Time and trust

Tomorrow is June 3.  It is exactly seven months ago that I set foot in Britain.  Back in the Province an academic year has passed and the new already kicked in.  So technically speaking have completed a year - can say the second sabbatical year!  In other words, high time that I get serious about my intended purpose of moving out of the province and working towards getting back, having fulfilled my responsibilities.

Trust of people, especially those close and dear, is a very demanding motivation. So are one's own principles and guiding factors which govern or dictate interaction with others.  To measure oneself by the same - if not, more - demanding standards expected of others can sometimes be frightening.  But that's the path of living integrally.  I've always been strict with my students, especially about their academic requirements.  To be lenient to myself would certainly be outright wrong.

So, help me God!

Duel reminder

I reached the Pisana on Sunday night and having something to eat, meeting some eminent Salesians and helping Fr Silvio retired to my room for the night.  It was quite warm and hence opened the sliding window panes and even rolled up the shutters.  Exactly at 4 am was woken up by a single mosquito singing!  Just couldn't lay my hands on him.  Must have been quite a tactful dodger!  Tried all known tactics but this one was surely a seasoned one!

It was the first time after seven months outside India that I was fighting a mosquito - the only other time I was 'defeated' by it in absentia was when I volunteered to donate blood here in Chertsey but was turned away because I had recently arrived from a malaria prone area of the world!

This duel with the mosquito was a good reminder of days back in the Province and a gentle reminder of taking for granted the luxurious blessings of the present place! 

Holy tourism?

I had no plans to go visiting all the churches in Rome!  In fact, had booked my return ticket on the same day the meeting concludes.  However, did the mistake of not really noticing that the meeting ends on Wednesday and not on Thursday.  Even then I was not keen on running around in Rome. Was only keen on meeting Fr Joshtrom.  Most of the confreres were quite surprised that I was not going to visit the Vatican... as if Pope Francis had cancelled all his appointments to meet me!

Anyway, Fr Joshtrom and Anthaiah and Prakash said that since I had practically a whole day, I should go and see at least St Peter's basilica.  And so Anthaiah and Prakash 'took' me to the place.  We stood in the queue for a little more than an hour just to get in the basilica.

First impression:  Too beautiful!  Magnificent!
Second impression: So beautiful that it serves better as a tourist spot than a place of worship!

Anyway, spent some time in prayer and some in seeing the grandeur of the church.

That's Anthaiah and Prakash

Don't know what that is but found it amusing while waiting for a traffic signal to cross the road

From there visited a few other churches, the Pantheon (great architecture of the early AD dedicated to the 'gods', later converted into a church!), went hunting for the skull of St Agnes and Augustine!  Found the former but only in time to be told that the Church was closing!  Except the basilicas most churches are closed for 'lunch break' in Rome.  The latter we never found.  That meant quite some walking along the Roman cobblestone pavements! Had lunch at an Indian restaurant run by Bangladeshis!  Took a quick walk through Termini, the central bus and train station of Rome before boarding the bus to return to UPS.

Anyway, am really grateful to Anthaiah and Prakash for spending the whole day for and with me!

Pisana Chapels

Some pics of the Pisana Chapel.  Though we never had any service or Mass in his Chapel, I did spend some time by myself after the meeting in this Chapel.

During our meeting we were using the chapel above this one, the Chapel of St Francis of Sales, the 'African chapel' (as Ivo said).  The pictures, icons and props adoring the chapel were all from Africa.  Except for the big crucified Christ behind the altar, every other statue and picture represented Africa.  Was told that there is another chapel right below the main chapel...three chapels one above the other. However did not visit that one in the basement!

Language blues

While at UPS (our Salesian Pontifical University), I met several Indian Salesian confreres whom I knew or met over the past years... some of them almost 14 years ago.  There were others too who had heard my name but never met me (that was a great feeling!).

Am told that among the various departments operational at UPS, the psychology and communications departments are the most popular with the most number of students.  The other departments being mostly of a religious nature had many priests and religious as students.  However one common thing most of those whom I met (atleast the Indians) felt uncomfortable with was the Italian language.  That they had to learn and then almost instantly (within 3 months) start taking lessons of their specific courses in Italian was something they did not appreciate.  Some even jokingly expressed their jealously of me having "escaped" this by going to London!

From my side, I envied their 'ambiance' - the study environment with almost 2000 students in the university and about 150 priests and deacons living on the campus in 6 different communities.  Seeing others study - at least someone - is a motivation that challenges me to study too.  Apart from that, I truly feel blessed and grateful for every other "luxury" while in Chertsey!  I only prayed that I make the most of this mega-opportunity and blessing. 

