Pilgrimage Through India Campus Ministry
Trinity’s Pilgrimage through India #8 “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart are restless until they rest in you.” – St. Augustine
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itting in the departure lounge at Kolkata Airport on that last night in India I looked at each of the nine boys slumped in their seats. They weren’t saying anything, and they looked exhausted. The fact that we had reached the end of the Indian odyssey was slowly sinking in. After 400 days of eager anticipation and thorough preparation, the 30 days of constant travel and frenetic activity had finished. We had at least one hundred new experiences every day! But now it was over. Although they were looking forward to reuniting with loved ones at home, the farewells from their new friends in MITHRA, Mandal and Kolkata had all been wrenching and sad. Here in the airport lounge, these tired pilgrims, each in his own way, were wrestling with so many mixed emotions, and trying to make sense of all that had happened. Only one month before this, on the eve their departure for India, these boys had celebrated their Mass of Commissioning in the Trinity Chapel with their families and friends. As they received their mission crosses from Fr Michael, they were filled with excitement and apprehension. They were nervous about leaving the comforts of home, yet they were thoroughly imbued with the idealism of youth as they embarked on the risks of the unknown. They were filled with a genuine desire to serve the poor. As we sang the processional hymn: “Here I am Lord,… I have heard you calling in the night. I will go, Lord, if you lead me,” the words had a special poignancy that night.
Now, Trinity’s eighth Indian pilgrimage has come and gone. The months since we returned home have sailed past and the daily demands in our lives have completely absorbed our time, energy and attention. Only when we have some quiet time do we ask ourselves those key questions: “What was India all about for me?” “Was it just another one of the many thousands of new experiences in my life, or was it something more?” “How has India impacted on my daily living, or is it now just a fond memory?” The answers to these questions are personal and only each individual pilgrim is able to look into his own heart and know whether the experience of a four week immersion into India has made a difference. -----ooo0ooo----There are so many stories that can be told about our time in India, but one that stands out in my memory occurred on our second last night in Calcutta. That night three of the boys returned to the dining room in the Brothers’ residence at about 11:30 p.m. They had been out with Jim McGinniss distributing blankets to the homeless living on the bleak railway stations in mid-winter. But rather than looking exhausted by this late night ministry they approached me with their eyes glistening and excitement in their voices.
They spoke with great urgency and passion as they informed me that they had brought home a disabled destitute man who was in need of urgent medical attention. They asked me whether we could accommodate him in the orphanage overnight and whether we could take him to Mother Teresa’s Home at Prem Dan for dying destitutes the next morning to enquire if we could have him admitted. I well remember my shock, but also my pride. How could I not be persuaded by these young sixteen year olds, whose hearts were burning with compassion for the poorest of the poor! Of course he must sleep in our residence, and of course we would try to get him help in the morning. The following morning when I went to check on the man, already the boys were attending him and making sure he was warm and comfortable. They were not deterred by his inability to speak, nor his muscle spasms, nor his untreated wounds. They wrapped him in warm blankets and lifted him ever so carefully into a taxi. My vivid memory is of these boys holding him in their arms as though they held a special treasure. A certain calm and peace had come over the man, and from his eyes I knew that he knew he was safe and in good hands. When we arrived at Prem Dan, with Sister’s permission, our new friend was admitted where he was bathed, shaved and given the necessary medical treatment. For now he had a roof over his head and a warm bed and food. This is just one episode from Trinity’s recent Pilgrimage through India. There were so many more that make me proud of these nine young men and two fellow teachers. Each boy was challenged many times throughout the four week journey and each responded with generosity, compassion and courage. From that day back in August 2005 when they came into Campus Ministry with their application forms, and at every subsequent Friday lunchtime meeting for 15 months, and throughout the 30 days in India, each pilgrim has been totally committed to the dream of going to India and serving the poorest of the poor. They faithfully attended to all the preparations – medical, practical, and spiritual. They attended all the meetings including a Retreat together at North Beach and gradually they bonded together as a group as they shared their hopes and dreams as well as their deepest fears. They knew that India was going to be tough, and that the experience would test them, but they were determined to give it their best shot, knowing that they would learn much about their own strengths as well as their limitations. Indeed, throughout the pilgrimage it was humbling for me to watch each boy push himself to his limits, particularly when the going was really tough. Each boy was confronted with many personal challenges. For a month they endured
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