Bar Stool Economics
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that's what they decided to do. The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. 'Since you are all such good customers, he said, 'I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20’. Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free.
What happens to the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?' They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings. 'I only got a dollar out of the $20’, declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man, 'but he got $10!' 'Yeah, that's right', exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!' 'That's true!!' shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!' 'Wait a minute', yelled the first four men in unison. 'We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!'
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up. The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.
For those who understand, no explanation is needed.
For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
"Billie" or "Willie" flight to Indian #7 (sorry a little out of order)
India Update 07
Potpourri
Just a little over one week before I will be heading home so I will try to make the remaining time “count”. What am I saying? The days so far have “counted” and have been crammed full of English Classes, class preparation and correcting papers, continual visits to my room by the brothers wanting to chat (or pretending to have an “English dilemma” and then chatting until I invite them to leave), a unique “pilgrimage / road trip”, a truly enriching environment for my personal spiritual formation, happenings, events, celebrations, a wedding (I have pictures J) and tomorrow I am off to a dinner at a local parishioner’s house. I have not slept for more than seven hours on any night, most nights it is six hours or less. I have taken no naps, there have been VERY FEW hours just to put one’s feet up. No sex; no alcohol; no TV; cold showers; you cannot eat the cows even though they are walking all over the place; malaria is common; snakes live in the garden; mosquitoes are vicious; the culture is very strange to me – however I am becoming accustomed to it; the food is great; the friendships are better than great; and I am enjoying every minute of it.
That was quite a spontaneous introduction to this India Update 07 but that is where my mind is today as I sit here in Fr J’s office and use his PC. It is Sunday afternoon and I had no English classes today; however, this morning I gave a one-hour “meditation” to the seminarians that were completing their monthly penitential period (i.e. an examination of conscious over a 40 hour period with no talking, followed by confession and Adoration). Last week Fr J asked if I wanted to give a one-hour “meditation” to the seminarians during this month’s penitential period. Although the topic was mine to choose, he suggested that I discuss The Laity’s Expectations for a Parish Priest (using the values found in the Eight Beatitudes as the structure for the meditation). I said, “Sure…nothing to it.” The preparation for my “meditation” was probably greater than five times the preparation effort for any one-hour class of English grammar or essay writing. Chapters from Matthew and Pope Benedict XVI’s book Jesus of Nazareth helped a lot. I was a bit concerned when I started out, but then everything started to click and I did a pretty good job if I do say so myself (no modesty here). The “meditation” received several sincere comments and Fr J even liked the organization of the typed outline (which I have kept as a souvenir). I haven’t worked this hard since I was in the army.
After returning from the pilgrimage to Dantoling I went right to work at Shanti Bhavan so there isn’t too much new information to share with you. However, I have collected a few notes that do not fit into any specific category – just random ideas, experiences, sights and sounds. I guess I’ll just ramble on with those. If this is boring just pitch it in the “circular file”. A major intent for these “Updates” is to keep a log of my impressions and experiences for myself so I can re-read them and enjoy this trip again in six months – while I relax after just eating a big steak from the grill and while I sip on a double bourbon Manhattan on the rocks J. So here are just a few random thoughts that come from my note pad.
Fire on the mountain: The tribal people who live on the mountains are not aware of the environmental impact of slash and burn cultivation. Unfortunately they often clear forest areas buy burning and then plant crops such as a variety of bean, tapioca, squash, and pumpkin that looks almost exactly like our pumpkins only they are more green in color. What kind of forests do they destroy in this process – gorgeous Teak Forests. Wood that is so hard and valuable that was used as decking on English sailing ships, our battle ships circa WWII and still today on expensive yachts. The shutters and doors at S.B. are made of teak and they are as tough as any materials I have seen for that purpose. At night you can see the fires on the mountains, as it gets dark.
Wild Elephant Area: While on the pilgrimage / road trip to Dantoling we went through a wooden area for about 25 kilometers. I saw a road sign with an elephant on it and asked hat it meant. The fathers told me that this was a National Forest and there were wild elephants in this area. [no smiles or twinkles of the eye – real wild elephants] They pointed out some damaged and uprooted trees to verify the fact and I started looking for elephants. Occasionally, a bull elephant “in musk” (i.e. hormones racing and looking for a female elephant) will come out on the road and attack cars, people, an ox cart, or anything that he cares to – like some rather large trees. We saw no elephants and I was happy to maintain my zoo and circus experience with elephants.
Women and Road Construction: Road construction as you might imagine relies heavily on manpower (or “people power” to be politically correct). There are a few pieces of heavy machinery like steamrollers, trucks for stone movement and a front loader now and then. However, the most unique aspect of road construction is the employment of women who squat close to the ground and hold a large rock in one hand and pound down rocks the size of a tangerine into the roadbed. If your break up boulders into smaller rocks, the smaller rocks usually will have at least one flat surface. That flat surface is placed up while the jagged or irregular part of the rock is placed down into the roadbed. Then the little rock is pounded into place by the women with the bigger rock they have in their other hand. Then the rocks are covered with gray clay like soil and the steamroller presses the roadbed smooth. Just think of a mile of road way and how many little rocks the size of a tangerine are pounded into place in this manner. Maybe the next time Joan and I discuss the subject of her housework I will bring up the topic of ladies on the Indian road gang. On second thought, maybe I wont. I am a pretty brave fellow, but I’m not that brave (or stupid).
Police Chimes: Here is one for the books. Just after 2400 at night I thought I heard gentle chimes (akin to an ice cream truck in the U.S. coming down the street on a summer afternoon – except much more muted and soft). After two or three instances of this I knew I wasn’t dreaming and asked Fr J what the chimes meant. I asked this at the dinner tabled and everyone smiled. It seems that the police have a gentle chimes machine on their jeeps and when they patrol the neighborhood at night (usually on a rather strict schedule) they play chimes so that the citizens will know that they are “on patrol” and protecting the neighborhood. This practice is widely scoffed at because anyone who is intending to commit crime is also warned of their approach and takes cover. The police are somewhat notorious for “If you don’t see the crime, there is no crime” and it is reported that way. What would be said in the U.S. if the police started using chimes while on patrol? “On patrol” might gain an entirely new meaning – “Ready or not, here we come.”
220 Volt Shocker: As many may already know, most European and Asian countries use 220 voltage for household use instead of the 110 voltage that we use in the U.S. It can pack a wallop if you are not careful – as I found out yesterday. Fr J’s computer has a 15-minute Uninterrupted Power Supply connected to it. As a result, when the commercial power suddenly goes off when you are in the middle of a major effort, you will not lose the file you are working on. You have 15 leisurely minutes to shut down the computer and save your work. I forgot that this device obviously has a good power charge therein. I went to use the computer and I picked up the 220 plug to plug it into the wall and inadvertently touched both the “hot” plugs and the “ground” plug (there are three). WOW, I saw stars and my fingertips were sensitive for about five minutes. That will not happen again any time soon.
Shanti Bhavan Cuisine: Have I lost weight as I (and several others) expected? NO!!! Breakfast is frequently thin & round pieces of flat bread (like the bread an enchilada is made with) and along side is served last nights left over meats or veggies. Another dish is tapioca in a light yellow “mush meal” form. Lots of starch and carbohydrates – also served with gravies and veggies. The vegetables are “string beans”, cabbage, cauliflower, and other varieties. At both breakfast and lunch I am served “coffee” in a large mug – hot steaming milk straight from the cow (no pasteurization or additives – the milk is simply boiled and it is creamy and very good – reminds me of Austrian coffee). Fr J uses the same rounded spoon full of powdered coffee that I use for my mug but he drinks his in a small teacup – like espresso. All meat is served in bite-sized chunks and in dark brown gravy. Goat, duck, chicken – all served in dark brown gravy. Caution is required with the bite-sized chunks – you cannot eat too quickly, they all have bone attached some how. It all tastes very good; however, I have not had a piece of boneless meat larger than my little finger nail since I have been in India. It teaches one a good lesson. We certainly have a very delicious meal with meat, tapioca or rice, flat thin bread, three kinds of veggies, coffee that is wonderful and that is all topped of with fruit for desert (usually plantain [a small banana] or small grapes or tangerine]). However, one chicken can serve six or seven men when smaller chunks are use as described above.
Computer Science: Under the category of “Other Duties As Assigned” I promoted the idea of a Computer Library to Father Joseph and he was very receptive. You will be astonished to see the WWII era typewriters the seminarians were using to practice typing (I have picturesJ). Thanks to your generosity Father Joseph now has an up to date PC ordered according to specifications I sent from Ocean City. His “old” PC, and two older PCs that were not in use elsewhere in the region, have been put into service in the Shanti Bhavan library room. I teach Computer Science three times a week and the brothers soak it up like a sponge. Just today I took a pole and asked, “How many brothers have ever put their hands on the keyboard of a PC before coming to Shanti Bhavan?” One hand rose and he was fortunate enough to have had some very limited training. Most seminarians had not touched a PC. As of this date I am proud to say that EVERY SEMINARIAN has created a folder in My Documents with his name on it and has created multiple files in Word and has saved those files in his very own folder. Files with pictures, personally drawn figures filled with colors, pictures, etc. have also been created and saved. In addition, all of my photographs have been put on Fr J’s old PC and the brothers access them regularly. They have also been given a brief lesson on burning a CD and have their own copy of a CD with lots of pictures. Whenever a visiting priest questions the value of seminarians being taught Computer Science I ask, “Father, when cell phones first came into use in India, were there priests who thought that this technology was a waste of time and money?” [NOTE: Every priest, and I mean every priest, I have met in India has a cell phone.] I usually do not get an immediate response to my first question, so I quickly state, “You know, I think it is the same with computers. Ten years from now priests will say, ‘How did we ever survive without computers.’”
Cordiality of the People: Orissa is different – so I am told. The cause is very complicated. It is, in part, a result of being the poorest and least developed state in India. Remember, from the Hindu perspective, what you are today in your present life is a result of what you did in a past life. If you are a human, you were very good in your past life. If you are rich and powerful, it is a result of your being very, very good in your previous life. (Who makes these rules – the rich and powerful J). If you are a mosquito, you were very bad in your previous life. If you are a worm in a dung pile – well let’s forget that. So the people of Orissa are very poor and “they deserve their fate – it is their “karma”. They were meant to be so. AND - that is a justification for taking advantage of them, persecuting them, generally kicking butt in the state of Orissa. Foreigners and other Indian citizens alike are viewed with suspicion. [I am describing this behavioral environment in very general terms for the widest audience. There are many, many subtleties in this behavioral milieu. Drew, you would love the finer points.] So when I, or any stranger walk through the neighborhood, I receive only stares from people who have learned for many generations to wonder about any stranger and when / if they will take advantage of them. The state of Calcutta, to the immediate north, is known for being the most outgoing and hospitable state in India. Walk down the main drag in villages (not the cities, but the villages) and you will often be invited into their homes for tea. Lots of smiles and waves “hello” when you walk through the villages (as is the case in Viet Nam). In any case, my understanding of Indian culture has grown with this understanding.
Vocations, vocations, vocations: India is rich in priests and nuns compared to the numbers of Catholics in the population. The Diocese of Rourkela is to the north and is known for the high number of vocations to both the priesthood and sisterhood. Their neighboring diocese (cannot remember the name) produces more priests than any other diocese in the world. That fact was recognized when the pope elevated their Bishop to the rank of Cardinal. As part of my “Other Duties As Assigned” I produced two brochures (one 8 ½ x 11 and one tri-fold) with lots of pictures and text for Father Robi who is assigned to Shanti Bhavan. He wears two hats, beside his teaching duties at Shanti Bhavan, he is also our diocesan Vocations Director. I cannot attach the brochures to my emails (files are too big) but I’ll share them and all my pictures with you when I return. Once a year the diocese has a “Vocations Day” at a centrally located parish in the diocese and over 200 young men show up to sit under the tents and listen to the priests talk about vocations, life as a priest and life at Shanti Bhavan (the only diocesan minor seminary). They never had brochures to give to these young men. Now they’ll have lots of them, with lots of pictures to show their parents – pictures are an important issue in the tribal regions.
