Merry Christmas from Sacred Heart Mission

God's creatures add life to Sacred Heart Mission

 Gowry the mission cow is as loving and mischievous as any pet. Named for a famous Marian shrine in India (Nirmalagiri, Mary Martha Shrine near Gowripatnam), she came to Fr. Varghese at a previous mission when a grateful villager had prayers answered, and presented her as a gift to the missionary. She has a tendency to wander and explore, and was already caught far from the mission compound, down by the seashore.

"She's a part of my life now," says Fr. Varghese, shown here with Gowry and Alpha the dog. When Gowry was younger, she would come knock at the shutters to tell Fr. Varghese she was hungry, and he would hand her a plantain out the window.

Although Father now serves a city mission in Kakinada, his compound is home to a lively variety of animals, which bring a little country into the city. They delight visitors of all ages, help provide food for Father and hungry families (his buffalo were gifted by a family in the U.S. and provide good, pure milk), guard the mission, and are even used in ministry.

When a quarreling married couple comes for counseling, Fr. leads them to the lovebirds who live so companionably, preening each other and cooing in harmony. He says, "See how God's creatures care for each other? You need to do that, too!"

Preparing to build a jungle church

Villagers help Fr. Baskhar prepare his schoolhouse-church 
and grounds, at Infant Jesus Mission in Kothakota.

After fellow priests helped Fr. Varghese Kalapurakudy settle at his new mission in Kakinada, India, the crew turned to help Fr. S. Baskhar at his jungle mission. First, visiting priests and faithful cleaned Fr. Baskhar's rented house, mission grounds and the school used for a church at Infant Jesus Mission in Kothakota. They concelebrated a welcoming Mass attended by villagers scattered across a wide area. In mid-July, Frs. Varghese, Sridhar and other priests returned to again help clean Fr. Baskhar's compound, preparing to welcome their archbishop and fellow priests traveling in from across the Archdiocese of Visakhapatnam. The event? A special Mass declaring the official decree to erect a church in Kothakota.

A local Hindu man paces around a Neem tree
 at the site of an ancient Hindu temple across
from Fr. Baskhar's little rented house. 

Rain made everything soggy. To find a network connection
to send these photos, Fr. Varghese climbed atop
a mission roof.

New paint freshens the schoolhouse-church.

A workday starts with Mass and prayer.

Every mission starts with humble beginnings.