March 2007 Print

Dear Friends and Benefactors,

The India Mission closes out the year 2006 with a flurry of activity in the priory, hostel, orphanage, academy, and circuit chapels. Certainly we can say that God rains down His graces with superabundance upon this parched land. Simultaneous with torrential downpours this monsoon season (with record-breaking levels of rain), the souls entrusted to our care have made great progress by a generous outpouring of divine favors.

 

The Nav Jeevan Orphanage

India is a pagan society, and the child is the first one to pay for that, with 6 million abortions yearly, 15 million children slaves, 50 million orphans, and child prostitution. The second statistic got the attention of a young lady named Swarna Vongala five years ago. She had just finished her studies in computer engineering in Iowa, with a nice high-paying job to start her career–the Indian dream in its purest form. Inexplicably, she retraced her steps and returned to Cuddapah, in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, one of the hottest states of India, like Rajasthan or Tamil Nadu to a certain extent. She then set up the "Servi Domini," a locally approved society, rented a house, bought a plot for the future, and started to walk down the streets of Cuddapah in order to harvest samples of lost humanity. In a little time, 50 were on board the little Ark, one third of them being old folks, who, like the orphans, are the refuse of Indian society if they lack money. All of them smelled very bad and had to be washed thoroughly and clothed again, if not medically treated. Some had worms and lice, which stay under their skin for months. All the little ones were poorly educated in the beginning, but the cheerfulness of unspoiled childhood remains in addition to a total trust in those who have rescued them. It is by discovering their affection and their lack of distrust that one begins to realize the enormity of the sin committed against them a million times a year.

In the meantime, Swarna's cousin, Dr. Suneel, discovered the existence of Tradition (another brilliant subject, who likewise sacrificed a whole medical career in order to serve God). He then informed Swarna about the precious pearl hidden in the deserted field of India. Fr. Blute first paid a visit, and then Fr. Couture made several stops in Cuddapah. Swarna gives the impression of having always been a traditional Catholic, considering how all our arguments persuaded her without resistance, and her way of praying and behaving is devoid of all Novus Ordo-ish emotionalism. Fr. Summers always says, "Swarna means business." In a way she realizes that sentence of Solomon: "The ornament of the woman is her silence."

But all this didn't solve the issue of the Mass, since the Society is completely overstretched in India, with its 1,000 faithful dispersed over the south of the Deccan. Therefore a new plan came about: the whole little Telegu tribe (those who inhabit Andhra Pradesh) will have to pack. Swarna stripped the entire place down to the last valueless light and all the beds, fans, etc., were loaded in trucks that were sent one week ahead of time, leaving the little community with the bare necessities for its last days in Andhra. As a farewell, the local press accused Swarna of scheming the whole move in order to lay her hands on the orphanage's money from the sale of its property. The diocese joined the fray with the fulminations that are routine for us. Swarna responded to all of this with great calm.

One good day last January, the little group boarded the train for the 20-hour journey that separated them from Palayamkottai, accompanied by Fr. Couture. All in praise and admiration, they arrived the next day at 5:00am quite exhausted. They took up residence in a house that Mr. Selvaraj (our biggest local supporter) found for them. The buildings are ancient colonial houses, somewhat awkward, with a bizarre central staircase, caged from the inside. The owners are Muslims and the rent is a little expensive, but it will have to do for at least two years. Swarna is looking for an appropriate place to be able to make the orphanage grow.

Donations are slowly coming from the West, people being relieved now to know that they can give safely for the Third World without having their means misled and mismanaged by the Masonic and bureaucratized non-governmental organizations which, from what we can see from the ground, are far less effective than they claim. For instance, the World Bank gave a big loan to the city of Palayamkottai to establish a sewer system. Everything was done on the cheap because the money was entrusted to unscrupulous contractors, who, besides the bribes to the local politicians, made a big return by buying the cheapest pipes for the system. Roads simply became worse for two years, and the system is already broken before being finished. Charity, therefore, never works at a distance–you have to have somebody close to the misery of his neighbor.