Father Rush, you have to help me with the theological message in my motivation to support vocations in India. When I heard that the diocese to the north had more vocations than we did, the Irish in me came to the fore. “We’ll beat them in the number of vocations within two years or my name isn’t Flynn, says I”. Father Rush, is it true that competition in the name of the Lord is righteous work J?
Well that’s enough for India Update 07. I am getting silly and it is getting late. I leave India in four days and will be home in six days. I may get another email off to you but this is probably the last “India Update”. Hope you enjoyed them.
Love ya’ll,
Willie, Dad, Bill, U.B., whoever…
Potpourri
Just a little over one week before I will be heading home so I will try to make the remaining time “count”. What am I saying? The days so far have “counted” and have been crammed full of English Classes, class preparation and correcting papers, continual visits to my room by the brothers wanting to chat (or pretending to have an “English dilemma” and then chatting until I invite them to leave), a unique “pilgrimage / road trip”, a truly enriching environment for my personal spiritual formation, happenings, events, celebrations, a wedding (I have pictures J) and tomorrow I am off to a dinner at a local parishioner’s house. I have not slept for more than seven hours on any night, most nights it is six hours or less. I have taken no naps, there have been VERY FEW hours just to put one’s feet up. No sex; no alcohol; no TV; cold showers; you cannot eat the cows even though they are walking all over the place; malaria is common; snakes live in the garden; mosquitoes are vicious; the culture is very strange to me – however I am becoming accustomed to it; the food is great; the friendships are better than great; and I am enjoying every minute of it.
That was quite a spontaneous introduction to this India Update 07 but that is where my mind is today as I sit here in Fr J’s office and use his PC. It is Sunday afternoon and I had no English classes today; however, this morning I gave a one-hour “meditation” to the seminarians that were completing their monthly penitential period (i.e. an examination of conscious over a 40 hour period with no talking, followed by confession and Adoration). Last week Fr J asked if I wanted to give a one-hour “meditation” to the seminarians during this month’s penitential period. Although the topic was mine to choose, he suggested that I discuss The Laity’s Expectations for a Parish Priest (using the values found in the Eight Beatitudes as the structure for the meditation). I said, “Sure…nothing to it.” The preparation for my “meditation” was probably greater than five times the preparation effort for any one-hour class of English grammar or essay writing. Chapters from Matthew and Pope Benedict XVI’s book Jesus of Nazareth helped a lot. I was a bit concerned when I started out, but then everything started to click and I did a pretty good job if I do say so myself (no modesty here). The “meditation” received several sincere comments and Fr J even liked the organization of the typed outline (which I have kept as a souvenir). I haven’t worked this hard since I was in the army.
After returning from the pilgrimage to Dantoling I went right to work at Shanti Bhavan so there isn’t too much new information to share with you. However, I have collected a few notes that do not fit into any specific category – just random ideas, experiences, sights and sounds. I guess I’ll just ramble on with those. If this is boring just pitch it in the “circular file”. A major intent for these “Updates” is to keep a log of my impressions and experiences for myself so I can re-read them and enjoy this trip again in six months – while I relax after just eating a big steak from the grill and while I sip on a double bourbon Manhattan on the rocks J. So here are just a few random thoughts that come from my note pad.
Fire on the mountain: The tribal people who live on the mountains are not aware of the environmental impact of slash and burn cultivation. Unfortunately they often clear forest areas buy burning and then plant crops such as a variety of bean, tapioca, squash, and pumpkin that looks almost exactly like our pumpkins only they are more green in color. What kind of forests do they destroy in this process – gorgeous Teak Forests. Wood that is so hard and valuable that was used as decking on English sailing ships, our battle ships circa WWII and still today on expensive yachts. The shutters and doors at S.B. are made of teak and they are as tough as any materials I have seen for that purpose. At night you can see the fires on the mountains, as it gets dark.
Wild Elephant Area: While on the pilgrimage / road trip to Dantoling we went through a wooden area for about 25 kilometers. I saw a road sign with an elephant on it and asked hat it meant. The fathers told me that this was a National Forest and there were wild elephants in this area. [no smiles or twinkles of the eye – real wild elephants] They pointed out some damaged and uprooted trees to verify the fact and I started looking for elephants. Occasionally, a bull elephant “in musk” (i.e. hormones racing and looking for a female elephant) will come out on the road and attack cars, people, an ox cart, or anything that he cares to – like some rather large trees. We saw no elephants and I was happy to maintain my zoo and circus experience with elephants.
Women and Road Construction: Road construction as you might imagine relies heavily on manpower (or “people power” to be politically correct). There are a few pieces of heavy machinery like steamrollers, trucks for stone movement and a front loader now and then. However, the most unique aspect of road construction is the employment of women who squat close to the ground and hold a large rock in one hand and pound down rocks the size of a tangerine into the roadbed. If your break up boulders into smaller rocks, the smaller rocks usually will have at least one flat surface. That flat surface is placed up while the jagged or irregular part of the rock is placed down into the roadbed. Then the little rock is pounded into place by the women with the bigger rock they have in their other hand. Then the rocks are covered with gray clay like soil and the steamroller presses the roadbed smooth. Just think of a mile of road way and how many little rocks the size of a tangerine are pounded into place in this manner. Maybe the next time Joan and I discuss the subject of her housework I will bring up the topic of ladies on the Indian road gang. On second thought, maybe I wont. I am a pretty brave fellow, but I’m not that brave (or stupid).
Police Chimes: Here is one for the books. Just after 2400 at night I thought I heard gentle chimes (akin to an ice cream truck in the U.S. coming down the street on a summer afternoon – except much more muted and soft). After two or three instances of this I knew I wasn’t dreaming and asked Fr J what the chimes meant. I asked this at the dinner tabled and everyone smiled. It seems that the police have a gentle chimes machine on their jeeps and when they patrol the neighborhood at night (usually on a rather strict schedule) they play chimes so that the citizens will know that they are “on patrol” and protecting the neighborhood. This practice is widely scoffed at because anyone who is intending to commit crime is also warned of their approach and takes cover. The police are somewhat notorious for “If you don’t see the crime, there is no crime” and it is reported that way. What would be said in the U.S. if the police started using chimes while on patrol? “On patrol” might gain an entirely new meaning – “Ready or not, here we come.”
220 Volt Shocker: As many may already know, most European and Asian countries use 220 voltage for household use instead of the 110 voltage that we use in the U.S. It can pack a wallop if you are not careful – as I found out yesterday. Fr J’s computer has a 15-minute Uninterrupted Power Supply connected to it. As a result, when the commercial power suddenly goes off when you are in the middle of a major effort, you will not lose the file you are working on. You have 15 leisurely minutes to shut down the computer and save your work. I forgot that this device obviously has a good power charge therein. I went to use the computer and I picked up the 220 plug to plug it into the wall and inadvertently touched both the “hot” plugs and the “ground” plug (there are three). WOW, I saw stars and my fingertips were sensitive for about five minutes. That will not happen again any time soon.
Shanti Bhavan Cuisine: Have I lost weight as I (and several others) expected? NO!!! Breakfast is frequently thin & round pieces of flat bread (like the bread an enchilada is made with) and along side is served last nights left over meats or veggies. Another dish is tapioca in a light yellow “mush meal” form. Lots of starch and carbohydrates – also served with gravies and veggies. The vegetables are “string beans”, cabbage, cauliflower, and other varieties. At both breakfast and lunch I am served “coffee” in a large mug – hot steaming milk straight from the cow (no pasteurization or additives – the milk is simply boiled and it is creamy and very good – reminds me of Austrian coffee). Fr J uses the same rounded spoon full of powdered coffee that I use for my mug but he drinks his in a small teacup – like espresso. All meat is served in bite-sized chunks and in dark brown gravy. Goat, duck, chicken – all served in dark brown gravy. Caution is required with the bite-sized chunks – you cannot eat too quickly, they all have bone attached some how. It all tastes very good; however, I have not had a piece of boneless meat larger than my little finger nail since I have been in India. It teaches one a good lesson. We certainly have a very delicious meal with meat, tapioca or rice, flat thin bread, three kinds of veggies, coffee that is wonderful and that is all topped of with fruit for desert (usually plantain [a small banana] or small grapes or tangerine]). However, one chicken can serve six or seven men when smaller chunks are use as described above.
Computer Science: Under the category of “Other Duties As Assigned” I promoted the idea of a Computer Library to Father Joseph and he was very receptive. You will be astonished to see the WWII era typewriters the seminarians were using to practice typing (I have picturesJ). Thanks to your generosity Father Joseph now has an up to date PC ordered according to specifications I sent from Ocean City. His “old” PC, and two older PCs that were not in use elsewhere in the region, have been put into service in the Shanti Bhavan library room. I teach Computer Science three times a week and the brothers soak it up like a sponge. Just today I took a pole and asked, “How many brothers have ever put their hands on the keyboard of a PC before coming to Shanti Bhavan?” One hand rose and he was fortunate enough to have had some very limited training. Most seminarians had not touched a PC. As of this date I am proud to say that EVERY SEMINARIAN has created a folder in My Documents with his name on it and has created multiple files in Word and has saved those files in his very own folder. Files with pictures, personally drawn figures filled with colors, pictures, etc. have also been created and saved. In addition, all of my photographs have been put on Fr J’s old PC and the brothers access them regularly. They have also been given a brief lesson on burning a CD and have their own copy of a CD with lots of pictures. Whenever a visiting priest questions the value of seminarians being taught Computer Science I ask, “Father, when cell phones first came into use in India, were there priests who thought that this technology was a waste of time and money?” [NOTE: Every priest, and I mean every priest, I have met in India has a cell phone.] I usually do not get an immediate response to my first question, so I quickly state, “You know, I think it is the same with computers. Ten years from now priests will say, ‘How did we ever survive without computers.’”
Cordiality of the People: Orissa is different – so I am told. The cause is very complicated. It is, in part, a result of being the poorest and least developed state in India. Remember, from the Hindu perspective, what you are today in your present life is a result of what you did in a past life. If you are a human, you were very good in your past life. If you are rich and powerful, it is a result of your being very, very good in your previous life. (Who makes these rules – the rich and powerful J). If you are a mosquito, you were very bad in your previous life. If you are a worm in a dung pile – well let’s forget that. So the people of Orissa are very poor and “they deserve their fate – it is their “karma”. They were meant to be so. AND - that is a justification for taking advantage of them, persecuting them, generally kicking butt in the state of Orissa. Foreigners and other Indian citizens alike are viewed with suspicion. [I am describing this behavioral environment in very general terms for the widest audience. There are many, many subtleties in this behavioral milieu. Drew, you would love the finer points.] So when I, or any stranger walk through the neighborhood, I receive only stares from people who have learned for many generations to wonder about any stranger and when / if they will take advantage of them. The state of Calcutta, to the immediate north, is known for being the most outgoing and hospitable state in India. Walk down the main drag in villages (not the cities, but the villages) and you will often be invited into their homes for tea. Lots of smiles and waves “hello” when you walk through the villages (as is the case in Viet Nam). In any case, my understanding of Indian culture has grown with this understanding.
Vocations, vocations, vocations: India is rich in priests and nuns compared to the numbers of Catholics in the population. The Diocese of Rourkela is to the north and is known for the high number of vocations to both the priesthood and sisterhood. Their neighboring diocese (cannot remember the name) produces more priests than any other diocese in the world. That fact was recognized when the pope elevated their Bishop to the rank of Cardinal. As part of my “Other Duties As Assigned” I produced two brochures (one 8 ½ x 11 and one tri-fold) with lots of pictures and text for Father Robi who is assigned to Shanti Bhavan. He wears two hats, beside his teaching duties at Shanti Bhavan, he is also our diocesan Vocations Director. I cannot attach the brochures to my emails (files are too big) but I’ll share them and all my pictures with you when I return. Once a year the diocese has a “Vocations Day” at a centrally located parish in the diocese and over 200 young men show up to sit under the tents and listen to the priests talk about vocations, life as a priest and life at Shanti Bhavan (the only diocesan minor seminary). They never had brochures to give to these young men. Now they’ll have lots of them, with lots of pictures to show their parents – pictures are an important issue in the tribal regions.
