Building Mary's New Home

Fr. Varghese gave this image of Our 
Lady of Guadalupe to the Hindu 
statue maker to use as his model.

Villagers in Yerraverram, India, gathered to build a new home for Our Lady of Guadalupe. The largely Hindu village boasts the tallest idol of Hanuman the monkey god in all India, but also is home to Our Lady of Help Mission, one of the scattered mission outposts served by Fr. Varghese Kalapurakudy. The mission serves a population of day laborers or "coolies," once referred to as "Untouchables."

Hanuman, as seen from Our Lady of Help Mission.

One local Catholic did the masonry work on a new shrine for the Blessed Mother (see more of the story here), while volunteers helped transport rocks and sand. A Hindu statue-maker used clay and cement to form the figure of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which Fr. Varghese says may be the first one in a grotto in all of his Archdiocese of Visakhapatnam.

Volunteers sift sand from gravel for their new shrine.

Fr. Varghese snapped these photos of a villager's
kitchen right next to his mission compound. He said
the poverty of the people brings tears to his eyes.

Many hands build the shrine's new shell.

The laborers are excited to
see the new little structure
take shape.

Our Lady of Guadalupe
emerges.

Fevers and heavy rains hit Andhra Pradesh

This clip from Telegu-language newspaper Eenadu shows
devastating floods in the state of Andhra Pradesh.

Until fevers and heavy rains slowed his crew, Fr. Varghese and a total of 70 volunteers from Holy Family Mission were rebuilding homes partially or entirely swept away by Cyclone Phailin. Hitting nearly two weeks ago, Phailin was the strongest cyclone ever recorded over the Indian Ocean.

Fr.'s camera was swept away in floods
last Fall, so he can only share clippings
from local papers. These show several
houses of Catholic families destroyed
by Phailin.

Villagers were so traumatized by the storm, many hugged the missionary's legs and cried as he visited from one household to the next. After assessing damage, Fr. met with the elders of his church, and volunteer construction crews were organized to fan out and erect shelters for the people.

"Because of strikes and bandh (throwing people out of work due to Telengana statehood tensions) people had no money, as I expected," wrote Fr. Varghese, "so they agreed to come for voluntary work."

A number were masons and carpenters with invaluable experience for the job.

The lack of funds and resources meant they had to do "very creative constructions," said Father, who labored with the work crews by day, then spent evenings in the villages to help restore normality. People scavenged bits and pieces of building materials, and built new walls with scraps the best they could. Only time will tell if the materials are sturdy enough to withstand monsoon rains.

Seven families were moved temporarily into the mission church at Dibbelepalem, said Fr. Varghese.

A number of homes now have reinforced walls but no ceilings, since a promised donation to buy tin sheets for roofing didn't arrive until late in the week.

By then, many people were in sickbeds with fevers, and Fr. Varghese found himself with a reduced crew.

Several days ago, he wrote that rains were especially heavy in the South, which was interrupting power supplies and networks. His village of Dibbelepalem was without power altogether. But now four days of renewed rains have brought canals and rivers across the state to "spate" -- overflowing and sweeping away any normality.

This Times of India video reports on the severe state of emergency across the region.

October 24, 2013 headlines in the Deccan Chronicle out of nearby Rahjamundry, read:

"Rains cause havoc in Godavari districts"

"Paddy fields inundated by rains, cotton crop likely to be affected in 2,700 hectares..."

"Heavy rains throw life out of gear: railway tracks, highways submerged leaving vehicles stranded, rescue measures deployed."

"Rains batter state, wash away 6 people"

As many as 50,000 people are displaced from homes. More than 500 villages are cut off and inaccessible because highways and secondary roads are flooded. Whole villages are without or have only limited power.

He knows of seven other parishes across the Diocese of Visakhapatnam that were struggling after Cyclone Phailin, says Fr. Varghese -- and that was before these latest rains swept over the region.

A number of Fr.'s friends daily pray Psalm 91 for this missionary and his people. Please consider praying this powerful Psalm for protection and uplift of this entire flood-ravaged region.

If you would like to help provide needed emergency relief funds for food and rebuilding supplies, please use the donate buttons at right for Paypal or credit card.

Clippings from Eenadu show flood
misery across the area.