Rome by night

On Tuesday, after the second day of the meeting, Fr Silvio invited me to join him as he was going to drive home a priest to another Salesian community, the San Tarscisio community which is the post-novitiate and the one that takes care of the catacombs!  He knew that I wasn't going to see much or anything of Rome, even though it was my first visit to Rome, the eternal city.  So he wanted to at least drive me round for a while.  However, he really went out of his way and showed me practically half of Rome!! We left Pisana by car at 8.30 after supper and returned at midnight!! Very very kind and generous of him.

He showed me the bascilicas of John Latern and Mary Major, Sacra Coure (the church which Don Bosco struggled to build towards the end of his life), Termini (the central bus and train station), the coloseum, monument of the reunification of Italy and the famous Trevi fountain.  We walked through some of the ruins of Rome from the coloseum upto the Trevi.

He topped it off with gelato (ice cream)!  God bless him for his generosity, patience and hospitality (in spite of all the work of coordinating and organising the meeting!).  

Altar server after years!!

Last Sunday before going to the airport, I joined Fr John for Mass at the Parish of the Holy Name at Esher.  A nice homely modern church located in a rather posh area.  

Since we reached early, I helped out the lady preparing for the Mass and a while later she approached me if I could also serve at the altar during Mass!  I agreed.  It was a good feeling to serve Mass after many many years.  Wearing the altar servers dress, accompanying the Priest to and fro the altar, feeling that excitement about doing things right in the sanctuary... 

Names and faces

Spending three days at the Pisana and a day at UPS, was truly a great experience.  One of the best experiences was the feeling of meeting or seeing in person all those confreres and places who so far were only names and words.

Heard so much and for many years about 'Pisana' and 'UPS'.  Being there in person was exciting.  Both the places were simple and frugal.  No extravagance or flamboyance about their structures and facilities.  Great example for all to follow.  Know not where then, some of our contemporary Salesian structures in India are getting their inspiration from.

Then there were persons!  Like Fr Francesco Maracanni, someone whom I corresponded much while being the Province secretary.  Then the Rector Major himself! This was the first time I met him in person.  At the UPS got to meet Fr Joshtrom, Fr Peter Gonsalves, Fr Shaji, our two confreres from INH, and quite a few other confreres from India.  They were surprised as was I!  

Manual labour

Most confreres whom I met after and before the meeting were not very optimistic about the whole endeavour of revising the Rector's manual.  That it would be 'another' document and book, and only add to the existing number of unread and unused documents for most Salesians was a common opinion.

Added to that when some realized that I (being a Brother) was invited for this meeting were a bit confused and some even openly remarked: how come someone who has never been a rector himself be part of the team drafting a Rector's manual?

Well, I never offered a justification or took offense at their expressed or unexpressed remarks.  In fact, it was something a lady seated beside me in the flight to Rome had already asked me.  Truly I hadn't thought of that earlier, but in my reply to her I found nothing odd about my involvement.  After all, I am part of the family and am contributing towards one policies governing service of the roles in my own family. Moreover, I cannot afford to be be careless or indifferent in this endeavour because the policies we arrive at for the Rector, in someway or other, directly or indirectly, sooner than later affect me as a confrere.  The decisions, working style, guiding principles and quality of my rector affects me.

Fr Joshtrom, meeting whom at the UPS was a great pleasure, was kind and supportive, whenever I was placed in such a delicate situation. At one point, to avoid certain embarrassment when one particular confrere joined our discussion and asked for the reason of my presence in Rome, Fr Joshtrom said, "Manual labour!"  A while later the confrere asked again, this time being specific, "Are you here for that meeting on the Salesian Rector's manual?"  Fr Joshtrom again offered, "He is here for manual labour!"  We all laughed.  

Universality

We concluded the meeting of the revision of the Salesian Rector's manual this afternoon.  Not much achieved by way of new ways or thoughts, but the process itself is appreciated.  The fact that confreres, at both personal and community level all over the world/congregation had an opportunity to offer their feedback was itself something good and great.

Listening to the various views and opinions I realised the diversity of our worlds.  Most often the only thing that seemed common to all of us in the hall was that we were all 'Salesians'. Apart from that everything else seemed different.  We were divided by our languages, cultures, experiences, age groups, regions, thoughts, plans and even convictions about how things ought to be in the future.

This emergence and understanding that the Salesian world has outgrown the 'Italian' origin and stronghold only gets confirmed and takes different expressions.  I had heard of this, read of it and in some ways even felt it.  But being the first international meeting that I was attending, this fact was so strongly felt in person for the first time.