Father Rush, you have to help me with the theological message in my motivation to support vocations in India. When I heard that the diocese to the north had more vocations than we did, the Irish in me came to the fore. “We’ll beat them in the number of vocations within two years or my name isn’t Flynn, says I”. Father Rush, is it true that competition in the name of the Lord is righteous work J?
Well that’s enough for India Update 07. I am getting silly and it is getting late. I leave India in four days and will be home in six days. I may get another email off to you but this is probably the last “India Update”. Hope you enjoyed them.
Love ya’ll,
Willie, Dad, Bill, U.B., whoever…
Bill FLynn's flight to India ~ Last update he is Coming Home ~ Looking forward to viewing your photos, BIll.
It is Tuesday morning in Orissa at 0710. As usual the bell sounded at 0445 and morning prayer and Mass have been celebrated and the brothers are now doing non-meditative yoga (very strenuous exercises - a real work out - I can hear their bare feet slapping the floor above me.) I am "working out" my finger tips with this email to you :) . I leave on the "night train" for Bubanheswar (state capital and location of the airport) at 2230 tonight and will be in Bubanheswar by mid-morning tomorrow. A day of sight seeing in the capital city and then an overnight stay at the Arch Bishop's residence. My flight to Dehli, Mumbi (Bombay) and finally to JFK New York leaves on Thursday morning and I hope to arrive home in Ocean City during the afternoon on Friday 2/29/08.
Looking forward to a long walk on the sunny & warm boardwalk in OC. Deacon Joe sent an email to me and said that the weather in New Jersey has been unusually warm with clear skies for the past two weeks. "Absolutely beautiful" were his words. He also said the forecast for this week is also clear skies and warm temperatures. That is wonderful news because I will not have to worry about any delays or flight cancellations.
The "grape vine" has it that the brothers are preparing a comical skit, Indian ethnic dance and songs for me before dinner this evening. I will have to look surprised while also carrying my camera. Took pictures of the sunset last night from the roof - great shots.
That's about all for now. See you on the flip side.
Bill
Looking forward to a long walk on the sunny & warm boardwalk in OC. Deacon Joe sent an email to me and said that the weather in New Jersey has been unusually warm with clear skies for the past two weeks. "Absolutely beautiful" were his words. He also said the forecast for this week is also clear skies and warm temperatures. That is wonderful news because I will not have to worry about any delays or flight cancellations.
The "grape vine" has it that the brothers are preparing a comical skit, Indian ethnic dance and songs for me before dinner this evening. I will have to look surprised while also carrying my camera. Took pictures of the sunset last night from the roof - great shots.
That's about all for now. See you on the flip side.
Bill
One Person's Opinion
http://www.smartmoney.com/tradecraft/index.cfm?story=20080211-tax-rebates-wont-stimulate-economy&split=0
Smartmoney.com
The Robin Hoodwinking of America
By Jonathan Hoenig Published: February 11, 2008
THERE'S BEEN A groundswell of cross-party teamwork supporting the $168 billion stimulus package, with an unusually cooperative President Bush eager to work with Congress to quickly iron out a plan. The president called it "an example of bipartisan cooperation at a time when the American people most expect it."
Of course, bipartisanship unto itself is not an inherent good. Bad legislation doesn't get any better simply because it's supported by both political parties. The accomplishment now claimed by both Democrats and Republicans is that of two thieves congratulating their own cleverness as they clean out your safe deposit box.
Indeed, the much-heralded stimulus plan is a charade, designed not to boost the economy but the dismal favorability ratings of both the president and Congress. Based on bad economics and immoral philosophy, it will inevitably prolong the economic malaise its backers hope to avert.
At its heart, the stimulus package is a redistribution of wealth, taking money from those who've earned it and giving it to those who haven't on a massive scale that would make Robin Hood blush. Starting this spring, just a few months before November's presidential election, more than 130 million households will start receiving checks. The rebates of up to $600 for individual taxpayers ($1,200 for couples) would phase out for those with incomes above $75,000 ($150,000 for couples), meaning that those who pay the most taxes get the smallest rebates and the wealthiest taxpayers receive nothing at all.
Bizarrely, the bill gives tax rebates to millions of people who don't pay income tax, a group including low-income seniors living on Social Security and military veterans on disability. Most people will also receive a $300 check for each dependent child.
"We believe the stimulus, the way it is targeted, will put money into the hands of those who will spend it immediately, injecting demand into the economy and therefore creating jobs," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.).
Pelosi's estimate and her economics, however, are deeply flawed. First off, an Associated Press-Ipsos poll found that only 19% of those surveyed said they planned to spend their rebate checks. Rather, the majority planned to pay off bills, meaning that the tremendous demand expected to be created by encouraging citizens to spend money they haven't earned won't likely materialize at all.
Moreover, Pelosi fails to acknowledge that wealth isn't built by stimulating consumption, but by incentivizing production. After all, it's the producers, not the consumers, who power the economy. Wealth isn't created by those who consume, but those who produce, a process that requires long-range planning and a profit motive, neither of which the stimulus does anything to address.
If giving a $600 check stimulates the economy, why not give a $1,000 check? Or $2,000? And if such a plan would truly benefit the economy, then why make the stimulus temporary? The answer is because, when pressed, even those politicians who advocated for the bill would probably admit that reallocating wealth doesn't create much at all, except good favor with constituents who distrust politicians and are soon to go to the polls.
Consider that America has become the wealthiest country in the history of mankind not because we've cut checks to folks who couldn't pay their MasterCard bills, but because we've been a culture focused on producing. All the stimulus package does is reinforce an entitlement mentality that dictates that it's needing things, not earning them, that entitles you to them.
This is why measures such as enlarging the food-stamp program, increasing home-energy subsidies for low-income families and extending unemployment benefits were all attempted to be included in the bill. From buying your groceries to heating your home, our government increasingly says that you're entitled to have your needs met - and so it takes other people's hard-earned money and gives it to you. You are entitled to the money not because you did anything to deserve it, but simply because you need it. Those who actually earn their money, and whose productive effort powers the economy forward, have little say in the matter at all.
A truly effective stimulus package would involve a permanent reduction in taxes across the board, especially on the high-income individuals whose productive efforts create the wealth Bush and Pelosi are so eager to give away. Also vital would be a massive reduction in the regulatory burden that has turned the U.S. into an increasingly unfriendly place to do business. The incentives would ensure that the world's next Apple (AAPL) or Amazon.com (AMZN) was created here in the U.S. - not in India, Russia or Taiwan.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Pelosi commented how the bill "is a gift to the middle class and those who aspire to it in our country."
It is a gift, although one unwillingly given by those of us not on the public payroll who actually work for a living. A truly fair stimulus package would see those upper-income individuals who already pay the most in taxes receiving the majority of the rebates. But in both Democrats' and Republicans' minds, the fact that you earn your money doesn't entitle you to it. Yet the fact that a struggling family can't pay the heating bill does entitle them to it.
Before wealth can be consumed, it has to be created. And a single tax rebate, of which a large chunk is going to those people who don't even pay taxes, isn't sound stimulus but a shell game. Politicians from both parties are essentially cutting checks with one hand and picking our pockets with the other, hoping that the sleight of hand lasts just long enough for Democrats' liberal guilt to be assuaged, Bush's sagging popularity numbers to rise and presidential ballots to be cast.
Jonathan Hoenig is managing member at Capitalistpig Hedge Fund LLC.
Smartmoney.com
The Robin Hoodwinking of America
By Jonathan Hoenig Published: February 11, 2008
THERE'S BEEN A groundswell of cross-party teamwork supporting the $168 billion stimulus package, with an unusually cooperative President Bush eager to work with Congress to quickly iron out a plan. The president called it "an example of bipartisan cooperation at a time when the American people most expect it."
Of course, bipartisanship unto itself is not an inherent good. Bad legislation doesn't get any better simply because it's supported by both political parties. The accomplishment now claimed by both Democrats and Republicans is that of two thieves congratulating their own cleverness as they clean out your safe deposit box.
Indeed, the much-heralded stimulus plan is a charade, designed not to boost the economy but the dismal favorability ratings of both the president and Congress. Based on bad economics and immoral philosophy, it will inevitably prolong the economic malaise its backers hope to avert.
At its heart, the stimulus package is a redistribution of wealth, taking money from those who've earned it and giving it to those who haven't on a massive scale that would make Robin Hood blush. Starting this spring, just a few months before November's presidential election, more than 130 million households will start receiving checks. The rebates of up to $600 for individual taxpayers ($1,200 for couples) would phase out for those with incomes above $75,000 ($150,000 for couples), meaning that those who pay the most taxes get the smallest rebates and the wealthiest taxpayers receive nothing at all.
Bizarrely, the bill gives tax rebates to millions of people who don't pay income tax, a group including low-income seniors living on Social Security and military veterans on disability. Most people will also receive a $300 check for each dependent child.
"We believe the stimulus, the way it is targeted, will put money into the hands of those who will spend it immediately, injecting demand into the economy and therefore creating jobs," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.).
Pelosi's estimate and her economics, however, are deeply flawed. First off, an Associated Press-Ipsos poll found that only 19% of those surveyed said they planned to spend their rebate checks. Rather, the majority planned to pay off bills, meaning that the tremendous demand expected to be created by encouraging citizens to spend money they haven't earned won't likely materialize at all.
Moreover, Pelosi fails to acknowledge that wealth isn't built by stimulating consumption, but by incentivizing production. After all, it's the producers, not the consumers, who power the economy. Wealth isn't created by those who consume, but those who produce, a process that requires long-range planning and a profit motive, neither of which the stimulus does anything to address.
If giving a $600 check stimulates the economy, why not give a $1,000 check? Or $2,000? And if such a plan would truly benefit the economy, then why make the stimulus temporary? The answer is because, when pressed, even those politicians who advocated for the bill would probably admit that reallocating wealth doesn't create much at all, except good favor with constituents who distrust politicians and are soon to go to the polls.
Consider that America has become the wealthiest country in the history of mankind not because we've cut checks to folks who couldn't pay their MasterCard bills, but because we've been a culture focused on producing. All the stimulus package does is reinforce an entitlement mentality that dictates that it's needing things, not earning them, that entitles you to them.
This is why measures such as enlarging the food-stamp program, increasing home-energy subsidies for low-income families and extending unemployment benefits were all attempted to be included in the bill. From buying your groceries to heating your home, our government increasingly says that you're entitled to have your needs met - and so it takes other people's hard-earned money and gives it to you. You are entitled to the money not because you did anything to deserve it, but simply because you need it. Those who actually earn their money, and whose productive effort powers the economy forward, have little say in the matter at all.
A truly effective stimulus package would involve a permanent reduction in taxes across the board, especially on the high-income individuals whose productive efforts create the wealth Bush and Pelosi are so eager to give away. Also vital would be a massive reduction in the regulatory burden that has turned the U.S. into an increasingly unfriendly place to do business. The incentives would ensure that the world's next Apple (AAPL) or Amazon.com (AMZN) was created here in the U.S. - not in India, Russia or Taiwan.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Pelosi commented how the bill "is a gift to the middle class and those who aspire to it in our country."
It is a gift, although one unwillingly given by those of us not on the public payroll who actually work for a living. A truly fair stimulus package would see those upper-income individuals who already pay the most in taxes receiving the majority of the rebates. But in both Democrats' and Republicans' minds, the fact that you earn your money doesn't entitle you to it. Yet the fact that a struggling family can't pay the heating bill does entitle them to it.
