mankena said.

Coordinating relief and social services in Nellore involves ministering to the needs of more than just the local Catholic population. Christians make up less than 3 percent of the population in India, compared to Hindus and Muslims, who make up roughly 80 and 14 percent of the population, respectively.

Mankena said there has been some friction between the country's different religions, but in Nellore the groups typically live together peacefully, and work together in times of need.

"There is some tension, but mostly in the southern part of the country it's not a problem," Mankena said. "We go together like brothers and sisters with all the religions."

He said his role as the social service director in Nellore benefits not just Catholics, or Christians, but all of the population.

"As the director, I should not just concentrate on Christians, because we are for all people," Mankena said. "We work with Hindus, we work with Muslims, and we work with Christians — regardless of caste and religion."

Mankena said there's one attribute of his former Oklahoma parishes he'd like to take back to India: the spirit of volunteerism.

"Here there's a lot of people involved in the church," Mankena said. "There, it's seen more like the priests' church. People will volunteer, but we have to call them. Here, people will just come to do a lot of the work for the service of the church and the people."

Mankena said when he goes home to India it is with the love and support of his former parishioners here — an asset in his demanding job back in Nellore.

"I am so blessed," he said, "to have a good number of friends who support me and pray for me."

In return, he offered some simple, lasting advice.

"I tell them to be happy, and to be good Christians all the time," Mankena said. "That is the message I give to all people."

Mankena is scheduled to return to India next Tuesday.

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Information from: Enid News & Eagle, http://www.enidnews.com