Veritas Academy

Another big consequence of the establishment of the orphanage is that it triggered the opening of a school run by the Society itself, about a mile away from the priory. Frs. Blute and Summers were aware of the limitations of our hostel and always longed for something, but were not quite able to find a solution. With the coming of all these children, the whole problem became an emergency. We began the school in the priory for the first few weeks, the dormitories being turned into classrooms every day, and found that it is not so easy to get good teachers locally. With Dr. Suneel and others, however, we have a good pool of talent for the moment. The school system in India is not as perverted as our public school system, but it is nevertheless quite deficient. Once again, Selvaraj found us a place to rent right away, and there it is: the Veritas Academy. For textbooks, we use the program of Our Lady of Victory School, run by Scott Jones in Post Falls, Idaho. It seems to work perfectly on Indian minds. We only have 30 kids, half of them orphans, but it is good to start the real thing at last. It is almost overstaffed, but we want to do the right thing from the beginning.

The coming of the orphans is really a turning point for the mission of India. God gives us the opportunity to stoop a little bit lower to the misery of India, to extend hopefully the victory of Faith through that of Charity.

Besides the orphanage, we are building in Trichy and Ramanpudur [in Nagercoil–Ed.]. These projects had stalled in recent months for lack of funds, but both Fr. Summers and I tried to remedy the situation during our vacations, so the work has restarted. In Trichy, neighboring Hindus are objecting to us, but the local faithful answered that it was only a house and chapel for an old priest. As in Ramanpudur, we were consoled to see that they granted a big contribution for the building of a place, not yet what the Jesuits of old would request (the land and the walls), but approaching.

Even here, the priory was under some attacks by the BJP [the Bharatiya Janata Party–Ed.] and the VHP [the Vishva Hindu Parishad–Ed.], some Hindu parties that are, thanks be God, a small minority in Tamil Nadu (which is essentially dominated by regional ethnic and caste parties). Fr. Blute was mentioned explicitly in a rally of the BJP on the public square of Palayamkottai, and the VHP filed a complaint to the police against him, accusing him–hold your breath–of handing over CIA funds to some layman in order to force conversions. Fr. Blute is no longer here, and it was easy for that layman to refute the allegation (the police laughed at the matter), but it seems that we are at times attracting some local attention. Some Hindus don't like to see us going about with our stylish cassock(!) and sometimes we are advised to keep a low profile, but we cannot avoid occupying some public place in order to work.

Fr. Jackson left us for New Zealand because of poor health in India. The superiors did not insist he stay given the past history of the Society in India. If India doesn't like you, it can demolish a man. Fr. Valan has replaced him, and being a Tamilian, his knowledge of the local tongue is invaluable. It normally took 15 years for the Jesuits of old before they could start to preach in Tamil.

A Religious Foundation for South India

The months of September and October were witness to the long awaited visit of the Italian nuns from the Consoling Sisters of the Sacred Heart, a small but vibrant traditional religious community who made great sacrifices to come and spend some time with the ladies of the orphanage who desire to consecrate their souls to the Eternal Bridegroom. The first of November finished with a simple but moving "Lives of the Saints" production by the Veritas Academy children (thanks to many hours of behind the scenes labor from the teachers and staff). The orphanage also finished their purchase of a beautiful five acres of land some four miles down the road from the Most Holy Trinity Priory. The feast of the Immaculate Conception was splendidly celebrated with a High Mass followed by a picnic outing. The construction of St. Thomas Church is nearing its completion, to the great joy of the long-suffering parishioners in Ramanpudur. The India Mission continues its noble attempt to infuse Catholicism into the lifeblood of India.

The foundress of the Nav Jeevan Orphanage and her assistant spent several weeks in early summer of 2005 and late November (respectively) in Italy visiting a lesser-known traditional order of nuns by the name of the Institute of the Consoling Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Having seen the life of these nuns, both Miss Swarna and Miss Swarupa agreed that they would like to join this order of Sisters. Where does this order of Sisters originate and what is their history? They were founded in 1961 by a Passionist priest by the name of Fr. Basilio Rosati. The primary ends of the order are: to console the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to sanctify their own souls, to pray for priests, to help with religious instruction, to care for the elderly, and also to help in schools. After a long life of holiness and zeal, Fr. Basilio was nearing his death in 1996 and he called upon the SSPX in the person of Fr. Emmanuel du Chalard to take charge of the Sisters and to be their spiritual guide.

