A Grotto for Yerraverram?

Fr. Varghese showed villagers a couple sample
 grottos for inspiration.

As storm clouds gathered and winds increased during the 2013 monsoon season, villagers at Fr. Varghese Kalapurakudy's mission outpost in Yerraverram gathered outside the windows of their little church to look through and pray to Our Lady of Help to save them. The church is kept locked when not in use to protect it from vandals and thieves.

After some homes were damaged and destroyed by monsoons but lives spared, the faithful asked Fr. Varghese to help them build a grotto to honor the Blessed Mother. He encouraged them, and they began a door-to-door campaign to raise funds for the grotto structure, and gathered sand and river rock to construct its base. A family in America provided funds for the statue, so Fr. Varghese suggested choosing Our Lady of Guadalupe for the grotto, to honor the help and prayers that come from what Fr. Varghese calls his "friendly circle" in the U.S.

River rock helps provide a solid foundation.

Village life as seen from Our Lady of Help Mission
in Yerraverram.

Such makeshift homes in Yerraverram provide little
shelter from monsoons.

In front of the mission compound,
saris dry in the sun.

Some kutcha huts are roofed with dried
 coconut leaves.

A new feature like a Marian grotto is a big improvement
 at a mission that struggles with basic upkeep.
Seen here is Our Lady of Help's front entry step
into the compound.

Volunteers gather to begin work on their new grotto.

Prayer with Fr. Varghese launches
the grotto project.

Praise Him with Song and Dance

"Sing to the Lord a new song...Let them praise his name in the festive dance, let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp. For the Lord loves his people, and he adorns the lowly with victory." Ps. 149:1-4

Holy Family Mission became a hub of singing and dancing to the Lord in mid-January. From the 13-15th each year, Hindus in nearly 97% Hindu India celebrate a harvest feast tied in with the zodiac and honoring their sun god. Businesses close, buses and trains overflow with travelers returning to families.

At Holy Family, those three days off of school and work provided a great opportunity this year to gather youth for a special camp. 

A group of 35 young people joined Fr. Varghese in going door to door and collecting rice and dal (lentils) so meals could be served during the camp.

"We collected 35 kg of rice and 12 kg dal," enthused Fr. Varghese. " But when that amount fell short of what was needed, the missionary sent out a final appeal for vegetables. "Villagers brought their own cultivation."

As opening day approached, the young people were "very energetic and enthusiastic," said the priest. 

Never before had youth in this community of Dalits (Untouchables) attended anything like it -- a chance to worship God together through song, dance and drama as taught by masters of Kolatam and Bharatanatyam from the Archdiocese of Rajamundry and town of Yeleswaram. 

A teacher leading his little class.

Holy Family became the first parish in the Diocese of Visakhapatnam where children would learn Kolatam, a traditional form of dance performed in villages with percussive instruments, and Bharatanatyam, classical Indian dance. Whereas many popular forms of dance in the West are secular and far from spiritual, these Indian forms of dance praise and worship God through both rhythm and graceful, stylized motions. Learning these art forms would allow the young people to use song, dance and drama to express their love of God at village festivals and processions, and at parish events. 

The three days of camp with its theme of "Go, Grow and Glow," were a breath of fresh air for mission children, whose families toil as day-laborers just to survive.

Dance class at the mission door.

The opening of the camp was delayed by what people jokingly call "Indian time." In India, over-jammed public transportation often causes delays. 

"I expected the trainers to be here but they were not able to get the train because of the heavy rush," explained Fr. Varghese. "People are traveling like anything from Hyderabad to Vizag (Visakhapatnam)....so we missed the first session."

The trainers arrived by midnight and officially opened the camp next morning, for more than 100 children. Fr. Varghese began the camp with prayer, and gave talks about living the Faith throughout the sessions.

Salesian nuns who run an English Medium school in Yeleswaram also attended. Their school serves a student body that is 10% Catholic, with the rest of the students Hindu, Muslim and other faiths.

Boys and girls of all ages learned to dance and make
rhythms with the folk instrument called the Kanchara.

The Kanchara can be tricky to learn, but Fr. 
Varghese said a number of the children
picked it up very well.

Preparing "plates" for a meal...

Mealtime drew many hungry to the mission. "We cooked for 230 yesterday," said Fr. Varghese, "but by meal time many hungry stepped inside the compound so again we cooked. "

Cooking a meal outside Fr. Varghese's presbytery.

