27-05-2024
To persuade the children of his parish to come to mass, even during the summer holidays (on a daily basis), Father Shaiju had promised them an outing. Whoever filled up his stamp card was allowed to go along. And we too were invited to come along, even without having come to church. On Monday 27 May, the day had finally come.
The weather forecast was not too good. Plans to go to the river and to the beach were adjusted. We were given an excursion to various seminaries and churches of the archdiocese in Ernakulam. Well not exactly a programme I would offer to young children: the youngest was about five years old. The elder were about 15 years old. But once on the bus, the music was turned on, and there was dancing while driving. Thus, the mood was set.
The first stop was St. Joseph's Minor Seminary, where boys from about 15 years old enter, and finish the last two years of their secondary school. We got tea and sweets there, and had a fascinating conversation with the rector, about politics (of course) and about history. He also knew a thing or two about Tipu Sultan. Near the seminary was a rubber plantation. The most special thing about this was that all the trees had grown crooked in the same direction. Simon showed some kids the rubber that was collected from the treetrunks.
Then the drive continued on to St Annes church, where we ate byriani with/without chicken on a covered terrace on the Periyar river. After dinner, we drove through a very green part of Ernakulam, a dense stretch of town with luxury villas and lots of trees, to the Theological College, where students can get their bachelor's degree in philosophy after high school. After their one-year social service course, they can then continue for their masters in theology. The Theological College was a magnificent building from the early 20th century. With a large library and a farm where the brothers had to work in the fields, or with the cows, pigs and chickens.
Before the bus left for the next stop, Simon played guitar for 15 minutes with/for the boys on the bus. One by one, they wanted to try out the guitar. It seemed that most of them had never held a musical instrument before.
The last stop was at St Philomena's church. By now, the children's energy was a past its peak. It seemed as if the programme was aimed at coaxing the boys present (there were 25 of them,and only eight girls) into priesthood. There had been nowhere for them to have a good time. Apart from a small shower during lunch, it had remained dry, and very clammy hot. I, too, was by then exhausted and overheated. At this last stop, we were also the first to buy two bottles of water, to replenish our moisture reserves. The one litre I had brought was not enough.
Next to the church was a ‘boys home’. A shelter for boys, in other words. Here the children could play on the basketball court and swings for a while. After about an hour and a half, our water had already run out, we boarded the bus for the last leg back to the church. We were not the only ones who were tired. We also saw the teachers who were along as guides slowly slump during the day. The children were now also really tired. Only Father Renoy, Father Shaiju's assistant priest, and Brother Alun who were along from the church as accompaniment, looked like they could go on for a few more hours.
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