The BeatiDudes Find Your Own Calcutta | Anand Bheemarasetti | Episode #145
Anand Bheemarasetti is a modern missionary, business entrepreneur, media specialist, and community organizer who has dedicated himself to a life of service by following the inspiration of St. Mother Theresa of Calcutta.
After outfitting the BeatiDudes with traditional Indian clothing, Anand shares his story of his roots and his transition to the United States. He had moved to Nebraska and was searching for a place to fit in. He was welcomed by a family who helped to set him on the right path. He was brought into various programs at his parish and started hanging out with seminarians, too.
Then, he was introduced to FOCUS through a Bible study that blew his mind. These young people were sharing faith and praying together outside of church. He also attended the FOCUS conference later that year.
While meeting with his spiritual director, it became clear that Anand’s vocation would not be priesthood. Instead, he set his sights on joining FOCUS as a missionary. His first year as a missionary was spent at Bradley University, followed by Illinois State University and the University of Colorado in Boulder, before he worked in marketing at the FOCUS headquarters.
At the start of FOCUS, Anand knew about the one-year rule of no dating, so he started a friendship with the young lady who would eventually become his wife. Their courtship story is a great testament to building a strong foundation and playing the long game.
Anand shares the inspiration that led to his current nonprofit. He had led mission trips to India and then started a media effort to bring Catholicism to YouTube through a series called Ask a Bishop. Then he decided to make a documentary in both Calcutta and Rome during the time of Mother Theresa’s canonization. As he started editing the footage, he heard the words repeatedly, “Find your own Calcutta.” That led to the start of Project Finding Calcutta, a service-focused ministry that provides opportunities for people to gather each week to perform corporal works of mercy.
On Blessed are the Joke Makers, the Dudes must take on the persona of a fed-up waiter or waitress to address the prompt, “I saw visions of ____ after _____.”
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