A team of helpers kept camp-goers fed.

Washing up at the mission bore well.

Some showed real talent with the kanchara.

Faith lessons made the camp a well-rounded
experience.

At camp's end, certain children showed real interest and ability in expressing their faith through these reverential arts. A group began meeting at the mission daily before school to practice Kolatam. They praised God in dance for their mission before Eucharistic Adoration began for First Friday in February.

"I am happy at least three days my children will be happy and they will be in the hands of the Lord," Fr. Varghese wrote before the camp began.

These children have had much to bear over this past year, with cyclones bringing 90% crop loss to the area and political tensions over statehood issues continuing to cause strikes, unemployment, power outages and unrest. Friends who helped meet camp costs such as renting the tent can rejoice. This first-ever enterprise was a success. Many dozens of children gathered and ushered in their new year by singing and dancing for the Lord.

A graceful finale to the camp.

Praying in a New Year

Fr. Varghese and Holy Family faithful prayed in the New Year with Eucharistic Adoration and a Vigil Mass for the Solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother of God. This was their first New Year's celebrated using the outdoor stage built by the priest and parishioners of all ages.

Fr. Varghese prepares the monstrance for
Eucharistic Adoration, New Year's Eve.

Around 600 villagers attended the Mass, held
under a tent outside, since their church is too small
to fit them all.

The stage the people hand-built for their June 2, 2013
Confirmations, adds dignity to this outdoor space.

This striking mural of Jesus first hung
for Confirmations this past June.

Choir members add beauty to the solemn occasion.

The infant Jesus on the altar keeps the focus on Christ.

Parishioners wrapped in blankets and shawls
against the chill night air.

Offering the Bread of Life...

....and a different type of bread. Friends
from the West helped host a
"New Year's Tea" after the Mass.
Father is shown here blessing little
cakes to distribute.

Classic Indian dancers enliven a cultural program after the Mass.

Happy New Year's, Baby Jesus.

Holy Family Joy - Happy Christmas!

Holy Family Church, all dressed up
for Christmas.

"Merry, Merry, Happy Christmas!" writes Fr. Varghese Kalapurakudy, Pastor of Holy Family Mission in Yeleswaram, India. The days preceding and including Christmas day 2013 were "very marvelous and wonderful" at his mission.

An astonishing 95% of parishioners made their confessions before Christmas. Fr. Varghese also helped faithful focus on "worship, Mass practice, carol singing, choir, wishing each other, sharing the gifts, etc...exchanging the peace."

Faithful came to construct nativity scenes on the mission compound, and one was chosen to be the "official" nativity for Holy Family Mission.

The night vigil was beautiful, although a regional power grid failure had Fr. Varghese scurrying to rent a diesel generator so the mission lights could shine. That night, gifts from mission friends allowed Fr. Varghese to distribute 223 wool blankets to his people, who traveled in for the Mass from five scattered villages.

The evening ended with a sharing of biscuits and plantains, although mission funds were too tight for Fr. Varghese to offer people rolls and tea like he did last year.

On December 23, teams of faithful came
to mission grounds to construct creative nativities.

As a special Christmas surprise, a local politician offered 25 saris for widows. These were distributed after Christmas morning Mass. The celebration continued, with "cultural programs depicting the social issues and love of Christ."

Christmas Masses were held outdoors under a tent, since Holy Family Church is too tiny to host the 1,000-plus people who attend. This year, locals who were Hindu and of other denominations came to join their Catholic neighbors at the beautiful, solemn Mass.

Fr. Varghese offered up his Christmas Mass for friends of his mission. He also keeps a list of his special supporters in his breviary, and he prays for their needs daily. 

He does have a couple of very practical wishes as the year draws to a close. Fr. Varghese needs to pay off the bill for renting the generator for Christmas. The bill is due December 31st. He says he is also "praying I will be able to give a tea for my people" after the  New Year vigil Mass, which celebrates the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God.

Use the buttons at right to contribute to Holy Family Mission in a quick, easy, and secure way.  And please continue to enfold Fr. Varghese and his five scattered mission outposts in prayer.

God bless you, and Happy Christmas!

Amidst all the beautiful crib scenes, this one was chosen
as the official nativity of Holy Family Mission.