Dear John, (1):

Thanks for the note and I'm happy to say that I'm relatively fine:  4.6 km slow jog each morning, with some stretches, some prayer, and a good night's sleep!  Then, of course there is some work!  Local superior for three senior Jesuits and nine scholastics is not a burden.  The socius work is blessed — give all the advice I can think of and not worry about decisions!

We're all a little jumpy inside and out — a time to work on patience:  sorely tried this morning while running a SAT subject test for 33 youngsters, some of whom were weak in English and strong on trying to copy.  I think they met more than their match.

LOTS of help from the South Asian Assistancy, including 10 scholastics who will work in villages.  With help from the Indian Social Institute we've set up a new office, NEPAL JESUIT SOCIAL INSTITUTE, to handle our Jesuit rehabilitation work and cooperate with Catholic and other organizations.  Caritas Nepal is playing a big role in this.  Our Bishop Paul Simick is very involved.  The Papal Nuncio from Delhi has been here for a few days to lend support.

Most central Nepal village houses are destroyed or not usable.  The monsoon rains are three weeks away.  Sounds terrible, but the Nepali people are stoically industrious.  They will put up shelters to get them through the rains, and concentrate on farming.  Many are in no hurry to build on land loosened by shaking.  We expect more slides with the rains.  

Life in the hills is tough at the best of times, just a little more now!

Prayers,  Bill  

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April twenty-fifth, I woke to the sound of a light drizzle.  My spirits lifted when the rain soon stopped for this was Ordination Day for Nepal’s first native born Jesuit priest.   

We were in the village of Tar Kerabari, Okhaldhunga District, a six hour drive east of Kathmandu.  Tekraj Paudel was born there in 1970.  Tek grew up in a tradition Brahmin family, attending the local school and busy with work and play.  Once he completed high school he travelled to Kathmandu to continue studies.  There he contacted various churches, more out of the desire to learn English than to change his faith. 

Welcoming Christians took over, and soon Tek was a fervent member of the Church.  He later began worshiping with Catholics and joined the Assumption Parish in Kathmandu.  Meanwhile he continued studying and working, as his faith grew.  He asked to join the Society of Jesus, but prudent superiors kept him waiting.  Finally after a year in the Jesuit “pre-novitiate” program, Tek moved to the Manresa Novitiate at Kalimpong.  Vows and regular Jesuit formation continued. 

I enjoyed a year as Tek’s local superior, when he taught mathematics at Moran Memorial School.  My favorite image of this period was the school’s chess tournament:  about three hundred youngsters in grades four through ten, competing with one another!  Remember that these scholars’ parents are illiterate tea estate workers and subsistence farmers!

Theology studies at Patna and Delhi followed, and finally April twenty-fifth arrived.  About a hundred and fifty parishioners and religious made the journey to enjoy village hospitality.  Tek had done his homework, slowly breaking down traditional religious prejudices.  Bishop Paul Simick guided us through a tasteful ordination ceremony.  Tek’s open minded parents, both in their eighties, basked in consolation, accepting congratulations from their friends and neighbors.

We quickly turned the altar dais into a stage, looking forward to entertainment before enjoying a meal.  Then the ground shook!  The tent stayed up but most village houses were damaged beyond repair, and some turned into heaps of lumber, stone and mud.  People scattered to save livestock and assess the damage.  Thanks to the program, no one was at home where they could easily have been buried.  

So much for the celebrations, but hungry people returned to the school to enjoy two meals that day.  Blocked roads delayed our return to Kathmandu, where we found most of our buildings standing.  Two major aftershocks, April 26 and May 12, have kept people on edge, but we are getting organized to help the needy.  The Jesuits have been able to get immediate help to our village friends, and will focus on long term rehabilitation.  Our mission at Tipling, north Dhading district depends only on helicopter service for now. 

Tek has moved on to Darjeeling for a year of pastoral ministry, while we in Kathmandu encourage our stoic friends to get busy and rebuild Nepal. 

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(1): This note – sent to me and reprinted with permission – accompanied Bill Robin's article.

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For donations to an earthquake relief fund,  please visit Canadian Jesuits International at:  www.canadianjesuitsinternational.ca

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Source: Unless otherwise indicated, all photos are by Sunny A. Costa, SJ.