Climbing to Mount Calvary

Fr. Varghese and other priests helped relocate Fr. S. Baskhar (shown below) to his new jungle mission, Infant Jesus Mission in Kothakota, last June. He converted an old school into a simple church and sleeps in a rented house nearby. Fr. Baskhar shared these photos from a Catholic form of Padayata, the Hindu term for a pilgrimage by foot. He led village faithful in a procession to a "mount" that "resembled Mount Calvary," wrote Fr. Baskhar. He and visiting priests conducted a "Way of the Cross with Holy Mass."

A feast and an engagement

Feast of the Assumption festivities continued, when Fr. Varghese traveled from Sacred Heart of Jesus Mission in Kakinada, north to Fr. Baskhar's forest mission in Kothakota, August 16. Traditional Indian dancers welcomed the procession for the Mass, held outdoors because Fr. Baskhar's schoolhouse-turned-church was too small to host the event.

Fr. Baskhar's Infant Jesus Church looks transformed from
when he first took over his remote assignment in June.
Visiting priests and faithful cleaned the compound, painted
and arranged for weeks.

Youth sit patiently awaiting a flag-hoisting ceremony. The
Indian tri-color is raised, celebrating India's Independence Day.

The Blessed Mother is decked in a sari for her Feast.

Rain held off, so the Mass proceeded peacefully.

Fr. Baskhar is both pastor and musician, and
accompanies the choir at mission Masses.

Wearing Indian flags to mark Independence
Day, celebrated by all India on August 15.

Fr. Varghese distributes communion.

Volunteers from Kothakota and scattered villages
added to the celebration.

While Fr. Varghese was in Kothakota, he was asked to be Master of Ceremonies for a formal engagement ceremony for Fr. Baskhar's nephew and his bride-to-be.

Praising God for bed, solar panel and new "decree"

Archbishop Prakash Mallavarapu attended a special Mass
at Infant Jesus Church in Kothakota, declaring the erection 
of a new church.

Fr. S. Baskhar publicly gave thanks for receiving a bed and other gifts, at his new forest assignment at Infant Jesus Mission in Kothakota, India. His missionary friend, Fr. Varghese Kalapurakudy, had told friends in America about Fr. Baskhar's lack of a bed. The need coincided with two young brothers in the friends' Chicago-area homeschool community asking for donations for Fr. Varghese in lieu of gifts at their birthday party. Fr. Varghese was so worried about Fr. Baskhar sleeping on cobra-infested ground in the country, that he turned over the brothers' gift to Fr. Baskhar, so his fellow missionary could buy a sturdy wood bed frame and mattress. 

Other priests gave Fr. Baskhar (shown here at his mission gate) an amplifier and a solar panel. 

"So, today he is blessed by many gifts," wrote Fr. Varghese.

Visiting missionaries from across the Archdiocese of
Visakhapatnam prepare for Mass at Infant Jesus Mission
in Kothakota.

Missionary priests and faithful uplift each other, or fledgling missions could never survive. This gift-giving for Fr. Baskhar took place at a special event for Catholics in rural Kothakota. Catholic villagers here have waited to worship in their own church for many decades. Faithful are scattered across as many as ten villages around Kothakota and largely make their living in agriculture.

Fr. Varghese Kalapurakudy traveled hours north by bus from his Sacred Heart of Jesus Mission in coastal Kakinada, joining other priests and faithful in volunteering days of labor. They settled Fr. Baskhar into his new little rental house in town, near an ancient Hindu site honoring Goddess Durga. They scrubbed, arranged, and decorated mission grounds and the old school used for a church. Then they celebrated a special Mass with Archbishop Prakash Mallavarapu, marking an important event: the Archbishop announced the "Church Erection Decree," launching a church-building project at Fr. Baskhar's Infant Jesus Mission.   

Faithful gathered in Kothakota from surrounding villages for
the special Mass mid-July with Archbishop Prakash
Mallavarapu.