Before wealth can be consumed, it has to be created. And a single tax rebate, of which a large chunk is going to those people who don't even pay taxes, isn't sound stimulus but a shell game. Politicians from both parties are essentially cutting checks with one hand and picking our pockets with the other, hoping that the sleight of hand lasts just long enough for Democrats' liberal guilt to be assuaged, Bush's sagging popularity numbers to rise and presidential ballots to be cast.
Jonathan Hoenig is managing member at Capitalistpig Hedge Fund LLC.
Bill FLynn's flight to India #5
India Update 05
A little information about the diocese in which Shanti Bhavan (S.B.) is located. Geographically it is immediately south (maybe 200 kilometers) of the state capital city of Bubanheswar. There are 70 priests in the diocese and 41 parishes. However, eight of those parishes are operated by non-diocesan priests (Jesuits, Marists, etc.). That means that there are many parishes that have the luxury of two priests. HOWEVER – remember what the typical parish, even in a town like Rayagada is made up of. Today is Ash Wednesday and this afternoon we are all going to the parish in our town. The seminarians also sing in this parish on the last Sunday of every month. Inside the parish grounds there is: the church; a rectory / business office building; a youth hostel where boys live in one building and girls in another (almost all parishes have youth hostels occupied by children from the street or that are given to the parish for care because of strife in the family or because the family has disintegrated); a catechism building or part of a building is dedicated to catechism classrooms (in the U.S. we used to teach catechism, then CCD and now its another word – I like “catechism” and so do the IndiansJ); a storage facility that houses stores of food and supplies; a “garden” that has fruit trees such as banana –mango- plantain (small banana)-crab apple – etc. Also yams, a kind of potato, other veggies; and of course a few milk cows. I asked the parish priest who pays for the parish operation and he said less than 10% of his operating costs come from the collection basket.
The entire parish operation needs to be largely self sufficient because there is not much help from the diocese – and understandably so. Where does a diocese located in the poorest state of India get its money? Certainly not from the Sunday collection baskets from the various parishes. Some revenue comes from Rome, some comes from overseas sponsors, some comes from international civic organizations that will help fund the social services part of a parish operation, but not the religious part. Some comes from sale of the products from the parish garden and milk from the cows. A quart of milk from any Catholic parish or S.B. commands a high price. If Father Rush doesn’t agree with my suggestion for a chicken coop in the garage at St. A’s, maybe Father Kolla will agree to a cow barn on the parking lot at St. F’s. Maybe Father Perrault will agree to a grove of fruit trees planted in his “lower 40” parking lot. Maybe they will tell me to go back to India J. I have lots of pictures of these parish operations.
The area where the riots took place during late December is only 60+ miles to the west of S.B (for those who are unaware, simply Google “India, Orissa, riots” – 650 Catholic homes burned, 12 churches, one seminary, multiple hostels, etc. Sadly, there were a number of martyrs for their faith.). However, the entire diocese was very tense at that time. Although one town in that area was 80% Catholic and another was 40% Catholic, the country of India is only 2% Christian. It seems that whenever too many non-Hindu or non-Muslim Christian communities spring up, they become targets of opportunity. It is a continual “tug of war”.
On to more happier subjects such as life in Shanti Bhavan (S.B.). As I have mentioned in earlier “Updates”, early in my visit I was given the additional duty of hearing the seminarians recitation of their following day scripture readings. That meant that three brothers would visit my room before or after dinner to read and I would make corrections to their pronunciation. That process led to simple stop in visits to discuss American culture, music, Ocean City in the summer, etc. It became quite a parade in the evening until I had to limit the time for “cultural exchanges” to 30 minutes. The brothers are certainly eager to learn anything about the U.S. and they are wise enough not to trust much of what is portrayed in the mass media.
I am happy to report that the inaugural computer class in Shanti Bhavan’s new Computer Laboratory was conducted on the evening of February 8th. The lab has three computers: Father Joseph’s old computer (fair condition and speed), a second computer that must be powered by a 486 CPU (very old and slow but good enough for basic Word, Excell and Power Point), and a third computer with an unknown CPU that is only an automatic typewriter – after you shut it down it forgets every thing. The seminarians are like sponges – they soak up information immediately and days later can ask questions about minute details (some seminarians are “tribals” and they are used to verbal tribal histories and verbal stories, verbal learning, etc.). I will soon leave on a four day pilgrimage to a forested area called Dantoling. It is in the “interior area” and we will visit several churches. Many different tribal areas and other ethnic groups. India certainly is a patchwork of ethnic peoples. Dantoling is not on any map, just a wooded area with the local parish church. The parishioners live in a local village a few hundred meters down the road. Should be a great trip.
Not much else for Update #5. Just more classes and the introduction of the brothers to Computer Science. I teach every day Monday through Saturday from 0900 to 1200 (a 90 minute Beginners Class and then a 90 minute Advanced Class). Then in the afternoon I teach a General Class for all Brothers - about 50% English and 50% American culture or any other topic that they are interested in. On Sunday I teach only one class of 90 minutes - another General Class. Seven days a week everyone has tea in the afternoon. On the six weekdays (Saturday is just another weekday) immediately after the brothers finish their daily manual labor and tea is a “stand up” affair with tea and a heavy snack (they need lots of food because they work and play so hard). They usually eat yams that are steamed and drink tea from aluminum cups. I join them on occasion (just another chance to get to know them and talk about computers and the topics that interest them). The steamed yams are genuinely tasty and eating off aluminum plates and drinking from aluminum cups reminds me of my Army days. The priests take their tea in the dinning hall and drink tea from teacups and eat a few cookies and plaintan (a small banana). The day is really full of scheduled events so I try to improvise in order to spend as much time with the seminarians as possible. On Sunday, after a more relaxed tea (minimal manual labor on Sundays – however, when there are cows, dogs, ducks, chickens, etc. there is always some labor seven days a week), the brothers take a “Walk”. The “Walk” is a formal trek to some special location. I always try to go along with them. Once it was through the town market, to a railroad bridge over a large river. The bridge was at least 200 feet high and the brothers went out on a narrow walkway (which was the usual way pedestrians cross the span). I said I would wait for them on solid ground. Of course they harassed me and shamed me into joining them. I did. Yes I have pictures. Other Walks were to another area and by a mosque. The Islamic service was just letting out and we mingled groups as we walked by. Very interesting – have you ever felt like a “non-person”? I enjoyed the experience, especially surrounded by over 20 brothers who are all in excellent physical condition. Very, very interesting.
I will close this Update and get ready for Ash Wednesday Mass and the Dantoling pilgrimage. Life is good in Shanti Bhavan.
Bill
A little information about the diocese in which Shanti Bhavan (S.B.) is located. Geographically it is immediately south (maybe 200 kilometers) of the state capital city of Bubanheswar. There are 70 priests in the diocese and 41 parishes. However, eight of those parishes are operated by non-diocesan priests (Jesuits, Marists, etc.). That means that there are many parishes that have the luxury of two priests. HOWEVER – remember what the typical parish, even in a town like Rayagada is made up of. Today is Ash Wednesday and this afternoon we are all going to the parish in our town. The seminarians also sing in this parish on the last Sunday of every month. Inside the parish grounds there is: the church; a rectory / business office building; a youth hostel where boys live in one building and girls in another (almost all parishes have youth hostels occupied by children from the street or that are given to the parish for care because of strife in the family or because the family has disintegrated); a catechism building or part of a building is dedicated to catechism classrooms (in the U.S. we used to teach catechism, then CCD and now its another word – I like “catechism” and so do the IndiansJ); a storage facility that houses stores of food and supplies; a “garden” that has fruit trees such as banana –mango- plantain (small banana)-crab apple – etc. Also yams, a kind of potato, other veggies; and of course a few milk cows. I asked the parish priest who pays for the parish operation and he said less than 10% of his operating costs come from the collection basket.
The entire parish operation needs to be largely self sufficient because there is not much help from the diocese – and understandably so. Where does a diocese located in the poorest state of India get its money? Certainly not from the Sunday collection baskets from the various parishes. Some revenue comes from Rome, some comes from overseas sponsors, some comes from international civic organizations that will help fund the social services part of a parish operation, but not the religious part. Some comes from sale of the products from the parish garden and milk from the cows. A quart of milk from any Catholic parish or S.B. commands a high price. If Father Rush doesn’t agree with my suggestion for a chicken coop in the garage at St. A’s, maybe Father Kolla will agree to a cow barn on the parking lot at St. F’s. Maybe Father Perrault will agree to a grove of fruit trees planted in his “lower 40” parking lot. Maybe they will tell me to go back to India J. I have lots of pictures of these parish operations.
The area where the riots took place during late December is only 60+ miles to the west of S.B (for those who are unaware, simply Google “India, Orissa, riots” – 650 Catholic homes burned, 12 churches, one seminary, multiple hostels, etc. Sadly, there were a number of martyrs for their faith.). However, the entire diocese was very tense at that time. Although one town in that area was 80% Catholic and another was 40% Catholic, the country of India is only 2% Christian. It seems that whenever too many non-Hindu or non-Muslim Christian communities spring up, they become targets of opportunity. It is a continual “tug of war”.
On to more happier subjects such as life in Shanti Bhavan (S.B.). As I have mentioned in earlier “Updates”, early in my visit I was given the additional duty of hearing the seminarians recitation of their following day scripture readings. That meant that three brothers would visit my room before or after dinner to read and I would make corrections to their pronunciation. That process led to simple stop in visits to discuss American culture, music, Ocean City in the summer, etc. It became quite a parade in the evening until I had to limit the time for “cultural exchanges” to 30 minutes. The brothers are certainly eager to learn anything about the U.S. and they are wise enough not to trust much of what is portrayed in the mass media.
I am happy to report that the inaugural computer class in Shanti Bhavan’s new Computer Laboratory was conducted on the evening of February 8th. The lab has three computers: Father Joseph’s old computer (fair condition and speed), a second computer that must be powered by a 486 CPU (very old and slow but good enough for basic Word, Excell and Power Point), and a third computer with an unknown CPU that is only an automatic typewriter – after you shut it down it forgets every thing. The seminarians are like sponges – they soak up information immediately and days later can ask questions about minute details (some seminarians are “tribals” and they are used to verbal tribal histories and verbal stories, verbal learning, etc.). I will soon leave on a four day pilgrimage to a forested area called Dantoling. It is in the “interior area” and we will visit several churches. Many different tribal areas and other ethnic groups. India certainly is a patchwork of ethnic peoples. Dantoling is not on any map, just a wooded area with the local parish church. The parishioners live in a local village a few hundred meters down the road. Should be a great trip.
Not much else for Update #5. Just more classes and the introduction of the brothers to Computer Science. I teach every day Monday through Saturday from 0900 to 1200 (a 90 minute Beginners Class and then a 90 minute Advanced Class). Then in the afternoon I teach a General Class for all Brothers - about 50% English and 50% American culture or any other topic that they are interested in. On Sunday I teach only one class of 90 minutes - another General Class. Seven days a week everyone has tea in the afternoon. On the six weekdays (Saturday is just another weekday) immediately after the brothers finish their daily manual labor and tea is a “stand up” affair with tea and a heavy snack (they need lots of food because they work and play so hard). They usually eat yams that are steamed and drink tea from aluminum cups. I join them on occasion (just another chance to get to know them and talk about computers and the topics that interest them). The steamed yams are genuinely tasty and eating off aluminum plates and drinking from aluminum cups reminds me of my Army days. The priests take their tea in the dinning hall and drink tea from teacups and eat a few cookies and plaintan (a small banana). The day is really full of scheduled events so I try to improvise in order to spend as much time with the seminarians as possible. On Sunday, after a more relaxed tea (minimal manual labor on Sundays – however, when there are cows, dogs, ducks, chickens, etc. there is always some labor seven days a week), the brothers take a “Walk”. The “Walk” is a formal trek to some special location. I always try to go along with them. Once it was through the town market, to a railroad bridge over a large river. The bridge was at least 200 feet high and the brothers went out on a narrow walkway (which was the usual way pedestrians cross the span). I said I would wait for them on solid ground. Of course they harassed me and shamed me into joining them. I did. Yes I have pictures. Other Walks were to another area and by a mosque. The Islamic service was just letting out and we mingled groups as we walked by. Very interesting – have you ever felt like a “non-person”? I enjoyed the experience, especially surrounded by over 20 brothers who are all in excellent physical condition. Very, very interesting.
