Arun: “My story in Bhadrachalam and the mission in India”

The testimony given in Milan on the feast of St Francis Xavier by a deacon from Telangana who is preparing to become a PIME missionary: “The Koya forest was my first seminary: there I learned that mission is not about grand speeches or extraordinary works, but about constant presence and listening to people. I don't know where I'm going, but I know who I'm going with: with Jesus alongside those who are poor, alone and forgotten”.

On the feast of St Francis Xavier yesterday evening, AsiaNews promoted an event at the PIME Centre in Milan entitled ‘Christians of India: the Gospel between ancient temples and today's metropolises’, during which some Indian Christians spoke about their faith. The speakers were PIME deacons Arun Parise, originally from Telangana, and Ashish Karad, who grew up in the troubled state of Orissa. Sister Susila Anthony Pillai, a missionary of the Immaculate Conception who carries out her ministry in Italy, spoke on behalf of the Catholic fishing communities of Tamil Nadu. Finally, the Cherupushpam family, from the Syro-Malabar community in Milan, recounted how the liturgy and spirituality of this ancient Eastern Catholic rite rooted in Kerala is handed down among Indian migrants. Below is the text of the testimony offered by Deacon Arun Parise.

My name is Arun Parise, I am a missionary deacon of PIME and I come from southern India, from the state of Telangana. I am very happy to be here tonight to share with you my story, which is also the story of a community, of missionaries and of the mission itself.

India is a country with many religions. The majority of the population is Hindu, then there are Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs and other religions. Christians represent only a small minority, about 2 per cent of the population, and Catholics are even fewer. In many villages and towns there are no churches, resident priests or organised communities. Being a Christian often means living the faith in a small way, with discretion and simplicity.

I come from a town called Bhadrachalam, famous throughout India for a large Hindu temple dedicated to the god Rama. Thousands of pilgrims arrive every day. Life in the town revolves around the temple. Being a Christian there means being visibly different. There is no open persecution, but we live as a minority, practising our faith day by day.

My family moved to Bhadrachalam in 1996 for work reasons. We used to live in another village. When we arrived, there was no permanent parish, no church and no resident priest. Mass was only celebrated when a priest was able to come from outside. Two years earlier, in 1994, the Sisters of St Anne of Lucerne had arrived. They had opened a very simple primary school. My parents started working there as teachers and I attended that school. It was not just a school: it was a home, a place where we felt welcomed, listened to and accompanied in our growth.

In 1998, something decisive happened for the whole town. The bishop asked PIME for help and they sent a missionary to establish a permanent presence in the area. Father Agostino arrived, also an Indian, but from Kerala, a region completely different from ours in language, culture and way of life. When he arrived, he did not speak our language and did not know anyone. The Christian community was small and there were no structures or parishes. Yet he was not discouraged. He began by visiting families, listening, learning the language and sharing the daily life of the people. He did not arrive with big plans, but with an open heart.

Gradually, people began to trust him and participate in Christian life. The desire to build a church was born, but there were many difficulties. The authorities did not want to give permission for fear of conversions. In the end, they granted only a special permit: a building could be constructed, but it could not be officially recognised as a church. Even today, the facade still reads “Community Hall”. For us, however, that place is our church, where we celebrate the Eucharist and grow in faith.

Father Agostino does not limit himself to the city. He also begins to visit the villages in the forest, where the Koya tribal population lives. These villages are remote, poor and difficult to reach. The roads are bad and, during the rainy season, often impassable. My father always accompanies Father Agostino on these visits. He acts as driver, catechist, sings in the choir, does odd jobs in the church and helps with whatever is needed. He has been doing this for almost 35 years and continues to do so today. My mother also contributes by singing in the choir, serving and helping to prepare meals when necessary.

When I was five or six years old, I sometimes went with them to the forest. I remember the huts, the poverty, the barefoot children and the people sitting on the ground to listen to the Word of God. I didn't understand everything, but I felt that God was close by. That forest was my first seminary: there I learned that mission is not about grand speeches or extraordinary works, but about constant presence and listening to people.

The history of the mission among the Koya is long and difficult. Already at the end of the 19th century, some PIME missionaries, such as Father Salvi, tried to enter those forests. In 1886, he celebrated the first Mass in a village, but the climate, disease and harsh conditions halted the mission: some members of the expedition died and Father Salvi fell seriously ill. Years later, Father Pietro Offredi attempted another entry, but this project also failed. For many years, it was said that for the Koya, “the time was not yet right”.

After India's independence, many tribal areas were closed and controlled by the state. It was not possible to enter freely, land could not be purchased, and all activities had to be approved by the government, making the mission even more difficult. In the 1980s, some congregations managed to baptise a few villages, and in the 1990s, the Jesuits arrived in nearby areas. Finally, in 1998, PIME was able to establish a stable presence in Bhadrachalam with Father Agostino. After more than a hundred years, the mission resumed with patience, gradualness, and hope.

Today, the community is growing. There are about 250 Christian families. One of the villages visited in the forest became a new parish about five years ago. The mission is not growing quickly, but it is growing deeply.

A question slowly arose within me: what do I want to do with my life? In 2011, I joined PIME. At first, I thought that mission meant going far away, but then I realised that it means above all staying close: being with those who are poor, with those who are alone, with those who are forgotten. Bringing Jesus not with big words, but with daily life.

I am not becoming a missionary because someone told me to. I am becoming a missionary because I have seen missionaries: Father Agostino, the nuns, my father and my mother. They were my first Gospel.

Today I am preparing to leave as a missionary deacon. I do not yet know where I will be sent, but I know with whom I will go: with Jesus. I was born in a community that had almost nothing, and today I am here before you. This teaches me that mission is not made up of great works, but of daily fidelity and simple love.

I thank PIME for walking in my land, I thank the missionaries for the gift of their lives, I thank my family for their concrete and simple faith, and I thank all of you for listening to me.