Going to one’s own birthplace for the mission, after years of sojourn in other missions, is a joyful experience. At the same time it is frightening. More so, when it is to God’s own country, the land of coconuts; my beloved homeland.

I was happy because I took pride to live my specific Pauline mission in my birthplace. I was frightened because I had almost lost the fluency in my mother tongue and I knew my own country folks are very particular about the language.

With this mixed feeling I made my entry into the Archdiocese of Trivandrum in 2005.

The orientation program provided by the archdiocese to the new arrivals in the diocese proved a source of initiation and helped me for better insertion in this large and challenging Church community. I felt the urgings of the Church to participate wholeheartedly in strengthening the faith of her people.

A perfect opportunity for my participation came around when the Archdiocese of Trivandrum organized parish renewal program.

The diocese intended to reach the goal through family renewal.

Fr James Culas, coordinator of the archdiocese, explained the reason:

“Though we have the BCC (Basic Christian Community) working in parishes since 1990, we felt that we are not reaching the people, especially from the part of the diocese. So we thought of concentrating on each parish.”

The objective of BCC is the empowerment of the lay people. For this the people have to be active in the parish,” he added. According to him, the renewal program will be more effective rather than the conventional, routine programs.

He explained: “Here we make them understand through our focus on family visits that each individual is important in the parish and family. This brings participation and ownership. This program is people-centered and not church-centered. We focus on their concerns- study, economic status, health, old age, relationship among family members, relationship between neighbors.

We were not concerned just spiritual renewal. We wanted to find out whether their basic necessities were fulfilled. We also sought to understand their sacramental life, family prayer, whether they attended Sunday Masses. We tried to reach out to those in the periphery. When we visited the families we got a real picture of the parish.

This visit was a fact-finding mission. People were open to religious sisters. They enjoyed credibility and acceptance. Priests have often no time to attend to people’s problems as they give much of their time to the church.

The diocese, therefore organized teams of Religious Sisters, brothers and laypeople to visit each family in parishes.

Initially it seemed a Herculean task and it proved to be so. But everything began with the first step.

The people as well as the volunteers visiting the families prepared for the program with prayers and counseling sessions.

I was not sure what I was going to do when I set out of my little convent on a Saturday afternoon my eyes drooping with sleep because I was tired. But I had accepted the challenge and I would spend my time visiting families on that afternoon and following Sunday.

It was so arranged that the team of nearly 50 would do the family visits, then conduct Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in an open place then spend the night in a house that we had visted — one in each house — to identify ourselves with their life situations.

However, the animators had demarcated houses with basic amenities for our stay in the night. It was also suggested that one would have one meal each in each house. It was practical because most families could not afford to give all three meals even to one person. Nevertheless, I experienced great generosity from their part.

The families I visited were mostly poor, so much so they reminded me of the slums in Mumbai where I spent many years. I did not think that such a situation existed in Thiruvananthapuram, capital of Kerala state, which claims to God’s own country

I secretly admired the Sisters of various Congregations who were fully involved in this weeklong mission in each parish. It was a difficult mission, no doubt. It was the enthusiasm and commitment of these Sisters who shared their experience with me that made me accept their invitation to join them yet another Saturday-Sunday to visit the families.

I spent Monday through Saturday in a Book and Media Centre of our Community to be part of our congregation’s mission. That left me for a free day on Sundays which I anxiously waited for to replenish myself.

I am glad I chose to forgo my day of rest. Because I believe I received more than what I gave. It energized me more than the rest I would have on a full day.

The whole process made me reflect my own life as a Christian and Religious.

What a deep chasm existed between these people and me: their everyday life and mine; their faith life and mine. They still clung to God in spite of their starvation. None of them complained about God although they were experiencing utter poverty. Most of them lacked basic necessities of life. Many did not have a meal a day. Yet happiness and contentment reflected on their faces in spite of their poverty, anxiety, pain and grief. This amazed me!

The breadwinners were mostly women. The men were fishermen who went out to the sea. They seemed to spend much of their earnings on drinks. I felt so sad to listen to the women and girls about their plight. How brave of them to ‘grow up safe’ in such delicate situations.

Although they did not have meals daily, they had prepared sumptuous meals for the brothers and sisters who visited their families! The poor knows the value of sharing their best!

When I returned home after the program I reflected what prompted me to share in this mission on my free day.

If I have made my commitment to serve God and his people, this was an opportunity to practice it. I had to move away from my comfort zone and mingle with the people, share their life situations. And I needed to discover God in them and serve him.

It was a reminder for me: to renew my following of Christ who identified himself with the poor and lowly; to renew my own life as a religious who has professed the vow of poverty– were was my living of poverty as I witnessed poverty among God’s people; more than food and drink what these people needed was a loving word, an expression of concern– was I ready to practice the same.

Yes, once again I am convinced God has blessed me a lot. I still need God’s help and guidance to serve