I will close this Update and get ready for Ash Wednesday Mass and the Dantoling pilgrimage. Life is good in Shanti Bhavan.
Bill
Bill FLynn's flight to India #6
India Update 06
PILGRIMAGE TO DANTOLING
Father Joseph gave me a wonderful gift over the extended weekend of February 9th through 12th. A four day trek through the Diocese of Orissa with an emphasis on the more remote parishes in the tribal and “interior” parishes. The centerpiece of the journey (850 kilometers total distance traveled) was the annual festival in Dantoling (not much more than a remote forested area) in honor of the Our Lady of Lourdes. At the Dantoling site itself there is a large grotto on the top of a small mountain with steps and a foot path to the summit (we didn’t do the climb to the top – no time). There is also a huge outdoor altar where the Bishop of Orissa and about 25 priests con-celebrated Mass. However, I am getting ahead of myself. First the two-day journey to get there.
Father Shillu, one of the three priests who operate the Shanti Bhavan (S.B.) seminary owns a SMALL car of Indian manufacture. It cost approximately $5,000 USD new and it is about three years old. Cars usually do not last more than five years in India and for understandable reasons. The roads are very rough. Fr J, myself and one lucky seminarian left on February 9th after our 0600 breakfast. We proceeded to the parish at Jalter (maybe on a map or the Google Map system) that was the home town of the seminarian. We enjoyed lunch at the rectory and met Fr. Joshy the parish priest. His parish “set up” was along the usual lines – modest Church, rectory and administrative / storage building, a boys and girls hostel (37 boys and 14 girls, hostel population aged 4 to 13), gardens for fruit trees and veggies and coconuts and chickens and ducks – but no cows. It was a poorer parish that the one in Ryagada near S.B. The hostel children were assembled for a brief welcoming song and presentation of flowers to me. I answered questions about the U.S. with Fr Shillu interpreting for about five minutes. They have a very nice flower garden with eight colors of gladiolas. We took pictures with the seminarian’s parents and family members. He is a “tribal” and their houses are long and low structures with a single thatched roof that covers about eight separate family units. Other multi-house buildings were in the area. The parents were initially in the forest (on the near mountain) gathering crops when we arrived – no notice was given to them – and we had lunch while the seminarian ran up the mountain to fetch his parents. They were thrilled to entertain us in their house. We continued on our pilgrimage with Fr Joshy on board. The seminarian was to take a bus back to S.B. the following morning. Being home for one night with his family was a wonderful treat for the seminarian. In the three years they are at S.B. they only get to go home for 30 days each summer.
So three Indian priests and one tall Irishman continued on along a very bumpy and pot-holed roads to Birikote. It was dark when we arrived and before we went to the parish, we paid an unannounced visit to a convent (1930 at night) with an all-girl hostel. The priests simply said, “Let’s stop in at XYZ convent and introduce Bill.” No warning to the nuns whatsoever. Our car pulls up to the front iron gate and Fr Shillu lays on the horn – I mean really lays on the horn - maybe 15 beeps until someone comes to the gate. They see the priests and wide smiles break out. The gate opens wide and we are ushered in with lots of chatter and questions from the nuns to the priests about “how is Fr ABC, What is going on at Dandoling this year? How many seminarians do you have at S.B. this year? Etc., etc., etc. [Imagine a car full of priests and a strange man pulling up to a convent in the U.S. - unannounced and at night. Then they lay on the horn and want to just stop in for some tea and cookies! I’ll have to try that when I get home.] In we go and we meet the five nuns and 84 girls that live at the hostel. Same routine (in the time we had tea, the girls were assembled, flowers were picked from their garden, they sang their Hostel Welcome Song and presented me with flowers). Then they were silent and looked intently at the sisters and priests. One of the religious must have nodded, I didn’t see it, and the questions poured out like a torrent of water over a waterfall about life in America. When I told them girls their age surfed the ocean waves (they have never seen an ocean but know what it is) they were aghast. When I explained with intentional detail and time, that in America girls and boys are just the same – all are treated equally – the nuns breathed a sigh of relief and reinforced my message with ten words to my one. The Q & A session lasted at least 20 minutes. We were on “Indian Time”, which I was to learn repeatedly on our trip, meant no real time schedule. We then drove a short distance to the parish area and in the town / village of Mohnah. We stopped at another convent where I met Sister Rosy, the Mother Superior for the last 25 years. She is as “Rosy” as her name implies - with a very happy disposition and a peppery manner of speech when needed. The convent also had a hostel on their grounds; however, we begged off the introductions due to the hour. We washed up for a very nice and tasty dinner served by the sisters. All sisters on staff and we four men ate together. They held dinner for us to ensure they had lots of table talk about the diocese and various nuns and priests around their area. After dinner I was shown to my room with private bath and had a wonderful night’s rest. Morning bell for prayer in a convent keeps the same hours as S.B. Gong, gong, gong at 0445 with only 30 minutes before Mass which was concelebrated in the parish church. Why did we sleep at the convent? The rectory was too small with no real guest room and the parish priest was unfortunately infected with a severe case of the chicken pox. The rectory was in “semi-quarantine”. The Mohnah parish was Fr Joseph’s first assignment as a parish priest and he spent five years there. The people love him tremendously and repeatedly would not let go of his hand or cassock sleeve. At Mohnah I met the father of another seminarian and we took pictures together and “talked”. He spoke no English and I spoke no Oriya (Indian dialect of the area); however, we communicated with hand signs and a little laughter. All three priest from our car con-celebrated Mass this Sunday morning. I have pictures J.
[A brief side issue re: The relationship of priests and nuns in India. Their relationship is very cordial, casual and mutually supportive. Just last night at S.B. we were at the dinner table and the doorbell rang. It was a nun traveling alone to Bubanheswar, for a meeting at the Arch Diocese. She had just arrived at the Ryagada train station and was asking for dinner and logging for the night. No problem said Fr J. “Ya’ll come on in.” or words to that effectJ. Lots of chatter exchanging news about the “troubled” areas (areas where the December / January riots took place), different priests and nuns’ status of health and assignments, etc. Another example: At Mohnah Sister Rosy was waiting for Fr Shillu to shut the garage door while she held the pad lock. When he took more time than she expected, she said rather abruptly, and with a bit of exasperation, “Oh YOU lock it Father.” And she put the lock on the doorstep and walked back into the convent. Another example: Occasionally, a few nuns stop in at S.B. for the scheduled morning Mass (there is a convent about 200 yards from S.B.). They are often accompanied by young women who are in their formation from the novitiate. Interesting.]
Back to the pilgrimage. Off to Berhampur (which is definitely on the map of India and the Seat of the Diocese). We had lunch in the Bishop’s residence and I was assigned the V.I.P. room for our overnight stay (the Bishop’s office and personal quarters were immediately next door). The Bishop is very friendly and cordial. He is a strict vegetarian; however, fish was on the menu for lunch. I had met the Bishop at the Social Service Center adjacent to S.B. the previous week so we were acquainted. In the afternoon we stopped by another convent with a hostel for girls. This time it was only for girls with handicaps. A few very serious cases; however, lots of smiles from everyone with the standard Q & A session. Same greeting – songs and flowers from the garden that were given back after the greeting so they could be placed in water and put on the convent altar. All convents have a chapel and keep the Blessed Sacrament in the convent chapel for Adoration services.
Then off to the cloistered community of nuns at Carmel Ashram Chatapur for a special request – prison rosaries. Back in New Jersey at the Cape May County Jail we are not allowed to give real rosaries to the prisoners when we visit for our scheduled Monday prayer service (some prisoners were misusing them by putting the beads in the door locks, etc.). Prison rosaries are small strips of blue synthetic cloth with a cross stitched on both ends and ten short lines stitched between the crosses. Prisoners can keep count of the rosary decades with these cloth rosaries. Why am I looking for a production source for cloth rosaries in India? Try to find American women who still use a sewing machine and have the time to stitch cloth rosaries! So we stop by and ring the bell (of course without any prior notice). After a rather long time a novice who has not yet made her final vows comes out and Fr J explains our request. The novice escorts us into a reception room with a dark window (4’ x 4’) that has vertical bars cemented into the window and that is backed up by a thick mesh wire grate. The Mother Superior and another nun come to the window and Fr J gives a greeting and receives a cheery greeting in return. We state our business and pass an example of the prison rosary through the bars and through the metal grate. After an extensive examination by both nuns I am asked to explain their intended use. This is followed by a further examination of the sample cloth rosary and the Mother Superior tells us they are very busy this month making candles and hosts for various congregations; however, in a month they can produce the rosaries for me. How many do I need she asks me directly? I say 1,000 without batting an eye. Mother Superior agrees and the deal is done. A few more pleasantries and we are ushered outside the building. I wondered what the cost would be since that was not a topic of conversation. Fr J said, “Whatever donation you might wish to make.” In any case, we have prison rosaries for the foreseeable future, and so do the other praesidiums in Cape May County.
Then it is off to a Technical College that has just been built by the Ascension Brothers. Very nice building with huge electrical and plumbing classrooms. The setting was also attractive – along a wide river that runs to the sea – the Bay of Bengal. A short visit to the administrative building for the obligatory tea and then a ride to the beach along the Bay of Bengal in a city called Gopalpur (also on the map of India). It was drizzling rain so I only spent a few moments to look at an ocean. It will be my only chance to see some serious water until I lift off from Mumbai (Bombay) on my way home. A short stop at the main three-year Senior Philosophy Seminary in Gopalpur and a meeting with the former Rector of Shanti Bhavan who is now assigned at this senior seminary. Then back to the Bishop’s residence to wash up for dinner, again with the Bishop and a few visiting priests. Much talk about the pilgrimage to Dantoling the following day. The Bishop impresses me as a truly spiritual Shepard and a very gentle man in his manner. Early to bed because we are off to Dantoling in the morning.
Depart for Dantoling after a cup of coffee (50% hot milk and 50% strong coffee). Stop by Sorada to see the oldest mission church in the Diocese of Orissa. Very European in construction and built by Spanish missionaries in the early 1800s – abandoned and then re-occupied by the present order of priests. Arrive at Dantoling by 0930 for a “scheduled” Mass at 1030 “Indian time”. Small convent with a small garden – nothing else. Small church serving the local villages. Large group of tents on the left side of the walkway leading to the large altar area immediately below the high grotto on top of the hill. Vendors selling food, religious articles, and camping supplies. When the Bishop arrives a five piece rhythm band cranks up. Clarinet, trumpet, two types of symbols and metal “rattle” instruments and a small drum. Let me tell you they can really “get down”. Two large red umbrellas, with lots of silver tassels hanging from their edges, proceeds the Bishop who walks under a golden cloth canopy held up on four corners by bearers. About 25 priests precede the Bishop and about ten priests follow. I walk alongside the Fr J with the “following” priests, until we reach the area of the altar and then peel off to a chair in the crowd, as all the priests climb the 15 stairs to the altar. Quite a celebration of Mass and too long to relate here. However, I will explain when I return. One thing is worth mentioning – the Offertory. At that part of the Mass a long line of pilgrims bring their personal offerings: candles, incense, goats, chickens, a peacock, eggs, rice, etc. The Bishop comes down to personally receive each offering – each and every one. Easily over 100 pilgrims make these offerings and the bishop accepts each gift individually and blesses each person making the offering. Quite an outpouring of love from the laity. Remember, many pilgrims walk 40 or even 50 kilometers to get here and some pilgrims have to walk along roads where “the others” know who you are and why you are traveling. And we complain about the lack of parking near the church?
