In August this year, Bishop Shane spent ten “fascinating and eye-opening” days in India, where he visited the families of Sandhurst priests, Fr Vijay Bandanadam (Benalla); Fr John Paul Pasala (Tatura); Fr Uday Marneni (Wodonga Parishes); and Fr Jophin Joy (Numurkah and Nathalia). “It’s really valuable to understand something of the background of our priests,” said Bishop Shane, acknowledging that he now has a deeper understanding of the challenges our Indian priests face when adjusting to life in Australia. Bishop Shane also expressed how pleased he was to personally let the families of these priests know how much their sons and brothers are valued by people in Sandhurst parishes.

“India is extraordinary – to speak of it as a country is a bit of a misnomer. There are 28 states, each with their own cultures, their own climate, their own geography, and their own languages … In fact, they call people from other states ‘migrants’,” said Bishop Shane describing his experience.

Bishop Shane was struck by the “great energy and great commitment” of the people in India, which he observed in their work ethic and their commitment to faith, family, and community. For Bishop Shane, this was particularly evident in the exuberant way he was warmly welcomed into the communities he visited.

Bishop Shane received a traditional welcome at every official visit, this included being garlanded with fresh flowers and receiving a ceremonial shawl, which was usually wrapped around his shoulders to the delight of everyone present.

In India, garlands represent peace, love, purity, and passion, and are given to acknowledge the gifts the recipient brings. Ceremonial shawls, symbolise India’s rich cultural heritage and have been used ceremonially at official events for hundreds of years. Shawls specific to the style and artistry of the region are given to demonstrate the respect and gratitude a community holds for the recipient.

“In one parish, there were four separate groups who needed to welcome the Bishop,” explained Bishop Shane, “So, I was given four garlands of fresh flowers, and four ceremonial shawls.”
It wasn’t just official parties who exuberantly welcomed this unusually tall and fair Australian. Word of a visiting Bishop could travel through communities more quickly than a Bishop’s entourage. Bishop Shane recounted one such occasion while visiting Fr Jophin Joy’s family in Kerala.

“We were getting ready to go to one of our planned destinations and Jophin’s Dad says, “Oh we should call in to just look at the Church on the way.” “Ok.” So, it took us about half an hour to get to the Church and, by the time we got there, half of the parish had already gathered to meet us!” laughed Bishop Shane, noting that it was an occurrence which was typical of his experience in the smaller towns he visited. From Bishop Shane’s expression, it was clear that he too was infected with the joy of such spontaneous greetings.

Amongst the joy in India, there is also hardship. Bishop Shane witnessed the precarious nature of many peoples’ lives – visiting a Day Labour Market and observing the manually intensive labour methods employed in construction and agriculture for example. “Life is hard; there are so many people and limited resources – people make the most of the resources they have. They don’t complain; they are hardworking and seize every opportunity available to them, be it school, a job, or a spot on the road!” said Bishop Shane.

Bishop Shane’s ten-day itinerary was jam-packed. He spent most of his time in the smaller towns around Hyderabad in Telangana State, visiting the families of Fr John Paul Pasala, Fr Vijay Bandanadam and Fr Uday Marneni. He also spent time with Fr Jojappa Pasala ALCP/OSS, the Provincial of the Holy Spirit Fathers (the Order to which Fr Vijay, Fr Jophin and Fr Uday belong), who is based in Hyderabad.

Early in his visit Bishop Shane travelled south from Hyderabad to Kerala State to visit Fr Jophin Joy’s parents in Manakadavu, a small town one hour’s drive from Kannur airport. He was captivated by the lush tropical landscape. “It is beautiful; there are tea plantations, coffee plantations, banana plantations, it’s very exotic,” he said. Returning to Hyderabad via Karnataka State, Bishop Shane was surprised to catch a glimpse of wild elephants, a herd of deer, and acres of sunflower fields.

Fr Jophin Joy reported that Bishop Shane had been somewhat sceptical when first told that Indian priests speak English when they get together. “This trip surely has given Bishop Shane an understanding that knowing just one language will not help while travelling through India!” said Fr Jophin. “In most cases – even with our accent, which is very much influenced by the other languages we speak – English is the only language that connects us together.” [There are 22 scheduled languages in India, 96.71 per cent of the population speak one of these. There are incredibly 121 identifiable mother tongues with 10,000 or more speakers, which can be broken down into 19,500 dialects.]

While in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, Bishop Shane spent time with Fr Maria Paulraj SVD, the Provincial of the Society of the Divine Word and met the Bishop of Indore, Chacko Thottumarickal, S.V.D, who is also a priest of the Society of the Divine Word.

Fr Uday Marneni said he thought Bishop Shane would be surprised to learn that all 250 families in his village of Bheemanapally, Khammagudem in the Diocese of Nalgonda, about 80 km south-east of Hyderabad are Catholic. The Church is in the centre of the village and is central to their daily lives. “People in my village are devout. Every year we have at least one ordination in our village,” said Fr Uday. Catholics settled in this village generations ago, considering it a safe haven. Many in this village, including Fr Uday’s family, became Catholics under the influence of Italian missionaries many generations ago. Bishop Shane noted that it was not uncommon in India to have ‘twin villages’ in which residents lived in communities of people sharing the same faith.

Bishop Shane found India to be “extraordinary and fascinating”. Apart from the obvious fruits of strengthening relationships, and secondary to the good company of India’s people, Bishop Shane enjoyed the cuisine – although he was diplomatically coy about which regional Indian dishes he most enjoyed. “The food was great, I loved the food,” he said. “Apparently the only spot you can eat real biryani is in Hyderabad. We did have biryani in another place but – ‘No, no, no, that’s not real biryani.’ So, we had to go to a special spot in Hyderabad for biryani.”

Fr Vijay Bandanadam’s delightful daily account of Bishop Shane’s visit to India can be read here.

This weekend, why not download and try Fr Vijay’s chicken biryani recipe. It won’t be real biryani, but you can imagine the colourful sights, sounds and aromas of India, and say a prayer for the people Bishop Shane visited, as you cook.

Namaste.

Bishop Shane and Fr Vijay Bandanadam (left) with Fr Jophin Joy's parents and cousin (right). 

Image top-right: Bishop Shane being garlanded by a member of Vijay Bandanadam's family.