Day 56, Oct. 5

The Superintendent of Schools took me around the diocese to several schools where there are many needs. It seemed to be a victory lap around his former parishes. He was loved in all of them and made a special impact on many. Even I was starting to get a little mushy as people remembered his goodness. We, as has now become SOP to me, entered classrooms and had some good conversations with the students through Father interpreting. I saw a lot of hope. I think the local teaches and priests saw my enthusiasm for the students and sincerely wanted the best for them.
We had lunch at a parish and plugged on until mid-afternoon when we returned to the Bishop’s House for a brief rest before gong out with the bishop. He invited me, I thought, to accompany him to an orphanage. There was to be a special program there with dancing and such. This was an important place for the bishop. H had put all his egg in one basket. The major thrust of his new diocese was to b4 this orphanage and the schools that support it. Through these functions, he would raise the status of Catholics to be an educated part of society. This trip meant a lot to him as he witnesses his ideas take shape in the person of grammar school students.
When we arrived, I was presented with a program and tried to be as inconspicuous as possible not upstaging the main speakers. There were three on the program but no specific names. Then, I was seated next to the bishop. I thought that was a privilege of traveling with him. Then, I was presented, as was the bishop with a garland and a shawl. I received those several times before. As the program moved along, I realized the main speaker wasn’t there. I had put a face to each participant except the speaker. At that point, I was staring at the obvious. I was the main speaker.
I hastily gathered my thoughts in case I was correct. All the announcements and presentations were in English. I presumed all the children from first to tenth grade knew English. In fact, the priest who spoke earlier was rather formal speaking as if to a board of directors rather than a bunch of kids.
Lo and behold, after a ‘man who’ introduction, I was named and raced to the mike as if I knew it all along. I spoke about the kid’s energy and enthusiasm and the faith, hope and love it6 would take to fulfill their expectations. The bishop, immediately after I finished, ordered the priest there to translate what I said to the students. He tried his best. That was the first time I realized the children hardly understood all the words that were spoken all night. Yet, they were so well behaved. I thought they were listening.
When the bishop got to speak he underlined the point I made. I guess he liked m speech. The program was followed by a tour of the entire facility including the kitchen closets and each dorm room. It was relatively new but basic. It was the bishop’s pride and joy. Then we had dinner and the trip home. It was a good day – even a break-out day when the bishop and I felt the same feelings and what I am to do began to come clear. I needed to try to put together a tea of donors, religious order experts, bishops and priests in both India and the US to work together for the development of the next generation of Indian Catholics.