After Mass we walked slowly back to the “starting line” and ate lunch in a tent reserved for priests, nuns and seminarians. It is the custom in India to eat with your fingers – no forks, spoons, knives – nada. Ever eat rice with meat cubes and gravy, vegetables, salad and something else that was green with you fingers? I can – and I didn’t leave a single piece of rice on my plate. So many greetings and farewells by the priests and nuns that our departure was 90 minutes late by my watch; however, we were right on time according to “Indian time”.
Off to Antarba by way of a “short cut”. It saved us 50 kilometers; however, the road was right out of Westward Ho The Wagons staring John Wayne. We had to get out and walk along two sections. The weight of four men in the little car made it too low to get over the rocks and through the river. One section of the road was built intentionally with a concrete surface about five inches below a running stream. Shouldn’t have been a problem except the concrete was worn away and rocks were thrown in the void. I have pictures J. Arrived at Antarba to the largest physical parish church in Orissa. Quite nice and in the middle of…in the middle of…well, all I can say is - in the middle of the jungle and mountains and one small village. The previous Bishop wanted to make a statement to the people of this region that the Catholics were “here to stay” and we were committed to servicing the faithful of this region. It worked. All along the way you see cemeteries with white cement crosses over the gravesites; Mary’s statue in the roadside thatched roofed stores, rosaries around the necks of children. The parish church at Antarba follows the standard model with a hostel for boys, fruit and vegetable garden, cows, chickens, etc. One unique aspect - the church was built over and around very large rock boulders. I mean to say BIG BOULDERS. The parish priest wants to put garden flowers next to the church and he is also making a cement sidewalk entrance to the church and that will require a border of rocks. So guess how he is moving the Hugh boulders? The boys from the hostel are breaking them with one sledgehammer and four steel pikes (leverage tools). They then carry the pieces (varying in size from a baseball size to a briefcase size) to the borderline of the driveway and sidewalk after the boulder is demolished – one boulder at a time. They boys only work at it one hour a day and while I was there, they broke apart ½ of one boulder that was larger than an office desk. They range in age from six to twelve. During this same hour they moved a few smaller rocks while the “big” boy was wielding the sledgehammer. Amazing. Another visual, all the boys wore very nice looking red sweaters for morning Mass. Imagine about fifty boys aged four to twelve wearing red sweaters and shorts (no shoes allowed in church) sitting “yoga style” on the floor, very erect and attentive, while attending morning Mass. As in all hostels they learn basic educational skills that they would never receive in the village. Religion is the #1 subject, closely followed by English - then arithmetic, reading and a unique blend of history / social sciences / cultural heritage. The Catholics are the only religion with such an extensive network of youth hostels. I will explain why the other religions fear we Catholics when I return. I will put together a Power Point / slideshow presentation of my trip. Don’t miss it.
While at Antarba we met with one of the S.B. seminarian’s family. Father, mother, sister and the sister’s husband. They knew we were coming this time so they were “dressed to the nines”. Both mother and sister were dressed in beautiful red saris and lots of gold bracelets. The sister had multiple jewels on her forehead and lovely gold earrings. As is true in all cultures, the father and his son-in-law were dressed more simply in dress slacks and short sleeve shirts. It is just another universal fact of the human condition – women get all the bling and we men have to get by with “whatever” J. No email please. We left Antarba two hours late by my watch, but right on time for “India time”. The reason for most of the delay was that Father Shillu was a former, and beloved, pastor at this church and the villagers kept pulling him back into their houses for blessings and tea.
On to Paralakundi, the northern most parish in the diocese. It is a city parish but also has a hostel. Father Joshy, who was with us for the trip, had twelve boys from his village at this hostel. He was very excited to see them and discuss their progress with the pastor. He took me aside and said, “Bill, can you imagine the social impact when these twelve boys return to their village as educated young men? With all of the knowledge they have learned here at Paralakundi?” Simply stated, they will become leaders of their community and of the larger area community. They can represent the villagers in negotiations with the government and commercial entities. They will be able to champion action for social change and justice. They will be able to speak more eloquently in English than any government or commercial representative with whom they interact. (By Indian tradition, if you can speak English better than the next guy, you are already 50% more correct than he in any verbal debate.) More on this topic when I return.
After Paralakundi, we drove two hours on almost regular roads to Jalter and Father Joshy’s parish. We said goodbye (after the obligatory cup of tea) and then a 2 ½ hour drive over very poor roads to Ryagada and S.B. “Home Sweet Home.” 850 kilometers with my knees on my chin; however, I would not have missed this trip for anything. A great experience and a wonderful gift from all of those with whom we met and especially Father Joseph who made the arrangements. I said before my trip to India that I expected to receive more than I would be able to give; however, I had no idea the exchange would be so unbalanced. I owe these people much and I intend to use my ten year visa in the coming years.
PILGRIMAGE TO DANTOLING
Father Joseph gave me a wonderful gift over the extended weekend of February 9th through 12th. A four day trek through the Diocese of Orissa with an emphasis on the more remote parishes in the tribal and “interior” parishes. The centerpiece of the journey (850 kilometers total distance traveled) was the annual festival in Dantoling (not much more than a remote forested area) in honor of the Our Lady of Lourdes. At the Dantoling site itself there is a large grotto on the top of a small mountain with steps and a foot path to the summit (we didn’t do the climb to the top – no time). There is also a huge outdoor altar where the Bishop of Orissa and about 25 priests con-celebrated Mass. However, I am getting ahead of myself. First the two-day journey to get there.
Father Shillu, one of the three priests who operate the Shanti Bhavan (S.B.) seminary owns a SMALL car of Indian manufacture. It cost approximately $5,000 USD new and it is about three years old. Cars usually do not last more than five years in India and for understandable reasons. The roads are very rough. Fr J, myself and one lucky seminarian left on February 9th after our 0600 breakfast. We proceeded to the parish at Jalter (maybe on a map or the Google Map system) that was the home town of the seminarian. We enjoyed lunch at the rectory and met Fr. Joshy the parish priest. His parish “set up” was along the usual lines – modest Church, rectory and administrative / storage building, a boys and girls hostel (37 boys and 14 girls, hostel population aged 4 to 13), gardens for fruit trees and veggies and coconuts and chickens and ducks – but no cows. It was a poorer parish that the one in Ryagada near S.B. The hostel children were assembled for a brief welcoming song and presentation of flowers to me. I answered questions about the U.S. with Fr Shillu interpreting for about five minutes. They have a very nice flower garden with eight colors of gladiolas. We took pictures with the seminarian’s parents and family members. He is a “tribal” and their houses are long and low structures with a single thatched roof that covers about eight separate family units. Other multi-house buildings were in the area. The parents were initially in the forest (on the near mountain) gathering crops when we arrived – no notice was given to them – and we had lunch while the seminarian ran up the mountain to fetch his parents. They were thrilled to entertain us in their house. We continued on our pilgrimage with Fr Joshy on board. The seminarian was to take a bus back to S.B. the following morning. Being home for one night with his family was a wonderful treat for the seminarian. In the three years they are at S.B. they only get to go home for 30 days each summer.
So three Indian priests and one tall Irishman continued on along a very bumpy and pot-holed roads to Birikote. It was dark when we arrived and before we went to the parish, we paid an unannounced visit to a convent (1930 at night) with an all-girl hostel. The priests simply said, “Let’s stop in at XYZ convent and introduce Bill.” No warning to the nuns whatsoever. Our car pulls up to the front iron gate and Fr Shillu lays on the horn – I mean really lays on the horn - maybe 15 beeps until someone comes to the gate. They see the priests and wide smiles break out. The gate opens wide and we are ushered in with lots of chatter and questions from the nuns to the priests about “how is Fr ABC, What is going on at Dandoling this year? How many seminarians do you have at S.B. this year? Etc., etc., etc. [Imagine a car full of priests and a strange man pulling up to a convent in the U.S. - unannounced and at night. Then they lay on the horn and want to just stop in for some tea and cookies! I’ll have to try that when I get home.] In we go and we meet the five nuns and 84 girls that live at the hostel. Same routine (in the time we had tea, the girls were assembled, flowers were picked from their garden, they sang their Hostel Welcome Song and presented me with flowers). Then they were silent and looked intently at the sisters and priests. One of the religious must have nodded, I didn’t see it, and the questions poured out like a torrent of water over a waterfall about life in America. When I told them girls their age surfed the ocean waves (they have never seen an ocean but know what it is) they were aghast. When I explained with intentional detail and time, that in America girls and boys are just the same – all are treated equally – the nuns breathed a sigh of relief and reinforced my message with ten words to my one. The Q & A session lasted at least 20 minutes. We were on “Indian Time”, which I was to learn repeatedly on our trip, meant no real time schedule. We then drove a short distance to the parish area and in the town / village of Mohnah. We stopped at another convent where I met Sister Rosy, the Mother Superior for the last 25 years. She is as “Rosy” as her name implies - with a very happy disposition and a peppery manner of speech when needed. The convent also had a hostel on their grounds; however, we begged off the introductions due to the hour. We washed up for a very nice and tasty dinner served by the sisters. All sisters on staff and we four men ate together. They held dinner for us to ensure they had lots of table talk about the diocese and various nuns and priests around their area. After dinner I was shown to my room with private bath and had a wonderful night’s rest. Morning bell for prayer in a convent keeps the same hours as S.B. Gong, gong, gong at 0445 with only 30 minutes before Mass which was concelebrated in the parish church. Why did we sleep at the convent? The rectory was too small with no real guest room and the parish priest was unfortunately infected with a severe case of the chicken pox. The rectory was in “semi-quarantine”. The Mohnah parish was Fr Joseph’s first assignment as a parish priest and he spent five years there. The people love him tremendously and repeatedly would not let go of his hand or cassock sleeve. At Mohnah I met the father of another seminarian and we took pictures together and “talked”. He spoke no English and I spoke no Oriya (Indian dialect of the area); however, we communicated with hand signs and a little laughter. All three priest from our car con-celebrated Mass this Sunday morning. I have pictures J.
[A brief side issue re: The relationship of priests and nuns in India. Their relationship is very cordial, casual and mutually supportive. Just last night at S.B. we were at the dinner table and the doorbell rang. It was a nun traveling alone to Bubanheswar, for a meeting at the Arch Diocese. She had just arrived at the Ryagada train station and was asking for dinner and logging for the night. No problem said Fr J. “Ya’ll come on in.” or words to that effectJ. Lots of chatter exchanging news about the “troubled” areas (areas where the December / January riots took place), different priests and nuns’ status of health and assignments, etc. Another example: At Mohnah Sister Rosy was waiting for Fr Shillu to shut the garage door while she held the pad lock. When he took more time than she expected, she said rather abruptly, and with a bit of exasperation, “Oh YOU lock it Father.” And she put the lock on the doorstep and walked back into the convent. Another example: Occasionally, a few nuns stop in at S.B. for the scheduled morning Mass (there is a convent about 200 yards from S.B.). They are often accompanied by young women who are in their formation from the novitiate. Interesting.]
Back to the pilgrimage. Off to Berhampur (which is definitely on the map of India and the Seat of the Diocese). We had lunch in the Bishop’s residence and I was assigned the V.I.P. room for our overnight stay (the Bishop’s office and personal quarters were immediately next door). The Bishop is very friendly and cordial. He is a strict vegetarian; however, fish was on the menu for lunch. I had met the Bishop at the Social Service Center adjacent to S.B. the previous week so we were acquainted. In the afternoon we stopped by another convent with a hostel for girls. This time it was only for girls with handicaps. A few very serious cases; however, lots of smiles from everyone with the standard Q & A session. Same greeting – songs and flowers from the garden that were given back after the greeting so they could be placed in water and put on the convent altar. All convents have a chapel and keep the Blessed Sacrament in the convent chapel for Adoration services.