Obviously, the work of the orphanage and old age home in India can easily dovetail with the work of the Consoling Sisters of the Sacred Heart. Therefore, on August 21 three Sisters from the order traveled to south India along with their chaplain, Fr. Emmanuel du Chalard. Only two of the four visitors spoke English fluently and thus the priests of the Indian Mission, the Sisters, the chaplain, and the orphanage ladies all communicated with a mixture of hand signals, facial expressions, kitchen English, French, Italian, and Latin. Fr. Emmanuel was only able to stay for two weeks but the three Sisters were able to spend two months living at the orphanage. The main purpose of this privileged visit of the Sisters was in order get a grasp on the situation, to obtain good information "on location," and to make possible plans for the future with the ladies of the orphanage.

Altogether there are five women presently living at the orphanage waiting to go to the convent, and several other young ladies are anxiously awaiting the day of their entrance. The Consoling Sisters helped the ladies to set up a daily schedule of prayer, work, and recreation. The sight of religious habits (white, of course) walking around, talking, singing, and full of joy truly lit up the eyes of all the children and the parishioners. It has been many years since the south Indians have seen nuns in true religious garb since they now wear secular dress. The nuns and Fr. Emmanuel were happy with all that they witnessed, and plans to set up another house in south India are currently being drawn up.

After experiencing the magnificent driving customs of India, the priest and nuns admitted that they could no longer complain about Naples or Rome. They were pleased to see the conservative morals and hardiness which still hold place in rural south India, and realize that true religious life requires those predispositions which still exist here. The Sisters also visited several mission chapels to give talks to the parishioners on the religious life and to describe the daily schedule of a nun, especially in their institute. Many tears were shed at the departure of the nuns. All the adults noticed a remarkable change for the better in the girls after two months of cohabitation with the Sisters.

Episcopal Visits

The coming of a bishop to India is a rare event for the Society's mission here, but this year we were recently gratified with two visits, one of H.E. Bishop Tissier de Mallerais in late December 2005 and January 2006, and more recently of H.E. Bishop Williamson this last September.

Bishop Williamson arrived at Bombay International Airport on September 15th, a Friday afternoon, after a tiring flight from Europe. Fr. François Chazal and Fr. Summers were anxiously waiting to meet him at the terminal since both priests had been under the Bishop when he was Rector at St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Winona, Minnesota. Thanks to the generosity of some of the faithful, His Excellency was provided with a car for the three days he would spend in the sprawling metropolis. The first task was to find a good local restaurant to give the Bishop a sample of the tasty Indian fare. Fr. Chazal knew of a good "Guj arati" diner which provided a unique and delectable lunch. After the spices and sauces had been sampled, the Bishop and two escorting priests decided to see some of the interesting sights of the locality. Fr. Chazal guided them into the labyrinth mazes of the Dadar train station market. To the great amusement of Bishop Williamson, Fr. Chazal forged ahead into the small lanes teeming with buyers and sellers of all possible descriptions. The sights, sounds, and smells of the Dadar market finished, the trio made their way to the suburb of Malaad where an apartment was furnished for the hosting of the Bishop. The next day (Saturday) would be confirmations in the morning in a rented hall in the suburb of Bandra.

The rented hall was packed with nearly 130 people who came from all parts of Bombay to attend the ceremony of Confirmations and the sung Mass. On a small table in front of all those present the Bishop first consecrated a new chalice for the mission station so that all could see this ceremony, which is almost unknown to the faithful. The singing of the Veni Creator Spiritus began the ritual for the sacrament of Confirmation. One by one, more than 40 parishioners of all ages came forward to receive the graces and indelible mark of this powerful sacrament.

In his sermon, the Bishop asked the faithful to avoid the evil influence of the corrupted West and to give to the Church Catholic families with the number of children God wants them to have. His Excellency also said they should live without all the electronic gadgets that bring insanity and disruption, and to have a clear definition of the respective role of the father, mother, and children. The Bishop used very strong words against the destructive influence of television in the Catholic families and urged the Indian woman to remain the example of femininity that she still is in most parts of India.