Post-cyclone storms still pound villages

Image courtesy of NOAA
Cyclone Phailin, gathering strength over the
Indian Ocean, October 11, 2013.

In a brief online chat yesterday, Fr. Varghese told how he got calls from parishioners who "lost their houses and so on...sad it is."

The situation's worsening today as heavy storms spawned by Cyclone Phailin sweep away villager's homes and crops. Concrete buildings in larger towns are faring better, says the priest, but thatch-roofed homes in villages are no match for these punishing rains. See this Times of India video of Cyclone Phailin and these photos  of the storm and its impact.

On October 11, Cyclone Phailin was named the largest Cyclone ever recorded over the Indian Ocean, measuring half the size of India. Thousands fled and were evacuated from the nation's East Coast, preventing widespread loss of life. So far, 23 deaths are reported.

Photo by Daniel Bartholomew
Co-blogger Marianna B. received birthday greetings
via Skype from Fr. Varghese, his mission children and
Gypsy the dog, just the night before Cyclone Phailin hit.

The evening before the cyclone made landfall, Fr. Varghese and his children sent birthday greetings via video chat to his Dalitjournal co-blogger. Next day, he joined missionary Fathers Bhaskar and Sridhar in traveling north to the yearly diocesan retreat for priests in the Diocese of Visakhapatnam.

In a region already reeling from strikes, power outages and food shortages from Telengana statehood tensions, people are ill-equipped to handle yet another disaster.

The scale and frequency of natural disaster and political strife in India accounts for the diocesan retreat not being cancelled due to the crisis. This is a precious and crucial time for diocesan priests to reconnect and gather in prayer, rejuvenating their faith in a region just 2% Christian. Special talks by Bishop Antony Pappusamy of the Diocese of Dindigul in Tamil Nadu and hours spent in Eucharistic Adoration, are focusing the priests on local and global intentions.

In past floods, Fr. Varghese carried people to safety, fed and housed them for up to ten weeks at Holy Family Mission and helped in reconstructing homes. Now, he's fasting for his people and will face major clean-up when he returns home.

"Ask all our friends to pray for us," he wrote.

If you would like to donate to Flood Relief at Holy Family Mission, please use the donate buttons for Paypal or credit cards on this site, at right. Thank you and God bless you.

The "wonder of a stage" unfolds in time for Confirmation

Several days ago, workers put final touches on the stage.

Inspired. That's the only explanation for how the "untouchables" of Holy Family Mission have built what Fr. Varghese has called "the wonder of a stage." The missionary was still door-to-dooring late into the evening with his people just a few days ago, trying to raise funds for paint to finish their incredible project. It's a sight to behold! Built largely through volunteer labor of "coolies" of all ages in India...factory workers, cashew nut gatherers, coal miners. And all since Easter! These people truly are inspired. Final preparations are being completed right now and the Archbishop will be arriving for Confirmations tomorrow. Pray for this mission that their event runs beautifully. Another miracle? The region's 116-degree F. weather broke a couple days ago with a rain storm. Heartfelt thanks to all who have kept this mission in their thoughts and prayers.

Volunteer workers of all ages made this stage a reality.

A newly whitewashed roof on top of Fr.'s little priest
house opens up a whole new room in the sky.

An awning provided some relief during days
when temperatures soared to 116-degrees F.

Receiving a final shipment of bricks.

And soon to be blessed by the long-awaited visitor, 

Archbishop Prakash Mallavarapu of the 

Diocese of Visakhapatnam.

To all the 200-some Confirmandis processing to
their new stage on June 2nd, may the Holy Spirit
greatly bless you!

Deadly heat wave kills 274 in Andhra Pradesh

A vicious heat wave has been sweeping India, causing multiple deaths. See updates here. Fr. Varghese said temperatures topped 116.6-degrees F. over the weekend. He lacks air conditioning, along with his scattered villagers, so it's hard to fathom the depth of people's suffering and how they're keeping well in the extreme heat. Fr. wrote, "Pray for Andhra Pradesh. Lots of sun stroke is taking place." Unbelievably, volunteers are still working to have all in place by their June 2 Confirmation date. Many are coming at night to avoid the intense sun. Yes, pray for the people of India -- for a cooling breeze over the nation -- and for Holy Family Mission and its 200 candidates for Confirmation.