Then off to the cloistered community of nuns at Carmel Ashram Chatapur for a special request – prison rosaries. Back in New Jersey at the Cape May County Jail we are not allowed to give real rosaries to the prisoners when we visit for our scheduled Monday prayer service (some prisoners were misusing them by putting the beads in the door locks, etc.). Prison rosaries are small strips of blue synthetic cloth with a cross stitched on both ends and ten short lines stitched between the crosses. Prisoners can keep count of the rosary decades with these cloth rosaries. Why am I looking for a production source for cloth rosaries in India? Try to find American women who still use a sewing machine and have the time to stitch cloth rosaries! So we stop by and ring the bell (of course without any prior notice). After a rather long time a novice who has not yet made her final vows comes out and Fr J explains our request. The novice escorts us into a reception room with a dark window (4’ x 4’) that has vertical bars cemented into the window and that is backed up by a thick mesh wire grate. The Mother Superior and another nun come to the window and Fr J gives a greeting and receives a cheery greeting in return. We state our business and pass an example of the prison rosary through the bars and through the metal grate. After an extensive examination by both nuns I am asked to explain their intended use. This is followed by a further examination of the sample cloth rosary and the Mother Superior tells us they are very busy this month making candles and hosts for various congregations; however, in a month they can produce the rosaries for me. How many do I need she asks me directly? I say 1,000 without batting an eye. Mother Superior agrees and the deal is done. A few more pleasantries and we are ushered outside the building. I wondered what the cost would be since that was not a topic of conversation. Fr J said, “Whatever donation you might wish to make.” In any case, we have prison rosaries for the foreseeable future, and so do the other praesidiums in Cape May County.
Then it is off to a Technical College that has just been built by the Ascension Brothers. Very nice building with huge electrical and plumbing classrooms. The setting was also attractive – along a wide river that runs to the sea – the Bay of Bengal. A short visit to the administrative building for the obligatory tea and then a ride to the beach along the Bay of Bengal in a city called Gopalpur (also on the map of India). It was drizzling rain so I only spent a few moments to look at an ocean. It will be my only chance to see some serious water until I lift off from Mumbai (Bombay) on my way home. A short stop at the main three-year Senior Philosophy Seminary in Gopalpur and a meeting with the former Rector of Shanti Bhavan who is now assigned at this senior seminary. Then back to the Bishop’s residence to wash up for dinner, again with the Bishop and a few visiting priests. Much talk about the pilgrimage to Dantoling the following day. The Bishop impresses me as a truly spiritual Shepard and a very gentle man in his manner. Early to bed because we are off to Dantoling in the morning.
Depart for Dantoling after a cup of coffee (50% hot milk and 50% strong coffee). Stop by Sorada to see the oldest mission church in the Diocese of Orissa. Very European in construction and built by Spanish missionaries in the early 1800s – abandoned and then re-occupied by the present order of priests. Arrive at Dantoling by 0930 for a “scheduled” Mass at 1030 “Indian time”. Small convent with a small garden – nothing else. Small church serving the local villages. Large group of tents on the left side of the walkway leading to the large altar area immediately below the high grotto on top of the hill. Vendors selling food, religious articles, and camping supplies. When the Bishop arrives a five piece rhythm band cranks up. Clarinet, trumpet, two types of symbols and metal “rattle” instruments and a small drum. Let me tell you they can really “get down”. Two large red umbrellas, with lots of silver tassels hanging from their edges, proceeds the Bishop who walks under a golden cloth canopy held up on four corners by bearers. About 25 priests precede the Bishop and about ten priests follow. I walk alongside the Fr J with the “following” priests, until we reach the area of the altar and then peel off to a chair in the crowd, as all the priests climb the 15 stairs to the altar. Quite a celebration of Mass and too long to relate here. However, I will explain when I return. One thing is worth mentioning – the Offertory. At that part of the Mass a long line of pilgrims bring their personal offerings: candles, incense, goats, chickens, a peacock, eggs, rice, etc. The Bishop comes down to personally receive each offering – each and every one. Easily over 100 pilgrims make these offerings and the bishop accepts each gift individually and blesses each person making the offering. Quite an outpouring of love from the laity. Remember, many pilgrims walk 40 or even 50 kilometers to get here and some pilgrims have to walk along roads where “the others” know who you are and why you are traveling. And we complain about the lack of parking near the church?
After Mass we walked slowly back to the “starting line” and ate lunch in a tent reserved for priests, nuns and seminarians. It is the custom in India to eat with your fingers – no forks, spoons, knives – nada. Ever eat rice with meat cubes and gravy, vegetables, salad and something else that was green with you fingers? I can – and I didn’t leave a single piece of rice on my plate. So many greetings and farewells by the priests and nuns that our departure was 90 minutes late by my watch; however, we were right on time according to “Indian time”.
Off to Antarba by way of a “short cut”. It saved us 50 kilometers; however, the road was right out of Westward Ho The Wagons staring John Wayne. We had to get out and walk along two sections. The weight of four men in the little car made it too low to get over the rocks and through the river. One section of the road was built intentionally with a concrete surface about five inches below a running stream. Shouldn’t have been a problem except the concrete was worn away and rocks were thrown in the void. I have pictures J. Arrived at Antarba to the largest physical parish church in Orissa. Quite nice and in the middle of…in the middle of…well, all I can say is - in the middle of the jungle and mountains and one small village. The previous Bishop wanted to make a statement to the people of this region that the Catholics were “here to stay” and we were committed to servicing the faithful of this region. It worked. All along the way you see cemeteries with white cement crosses over the gravesites; Mary’s statue in the roadside thatched roofed stores, rosaries around the necks of children. The parish church at Antarba follows the standard model with a hostel for boys, fruit and vegetable garden, cows, chickens, etc. One unique aspect - the church was built over and around very large rock boulders. I mean to say BIG BOULDERS. The parish priest wants to put garden flowers next to the church and he is also making a cement sidewalk entrance to the church and that will require a border of rocks. So guess how he is moving the Hugh boulders? The boys from the hostel are breaking them with one sledgehammer and four steel pikes (leverage tools). They then carry the pieces (varying in size from a baseball size to a briefcase size) to the borderline of the driveway and sidewalk after the boulder is demolished – one boulder at a time. They boys only work at it one hour a day and while I was there, they broke apart ½ of one boulder that was larger than an office desk. They range in age from six to twelve. During this same hour they moved a few smaller rocks while the “big” boy was wielding the sledgehammer. Amazing. Another visual, all the boys wore very nice looking red sweaters for morning Mass. Imagine about fifty boys aged four to twelve wearing red sweaters and shorts (no shoes allowed in church) sitting “yoga style” on the floor, very erect and attentive, while attending morning Mass. As in all hostels they learn basic educational skills that they would never receive in the village. Religion is the #1 subject, closely followed by English - then arithmetic, reading and a unique blend of history / social sciences / cultural heritage. The Catholics are the only religion with such an extensive network of youth hostels. I will explain why the other religions fear we Catholics when I return. I will put together a Power Point / slideshow presentation of my trip. Don’t miss it.
While at Antarba we met with one of the S.B. seminarian’s family. Father, mother, sister and the sister’s husband. They knew we were coming this time so they were “dressed to the nines”. Both mother and sister were dressed in beautiful red saris and lots of gold bracelets. The sister had multiple jewels on her forehead and lovely gold earrings. As is true in all cultures, the father and his son-in-law were dressed more simply in dress slacks and short sleeve shirts. It is just another universal fact of the human condition – women get all the bling and we men have to get by with “whatever” J. No email please. We left Antarba two hours late by my watch, but right on time for “India time”. The reason for most of the delay was that Father Shillu was a former, and beloved, pastor at this church and the villagers kept pulling him back into their houses for blessings and tea.
On to Paralakundi, the northern most parish in the diocese. It is a city parish but also has a hostel. Father Joshy, who was with us for the trip, had twelve boys from his village at this hostel. He was very excited to see them and discuss their progress with the pastor. He took me aside and said, “Bill, can you imagine the social impact when these twelve boys return to their village as educated young men? With all of the knowledge they have learned here at Paralakundi?” Simply stated, they will become leaders of their community and of the larger area community. They can represent the villagers in negotiations with the government and commercial entities. They will be able to champion action for social change and justice. They will be able to speak more eloquently in English than any government or commercial representative with whom they interact. (By Indian tradition, if you can speak English better than the next guy, you are already 50% more correct than he in any verbal debate.) More on this topic when I return.
After Paralakundi, we drove two hours on almost regular roads to Jalter and Father Joshy’s parish. We said goodbye (after the obligatory cup of tea) and then a 2 ½ hour drive over very poor roads to Ryagada and S.B. “Home Sweet Home.” 850 kilometers with my knees on my chin; however, I would not have missed this trip for anything. A great experience and a wonderful gift from all of those with whom we met and especially Father Joseph who made the arrangements. I said before my trip to India that I expected to receive more than I would be able to give; however, I had no idea the exchange would be so unbalanced. I owe these people much and I intend to use my ten year visa in the coming years.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Mike Gus. Holiday Dec 30 2008
Jim FLynn, Paty Barr, Walker & Mary Keller
If was so great seeing all those Flynn's!
Statue of Liberty
Nina and I (Paty Barr) went to NYC Jan 19 and had a great time. Thought this picture turned out pretty good. Stayed in TIme Square with all the BIG lights and walked the streets everywhere.
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WIlson Lake, Florence, Alabama
The Barr's in July 2008 Tubing Wilson Lake.
Nina Barr, Evan Higbee (friend), JEB Barr and Ryan Higbee (friend).
Jeb Barr (nephew of Mary Flynn) and Molly (no relation)
I know, if he is not the newphew what is the relation? He is Paty Barr's son, who is a cousin to Mary Flynn, Gunda Bill , Jim and Denny, (all those Flynn's).
This is what the Barr's do over July, we are in Florence, Alabama on Wilson Lake.
Jeb is a big baseball player and sports enthusiast, know any ancestors where this came form?
1941
Uncle Jim Flynn Sr. with Nanny Gus and Jimmie
another from the archive of Mary Flynn
It looks like it is at Asbury Ave. House
Grand Pop Gus and Dave Woods 1912
Grand Pop Gus and Dave Woods
Compliments of the archive of Mary Flynn
Uncle Bill Flynn in India MIssion
India Update 03
Classes are going well and definite progress in at least a few brothers. My rapport with the students is extremely good – utilizing an iPod, digital camera, digital voice recorders, etc. certainly liven up the class for the seminarians – especially when I allow them to keep these tools overnight. Decided the best way to get a lot of information to you – the “select few”, would be to describe different categories people, places, things that I have encountered. Here goes:
Rapport with the seminarians: Couldn’t be better. I instruct them in pronunciation each evening (for those who will be reading scripture the following day). I accepted their invitation to play their games at recreation – cricket and volleyball. They protected me (from fierce spiked balls) pretty well at volleyball and the team I was on won one of the two games played. They invited me to go on their “tea and walking” excursion, etc. etc. When I described the wedding I went to and made “love eyes” (trying to imitate the bride looking at her groom in the church) the class went into peels of laughter so loud that a priest was sent up to the classroom floor to see if the brothers were “acting up” with me. This category get an “A” rating.
My “Digs”: I have an 8 ½ x 9 foot bedroom with an adjoining 4 ½ x 5 foot bathroom. In the bedroom is a single bed with mosquito net, a simple and small table and chair (no luxury items like drawers in the table), an a built-in closet with shelves only (no hangers. or a hook to put one on. All clothes are folded). In the bathroom there is a showerhead in one corner (cold water only) and a water drain in the floor in the opposite corner. A sink, toilet and towel rack. The windows have wooden shutters with no glass or screening. A funny story about how I forgot the instructions to close the shutters before the sun goes down. I now have screening. Father Joseph took pity on me and said he was afraid I would get malaria because those types of mosquitoes are more prevalent at night.