Missionaries from across the Diocese of Visakhapatnam
process for the Mass. 

A traditional oil lamp was lit to inaugurate the event.
The flames signify that we are all called to be the Light of Christ.

The choir shelters under a tent, safe from rain.

Archbishop Prakash Mallavarapu blessed the tabernacle, and
presented the new pastor, Fr. Baskhar, with the keys to 
his mission.

Traditional Indian dancers welcomed the Archbishop,
visiting priests and the faithful.

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.

Visit with two mission bishops

The mission bishop of Bongaigaon,  India, Bishop Thomas Pulloppillil, was passing through the Kakinada area with Archbishop Prakash Mallavarapu, Archbishop of Vizakhapatnam, so Fr. Varghese and his missionary friend Fr. Baskhar, accompanied them for a day on their journey north.

In Vizakhapatnam, the missionaries helped put Bishop Pulloppilil on his flight even further north to the lower Assam region of India, where his remote diocese is located. The four first celebrated Mass in Archbishop Mallavarapu's chapel, and enjoyed swapping stories about missionary life over dinner.

He appreciated those "great moments" with the two bishops and his fellow missionary, wrote Fr. Varghese, shown above concelebrating Mass with Bishop Pulloppillil. 

Fr. Varghese took a mission tour of the Diocese of Bongaigaon and north to the border of China last year, concelebrating Mass with Bishop Pulloppillil and hiking through remote forests to speak at schools, churches and in villager's homes. See the story telling of Fr.'s trip here.

The Bongaigaon Diocese, dedicated to "Christ, Light of the World," covers an area of more than 13,000 square kilometers, and was newly erected in the Jubilee Year 2000. Out of Assam State's population of 5.2 million, just 1.2% are Catholics and resources for the tiny, scattered missions are scarce. The Catholic population is mainly tribal groups, with Bodos, Santhals, Adivasis, Garos, and Rabhas comprising the largest groups. The art below, showing traditional tribal dance and a dholak drum, hangs in the Cathedral at Bongaigaon.

Going Ahead with Basic Needs Denied

An old classmate and friend of Fr. Varghese, Fr. Baskhar peers out 
from his new home, a rented house in the forest village of Kothakota. 
He lacks a permanent home or church in the village, gathering 
people for Mass in an old school.

"It was a good trip by bus, five hours of journey through jungle," wrote Fr. Varghese Kalapurakudy, after the special June 17th Mass introducing him as Pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Mission in Kakinada. After the Mass, he and eight visiting priests and co-celebrants from across Visakhapatnam Archdiocese enjoyed a dinner of fresh-caught fish from Kakinada Bay, and then sorted themselves onto Sacred Heart Mission's available couch, bed and floor, for the night. 

Next day, five of the priests, including Fr. Varghese and his old classmate and friend Fr. Baskhar, hopped a bus north, to help Fr. Baskhar celebrate his welcoming Mass at his new jungle mission. The priests first helped Fr. Baskhar move into a rented house near the old school that was converted into Infant Jesus Church, in Kothakota Village, north of Kakinada, 20 kilometers from Narsipatnam.

Jungle surrounds Fr. Baskhar's new mission.

Fr. Varghese and missionary friends Frs. Sahaya, 
Moses and John, helped move Fr. Baskhar into his 
new residence. Facing no electricity for days, 
they slept in the road surrounded by candles to
keep away snakes. 

With no power for a week "we slept outside," wrote Fr. Varghese. It's an area of tigers, jackals, bears and "snakes of all kinds. Mosquitoes, cows, dogs and pigs were disturbing us, but we slept, because we have previous experience in different missions (as to) how to go ahead without power and other basic needs denied."

Fr. Baskhar works to bring order to chaos.

"The sad story of the mission is he has no cot (bed)," wrote Fr. Varghese. "The snakes enter the room and if he sleeps on the floor, imagine...Then he has no cooking vessels, gas stove to cook, no chairs, no water purification...he is in a helpless situation."