ONLY 3 DAYS LEFT ON THE FUNDLY CAMPAIGN RAISING FUNDS TO HOST THE CONFIRMATION. SEE THE FUNDLY PAGE (CLICK ON TITLE IN BOX, UPPER RIGHT) TO SEE A BREAKDOWN OF NEEDS. A TENT AND WATER PACKETS ARE AMONG THE NEEDS LISTED, TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE FROM THE INTENSE SUN.

OR DONATE ANONYMOUSLY ON THE PAYPAL BUTTON ON THIS SITE. THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU!

Going door-to-door, construction hazards and more...

A volunteer takes a work-break for a meal. Fr. Varghese
feeds workers who put in many hours preparing his mission
for June 2nd.

Confirmations are little more than two weeks away and Fr. Varghese and his people are going door-to-door through villages begging funds to cover costs. The last weeks have been exciting...and grueling. Temperatures have reached as high as 109-degrees F. Work on mission projects has stalled several times as funds ran low for supplies. A couple days ago, a worker fell 15 feet off the new stage roof, and Fr. Varghese ran to do first aid. He said the man is strong, and recovering. The focus remains on the spiritual formation of those being Confirmed. But volunteers of all ages have also tackled these other projects: Ongoing cleaning of church and grounds, whitewashing the presbytery, building a stage to host the event, constructing a much-needed staircase to the roof of the presbytery, canvassing door-to-door for donations.

Members of the "Mariadalem Sodality" tidy up around the mission.

It's not all work around the mission. Cricket, anyone?

Their mission Archdiocese of Visakhapatnam is struggling too much financially to offer Holy Family Church special help for its June 2nd event, the first Confirmations held in Yelleswaram in 10 years. Ever since Easter week, when parishioners learned around 200 faithful would be confirmed on June 2nd and that their Archbishop would be coming for this historic event, they have been volunteering in every way to make the day a success. A new "Fundly" campaign has been launched to help raise needed funds. Click on the title of the campaign link at top right box, see some more great photos and a description and list of needs, and become a "supporter" for free, or a donor.   

Regular chores at the mission continue, such as cleaning 
church candlesticks and tamarind fruit harvesting. 
The pod-like tamarind is used in cooking and 
in traditional medicines.

The Archbishop is coming May 8th!

Holy Family faithful have four weeks to replace an old concrete stage
on church property.

On Wednesday of Holy Week, Fr. Varghese took a bus to Visakhapatnam for a one-hour meeting with Most Reverend Prakash Mallavarapu. The Archbishop offered his "prayers for my mission," said Fr. Varghese. Archbishop Prakash encouraged the missionary, saying "The whole Catholic Church is with you...Be happy and live for Christ."
The Archbishop then offered incredible news. He is coming to Holy Family Church on May 8th to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation. Because prior pastors were elderly and lacked resources,  this will be the first time Confirmations have been celebrated at the Yelleswaram church in 10 years! About 200 candidates aged 12 to 45 are expected to step forward.

A team of men joined Fr. Varghese in prayer, and then started out the project
before breakfast. By the time a parishioner arrived with a camera Fr. Varghese
could use to document the process (he lost his camera to Godavari
floodwaters last year), the ladies were taking a shift, tackling the
grimy and hazardous job of breaking through old concrete.

Fr. Varghese has already begun teaching Confirmation classes and parishioners are already preparing for the visit. The aging concrete stage on church property was a project begun by a previous pastor 13 years ago, but never completed. Now bare wires jab into the air and concrete is crumbling. The whole platform is an eyesore and dangerously uneven. Something must be done to fix the situation, or where will the Archbishop, Fr. Varghese and all his people go to celebrate Confirmation? The church is far too small for the event.
However, since the Mission just celebrated Easter little more than a week ago, its funds are now especially low.

Today, teams of faithful began labor on a new stage. Parishioners are also fundraising on the local level...but help is urgently needed for Holy Family to meet costs of preparing its Confirmandis and for hosting the Confirmation ceremony.
Won't you consider helping to cover costs of this special event? Any funds collected over the next four weeks through this site's "Donation" button at right, will go toward the May 8th Ceremony. God bless you for "touching" this remote community of "untouchables" with your prayer and loving assistance.

Views of the old stage:

 

And down it comes...