Weather: I made a big mistake when talking to Father Joseph re: weather. He thought I asked about the harsh weather in the summer – 120 degrees and monsoons. Actually, the temperature is quite nice. About 65 or 70 degrees at night and 70 to 80 degrees during the day. Humidity is not high except after a rain, which is not common this time of year. Mostly sunny and mild. I was offered a bucket of warm water to be delivered outside my door, however, I declined and enjoy cold showers.
Shanti Bhavan: S.B. stand for “House of Peace”. It consists of a 35 acre compound with one large seminary building that includes the three floor seminary / classrooms / chapel / offices / dining room. It has two corridors on each floor. There is a cement barn for the eight cows. Chicken coop, dog pens and storage sheds summarizes the out buildings. Lots of trees and vegetable / fruit gardens. Tomatoes, cabbage, carrots, two types of banana tees, tapioca trees, bread fruit, coconut trees (40 feet high that were planted when Fr J was a seminarian here). Mango trees and lots of other food growing in the gardens. A rather primitive kitchen puts out wonderful meals for a group of 30 hungry men each day. A cement wall surrounds the entire compound and it is needed. In the past there were visitors who were looking for more than a chance to pilfer food. The dogs are let out of their cages each night to roam the grounds. I was introduced to the three dogs and had to allow them to sniff me and get used to my foreign odor. All in all it is a neat, clean and Spartan physical plant – except for the chapel on the third floor. The chapel is appropriately adorned with well-chosen murals and altar decorations. There are no pews. Only four plastic chairs and two kneelers for the staff. Seminarians sit, kneel or stand on the floor (just as you would do in any parish church). No shoes are worn in the chapel, to include the priests who celebrate Mass.
Food: Very basic, healthy and good. Breakfast is often a “pancake” of some type. No sugar in the wheat or rice flower cake with natural holes in them from bubbles in the pancake mix. When you pour the meat gravy or vegetable gravy over it, the sauce penetrates the entire “pancake” which is very good. Coffee is made with hot milk fresh from the cows (the milk is not treated in any way other than being boiled before serving) with a concentrated powdered coffee and sugar if you prefer it. Reminded me of Austrian coffee on the farm we vacationed at during two years while my family was stationed in Germany. Tangerines, tiny little green and red grapes from the garden, two types of bananas, steamed vegetables, etc makes for a great start to the day. Lunch is a variation, with tapioca in various forms (always with a vegetable sauce / gravy), rice with a spicy gravy, sometimes fish (small pieces highly seasoned), a deep fried hard boiled egg is a treat. All very good food with no preservatives, pesticides, fertilizers (other than manure) or unnatural substances allowed in the gardens or kitchen. A definite lack of fat in the diet that I am enjoying and benefiting from. The traditional curry / hot dishes are an option but only served once in a while.
Religious Celebrations: All classes and religious services are conducted in English. It is not in a Western English and that is the problem Fr J is trying to help correct with my presence. Remember my mentioning the Constitution Day parades on TV? The narration for that parade was half in Indian and half in English. No subtitles, just sometimes Indian and sometimes The King’s English. All prayer services and Masses are simply beautiful. Daily music includes many songs – all beautifully sung by the brothers – no instruments. On Sunday when you add in the drums, cymbals and tambourines it is a “joyful noise”. Music is a major part of the Orissan culture and they are very good at it. I hope I can record some of the songs and music while I am here. The small digital recorders I brought are not up to the task. I cannot describe the Adoration Service that is celebrated on Sunday evenings. It is so moving and beautiful. I’ll get pictures and hopefully the accompanying music.
Miscellaneous: You have seen the S.B. seminary routine schedule (reminds me of my Army days). There is some, but not much, social time. Fr J put me to work straight away and I have been trying to catch my breath each day. I sleep like a rock and only the dog fights wake me up. The flower gardens in the front of S.B. are very attractive. Common flowers (marigold) mixed in with exotic flowers of types I do not know. I have pictures. The chapel altar is always adorned with a small vase of flowers. I have only enjoyed evening walks around the compound with Fr J. I am finally caught up with my class work (I assigned too many writing assignments forgetting that I am the one who has to correct them J).
Dealing with the local seats of authority (otherwise known as, “Momma didn’t raise no fool).
I have made a special effort to make good buddies with the three S.B. guard dogs. While they are locked in their pen at mid-day, I have taken a cookie and broken it in three pieces. One dog is so mean that he has to have his own pen and I give him a piece of cookie right away. The other two whine a little until they get their piece. At first they (when they were exercising freely in the compound) would approach me with their heads down and gave low growls. Now when I meet them while they are walking free on the compound, their tails wag and they race toward me looking for more cookies.
Immediately after arriving at S.B., and upon learning that the two women who do most of the cooking also wash the clothes, I presented both women with a bar of fragrant soap and a small “hotel” bottle of shampoo. I asked a priest from the adjoining Social Services outreach organization to interpret for me. I stated that all of the beautiful women in the U.S. liked these particular products. This morning one of the S.B. priests complained that the laundry was rather slow this week. I get my laundry back in one day J.
That’s about all for now. God is good. Life is good. All those at Shanti Bhavan are good.
Love ya’ll,
Bill (Willie, Dad, U.B., Pop Pop)
Classes are going well and definite progress in at least a few brothers. My rapport with the students is extremely good – utilizing an iPod, digital camera, digital voice recorders, etc. certainly liven up the class for the seminarians – especially when I allow them to keep these tools overnight. Decided the best way to get a lot of information to you – the “select few”, would be to describe different categories people, places, things that I have encountered. Here goes:
Rapport with the seminarians: Couldn’t be better. I instruct them in pronunciation each evening (for those who will be reading scripture the following day). I accepted their invitation to play their games at recreation – cricket and volleyball. They protected me (from fierce spiked balls) pretty well at volleyball and the team I was on won one of the two games played. They invited me to go on their “tea and walking” excursion, etc. etc. When I described the wedding I went to and made “love eyes” (trying to imitate the bride looking at her groom in the church) the class went into peels of laughter so loud that a priest was sent up to the classroom floor to see if the brothers were “acting up” with me. This category get an “A” rating.
My “Digs”: I have an 8 ½ x 9 foot bedroom with an adjoining 4 ½ x 5 foot bathroom. In the bedroom is a single bed with mosquito net, a simple and small table and chair (no luxury items like drawers in the table), an a built-in closet with shelves only (no hangers. or a hook to put one on. All clothes are folded). In the bathroom there is a showerhead in one corner (cold water only) and a water drain in the floor in the opposite corner. A sink, toilet and towel rack. The windows have wooden shutters with no glass or screening. A funny story about how I forgot the instructions to close the shutters before the sun goes down. I now have screening. Father Joseph took pity on me and said he was afraid I would get malaria because those types of mosquitoes are more prevalent at night.
Weather: I made a big mistake when talking to Father Joseph re: weather. He thought I asked about the harsh weather in the summer – 120 degrees and monsoons. Actually, the temperature is quite nice. About 65 or 70 degrees at night and 70 to 80 degrees during the day. Humidity is not high except after a rain, which is not common this time of year. Mostly sunny and mild. I was offered a bucket of warm water to be delivered outside my door, however, I declined and enjoy cold showers.
Shanti Bhavan: S.B. stand for “House of Peace”. It consists of a 35 acre compound with one large seminary building that includes the three floor seminary / classrooms / chapel / offices / dining room. It has two corridors on each floor. There is a cement barn for the eight cows. Chicken coop, dog pens and storage sheds summarizes the out buildings. Lots of trees and vegetable / fruit gardens. Tomatoes, cabbage, carrots, two types of banana tees, tapioca trees, bread fruit, coconut trees (40 feet high that were planted when Fr J was a seminarian here). Mango trees and lots of other food growing in the gardens. A rather primitive kitchen puts out wonderful meals for a group of 30 hungry men each day. A cement wall surrounds the entire compound and it is needed. In the past there were visitors who were looking for more than a chance to pilfer food. The dogs are let out of their cages each night to roam the grounds. I was introduced to the three dogs and had to allow them to sniff me and get used to my foreign odor. All in all it is a neat, clean and Spartan physical plant – except for the chapel on the third floor. The chapel is appropriately adorned with well-chosen murals and altar decorations. There are no pews. Only four plastic chairs and two kneelers for the staff. Seminarians sit, kneel or stand on the floor (just as you would do in any parish church). No shoes are worn in the chapel, to include the priests who celebrate Mass.
Food: Very basic, healthy and good. Breakfast is often a “pancake” of some type. No sugar in the wheat or rice flower cake with natural holes in them from bubbles in the pancake mix. When you pour the meat gravy or vegetable gravy over it, the sauce penetrates the entire “pancake” which is very good. Coffee is made with hot milk fresh from the cows (the milk is not treated in any way other than being boiled before serving) with a concentrated powdered coffee and sugar if you prefer it. Reminded me of Austrian coffee on the farm we vacationed at during two years while my family was stationed in Germany. Tangerines, tiny little green and red grapes from the garden, two types of bananas, steamed vegetables, etc makes for a great start to the day. Lunch is a variation, with tapioca in various forms (always with a vegetable sauce / gravy), rice with a spicy gravy, sometimes fish (small pieces highly seasoned), a deep fried hard boiled egg is a treat. All very good food with no preservatives, pesticides, fertilizers (other than manure) or unnatural substances allowed in the gardens or kitchen. A definite lack of fat in the diet that I am enjoying and benefiting from. The traditional curry / hot dishes are an option but only served once in a while.
Religious Celebrations: All classes and religious services are conducted in English. It is not in a Western English and that is the problem Fr J is trying to help correct with my presence. Remember my mentioning the Constitution Day parades on TV? The narration for that parade was half in Indian and half in English. No subtitles, just sometimes Indian and sometimes The King’s English. All prayer services and Masses are simply beautiful. Daily music includes many songs – all beautifully sung by the brothers – no instruments. On Sunday when you add in the drums, cymbals and tambourines it is a “joyful noise”. Music is a major part of the Orissan culture and they are very good at it. I hope I can record some of the songs and music while I am here. The small digital recorders I brought are not up to the task. I cannot describe the Adoration Service that is celebrated on Sunday evenings. It is so moving and beautiful. I’ll get pictures and hopefully the accompanying music.
Miscellaneous: You have seen the S.B. seminary routine schedule (reminds me of my Army days). There is some, but not much, social time. Fr J put me to work straight away and I have been trying to catch my breath each day. I sleep like a rock and only the dog fights wake me up. The flower gardens in the front of S.B. are very attractive. Common flowers (marigold) mixed in with exotic flowers of types I do not know. I have pictures. The chapel altar is always adorned with a small vase of flowers. I have only enjoyed evening walks around the compound with Fr J. I am finally caught up with my class work (I assigned too many writing assignments forgetting that I am the one who has to correct them J).
Dealing with the local seats of authority (otherwise known as, “Momma didn’t raise no fool).
I have made a special effort to make good buddies with the three S.B. guard dogs. While they are locked in their pen at mid-day, I have taken a cookie and broken it in three pieces. One dog is so mean that he has to have his own pen and I give him a piece of cookie right away. The other two whine a little until they get their piece. At first they (when they were exercising freely in the compound) would approach me with their heads down and gave low growls. Now when I meet them while they are walking free on the compound, their tails wag and they race toward me looking for more cookies.
Immediately after arriving at S.B., and upon learning that the two women who do most of the cooking also wash the clothes, I presented both women with a bar of fragrant soap and a small “hotel” bottle of shampoo. I asked a priest from the adjoining Social Services outreach organization to interpret for me. I stated that all of the beautiful women in the U.S. liked these particular products. This morning one of the S.B. priests complained that the laundry was rather slow this week. I get my laundry back in one day J.
That’s about all for now. God is good. Life is good. All those at Shanti Bhavan are good.
Love ya’ll,
Bill (Willie, Dad, U.B., Pop Pop)
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