WALTHAM -- Alfreda and Alexandra Antonyraj can't imagine being apart.

The fraternal twins have coexisted since the womb, where they were a surprise and a blessing to their parents. Their parents' first child, a boy, was stillborn. At one of the many prayer meetings they attended in their home state of Tamil Nadu, India, they were told that after the loss of their first child, they would receive "double blessings." They later found out that they had twins on the way.

"That's kind of like a miracle story," Alfreda Antonyraj said.

For the first 22 years of their lives, the twins have seldom been separated. They have a habit of finishing each other's sentences and have codewords and inside jokes known only to each other. They attend Mass daily at Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted Parish in Waltham, and serve as cantors at every Sunday Mass.

They love to sing because it's something they can do together. When it's just the two of them in church, they sing. It's their preferred form of prayer. As kids, they would sing and play around the house together. They would read the same books and discuss them. Recently, they started cooking and baking together. They have known since kindergarten that they wanted to be doctors.

They attended Our Lady's Academy, the parish school, from pre-K to eighth grade, then taught after-school classes there. They attended high school at the now-closed St. Joseph Prep in Brighton, the College of the Holy Cross, and Northeastern University, where they both graduated with degrees in psychology this spring.

"Everyone knows that we're inseparable, and we've done everything together, so that connection, the fact that we have done everything the same and together, will always be there," said Alexandra Antonyraj.

When it came time to pursue further education, they resolved not to do it at all if they couldn't do it together. They applied to all the same schools and prayed that they would be accepted together.

"We prayed about it, and we asked God if it's what he wants us to do, and that would happen," Alfreda Antonyraj said. "It did."

The twins were both accepted into medical school at Brunel University of London, where they will share an apartment.

After Mass on the morning of Aug. 3, the twins were treated to a breakfast in their honor. Parishioners who had known them since they were in preschool lined up to say their goodbyes.

"They will be missed, but their role here, as with any one of us, is to bring our faith wherever we go for the glory of God," said Father James DiPerri, pastor of Our Lady's.

Eric DiGuilio has known the twins since they were about as old as his daughters, three-year-old Jasmine and five-year-old Maya, are now. The Antonyrajes are their role models.

"I think they see the girls at the front of the church, and it sets an example for them as they come to church every Sunday," he said.

"You guys are so famous!" his wife, Stephanie DiGuilio, told the twins. "I was waiting to see you."

The twins aren't used to being surrounded by admirers.

"We've been kind of shy and introverted, so being the center of attention was different, and it really brought us out of our comfort zone," Alfreda Antonyraj said. "But since it was here in Our Lady's and people that we know, we were able to get through it. And it was definitely very touching to see how much people appreciate us and love us."

The twins came to the U.S. from India with their parents when they were toddlers. They briefly lived in Florida, New Jersey, and Connecticut before settling in Waltham. Most of their relatives live in India, so Our Lady's became a second family to them.

"Since most people have seen us grow up, they really did become like family members to us, and coming here feels like coming home," Alfreda Antonyraj said.

The twins began singing in the second grade, when they joined Our Lady's children's choir. They became cantors around the same time.

"We loved singing, and we started to go with lessons after that, and singing, especially at church, has become a major part of our Catholic faith," Alfreda Antonyraj said.

They sing regularly at St. Cecilia Parish and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston. They were nervous at first, but their time singing at Our Lady's kept them grounded. They were part of the choir that sang at the installation Mass of Archbishop Richard G. Henning in October 2024.

"We were so grateful to God to have such an opportunity to sing in such a beautiful church like the cathedral for the bishop," Alfreda Antonyraj said.

Their favorite hymns include "The King of Love, My Shepherd Is" and the "Adoro te devote" by St. Thomas Aquinas. Both hymns are comforting to them.

"Anybody can sing if they have the practice and the teaching," Alexandra Antonyraj said, "but when we sing, especially when it comes to singing for God, it does give us a sense of peace, like I know prayer does, and sitting before the Eucharist does. But singing also, especially when we sing together, we feel that we feel God's presence."

After Mass, parishioners sometimes tell the twins that they felt healed by their singing.

"When other people come and share their experiences with us, that is what really encourages us and tells us that 'Oh, you are making a difference through God.'" Alexandra Antonyraj said.

"We feel like God definitely does work through our music," she added.

When they feel pressured by academic demands, they take breaks from their studies to sing. The sisters recently started a YouTube channel called "Walk with Faith" where they sing their favorite hymns.

"We found a lot of joy in doing that," Alfreda Antonyraj said. "We can use our creativity and also our joy for singing for God as well in that YouTube channel."

"It's a good way to spend a few minutes every day to relieve yourself from the stress and the work of the reality of life," Alexandra Antonyraj said.

The twins said they weren't sure whether they wanted to attend school abroad at all, because they knew they would miss the community at Our Lady's.

"That's why we prayed about it, asking God to show us what is the right way," Alfreda Antonyraj said. "And we're happy for our time here. It's not over. We will be back, and we know that we will always have a place here."

They plan to stay together for the rest of their lives, living in the same neighborhood. They often worry that the demands of their personal and professional lives will separate them.

"We definitely worry about it," Alexandra Antonyraj said, "but we know God, that God has been keeping us together all this time, and he will be. That's what we pray for."