Three people in the village just died due to cobra bites, a danger to forest-dwellers across India. Fr. Varghese estimates he has killed 50 poisonous snakes over his lifetime --  many at his previous assignment, as Pastor of Holy Family Mission in rural Yeleswaram.

Just days ago, Fr. Baskhar also "killed a cobra with the help of a tribal," wrote Fr. Varghese. "Now Father (Baskhar) has to be very careful. Snakes come for the water."

Moving is never easy...

To fend off the snakes by night, the priests laid bedsheets in the road in front of Fr. Baskhar's residence, and slept there, surrounded by burning candles. Snakes fear fire, so that's a classic way to keep them at bay.

With no pure water available at his mission,
Fr. Baskhar must bring in bottled.

Around 150 Catholics traveled in for Fr. Baskhar's welcoming Mass. It is unusual for the villagers to come to daily Mass during the week because of the lack of transportation and "overheat," says Fr. Varghese. It's tough for faithful to travel far in the hottest seasons when temperatures reach 110-degrees F. and more.

Jesuit missionaries from France arrived in this region in the 1940's, living their Faith amidst Hindu worshippers of the goddess Durga. Human sacrifice still took place here in those days, and a monument remains in front of the mission compound, on the site of a famous temple to the goddess.

A crisis unfolded when one of the Jesuits was found dead in the forest around 1950. Some say the missionary died from cholera or snake bite. Many believe he was killed due to his missionary outreach. Afterwards, the Diocese of Visakhapatnam stopped sending priests to this area for some time.

The school-turned-church at Narsipatnam.

Missionaries only returned here in 1995, so Fr. Baskhar is taking up important work that reaches scattered Catholics from seven surrounding villages.

Despite his scarce resources, he prays he can soon build a permanent residence and church.

"After the Mass," wrote Fr. Varghese, "we had breakfast from the people and we started our returning."

Days after the trip, this pastor of Sacred Heart still couldn't get the plight of his friend from mind. 

"I think I should help him," he wrote. "I can send my cot to him because for me, I am in the city. I can sleep on the floor."

Fr. Varghese also wished for a way to provide his friend with a solar panel, so "he can get light for his room and cell re-charged."

Some funds will come from his Archbishop and people, explained Fr. Varghese, "but still he cannot meet his needs. When I took up my mission (his former mission of Holy Family in Yeleswaram) I had nothing, then some senior priests helped me with their old things. So, as I am his friend, I think he should be helped by me."

The bare mission compound in Narsipatnam
needs to be developed.

Great news reached Fr. Varghese June 29th, when he learned the problem of a bed for Fr. Baskhar had been solved. Just returned from renting a car and transporting a sick priest from another parish to the hospital, Fr. Varghese read his email and discovered that two brothers in America had come to his aid. They had celebrated a combined birthday party, and in lieu of gifts, 10-year-old J.J. and eight-year-old Conor had asked for help for missionary friend Fr. Varghese. Father directed some of that aid to buy Fr. Baskar's bed.

The missionary friends celebrate the highlight
of their trip -- the Mass introducing Fr. Baskhar (at microphone) to his people.

"Now my burden is over!" rejoiced Fr. Varghese, regarding this need for a bed. "I can be at peace that after coming from the U.S.A., I helped my friend. He will be very happy to receive it."

The funds cover the purchase of a solid wood bed frame and mattress. Fr. Baskhar's other needs remain, as do Fr. Varghese's, as he takes on a new urban assignment covering many square miles of need.

As for how the two priests feel about their new assignments,  Fr. Varghese says they are eager for the challenge.

Fr. Baskhar is "like me...ready to take up the new mission."

Fr. Baskhar elevates Our Lord in the Eucharist.

Around 150 villagers traveled in from seven
villages for the Mass.

Infant Jesus Church in Kothakota is rich in sacred statues and images...

...even though many are mounted atop blackboards on the former school's walls.

A little choir helped make the Mass beautiful.

Fr. Baskhar's people travel in from seven
distant villages.