Similar to Bishop Tissier de Mallerais on his visit ten months before, the patience of Bishop Williamson was quite impressive, always finding time to speak to people, to spend time for the photographs, to wait and keep smiling in the heat. After the socializing and photographs were finished, the two priests and the Bishop climbed into their car and headed north for a visit to Vasai. Specifically, they were going to visit a fishing village and old Portuguese fort where the traditional Mass is still said on occasion by Fr. Chazal. There all three visited the orphanage of a friend, the remains of the fort which was filled with churches and convents in ruins, and finally the fishing village nearby. He was most impressed by the seriousness of the work of the Portuguese there and the history of the place. There are a good number of historic churches built by the Portuguese missionaries, and one was even commissioned by St. Francis Xavier himself.

In the Footsteps of St. Thomas

In the local fishing village he was able to see for himself that there are still places where men and women can live in natural and normal circumstances even though the rest of the world is spiraling ever downwards in a technological dreamworld. The village was a resolute finish to a day of sightseeing. The Bishop was happy to see that there was little or no technology prevalent in the village to disrupt the normal and natural flow of their lives centered around their families and fishing and not around machines. Just like in every other place, it seems that big modern cities are the crushers of families. It will be interesting in the years to come to observe how these families will survive, because, so far, the Society can only provide a tiny survival monthly ration amounting to a Mass and the visit or a priest here and there. No schools, no retreat houses, no pilgrimages, no newspapers worthy of the name, no bookstores, youth groups or adult groups–just the bare necessity of survival.

Mid-morning on Sunday, the Bishop and Fr. Summers left by plane for the city of Chennai. Here Bishop Williamson was to celebrate a sung Mass for the hardy people of this capital city of Tamil Nadu. After a light lunch near the airport, some good parishioners escorted the Bishop and Fr. Summers to see the holy places in and around Chennai. First they visited and prayed at St. Thomas Mount, the place of the martyrdom of the Apostle St. Thomas. On this mount is the rock which was stained by the blood of St. Thomas when he was speared by the enemies of the Faith. Next to be seen was the famous St. Thomas Cathedral, which was built over the burial place of the great Apostle. There are still some remnants of his body there, but the greater part were taken to Europe many years ago. Ever mindful of the time, Fr. Summers got the group moving to the location for Mass. Thanks to the kindness of the correspondent of St. Anthony's School, an entire floor of the school was prepared for the Mass of the Bishop. However, only a short walking distance down the street was the famous cave of St. Thomas. In this cave there is a miraculous water well which has always provided drinking water, even when all other wells fail. This cave was the intermittent home of St. Thomas when he was being persecuted by the local ruler. Almost 1500 years later the great Apostle of the Indies, St. Francis Xavier, spent time in the local area and was known to pray throughout the night in this cave. Bishop Williamson was very edified by these pilgrimage places, which were almost unknown to him before his visit.

During the Holy Mass, Bishop Williamson thundered against the corruption and immorality which was being imported into the once conservative land of the Tamils. Tuesday morning saw the Bishop recovering and ready to make the short flight down to the priory and to give Confirmation to 37 people. Unfortunately, the confirmations circuit called for him to continue on to the Philippines the evening of the next day and therefore his visit to the priory was a short but pleasant one.

His Excellency was always eager to know more about the country and customs of India, once the jewel in the crown of the British Empire. The British Raj certainly left its marks (for good and for evil) all across India, and these buildings, railways, roads, and administration were pointed out to the Bishop. Certainly the arrival of this "Britisher" into his former colony was not for the advancement of the English empire, but solely for the advancement of another kingdom, not of this world.

A New SSPX Outpost in the Middle East

A little group has developed in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Currently it includes three Indian families and a few young adults, all from Bombay. They are all working relentlessly for the lonely emirates, awash with an embarassing amount of money. Our faithful there work until 7:00pm, the only time I can provide Mass and confession. There are some Tamilians working in Dubai, whom we hope to add some day to our new outpost in the Middle East.

 

Article compiled by Angelus Press from several of the India mission newsletter Apostle. Photographs by Fr. François Chazal.