Trek to Hill Church

This video shows tough conditions priests and their people face on roads in rural India. Scooters are often piled high with priest, helpers, musical instruments, Mass supplies, food for the day, etc. Riders often carry bundles on their heads and you can hear the motor strain under such a load! Fr. Varghese recorded this scene on his way to Fr. Baskhar's new Divine Mercy Church, in a jungle region five hours' journey north from Fr. Varghese's home in Kakinada.

"The church is supposed to be blessed by the Archbishop, but he is not able to climb the hill, so I became the main celebrant," wrote Fr. Varghese. After the challenging road trip, "Fr. S. (Sridhar) was not feeling well, so we carried him."

Spotting a tiger on a cliff, a bear and chimpanzee in the foliage, and a crocodile near the water" added some excitement to the trip, said Fr. Varghese. He said the workers by the side of the road were harvesting medicinal plants such as pepper and cardamom.