By F. M. Britto

Chhattisgarh, June 28, 2020: It was at a SAR (South Asian Religious) News reporters’ training in New Delhi a young participant informed me, “Why don’t you also join UCAN? They are very professional. The well-edited news goes all over the world and they also pay very well.”

I sent then two of my best SAR News stories to the Indian editor, as he had asked. Soon Jose Kavi invited me to attend a training program at Pilar, Goa, in 1991. I was excited because for the first time I could see Goa at the expense of the UCAN and learn more journalism at no cost.

During the sessions, Kavi repeatedly apologized for Father Bob’s absence, saying if the priest would have come, he would have explained things better.

Since Father Bob could not make it, Kavi managed the show very well, including taking us to the beaches and providing us, as he did every time, the best of eatables, accommodation, stationery (and Rum to those who drink it). We, the small group of lay persons, nuns and priests soon became very close.

Next time when I went to New Delhi in 2003 for the UCAN correspondents’ ongoing training program at ISI, I was embarrassed to meet Father Robert F. Astorino first time. I had expected the American founder-director of the international UCA News agency to be very stiff and scholarly.

But during the whole program, Father Bob mixed with us all so freely as if he was one among us, laughing profusely and conversing with us, as if he knew each one of us very personally.

But as we presented our prepared stories during the sessions, he didn’t mince words to express his positive and negative comments, demanding us to be very professional.

Once when I wrote a story of a suspended priest of our diocese attracting hundreds of Hindus to Christ, the angered (then) bishop wrote to Father Bob that it was absolutely fake. When Kavi questioned me, I replied that he could depute anyone to find the facts at my cost. For that Fr. Bob had replied to him, “We trust in the reporter than in his bishop!”

He also awarded me as the best story of that year. For the last four years I am living in that Parsahi mission and I admire the hundreds of Hindu devotees visiting Father Joseph Parecattil; but along with my diocese I question his motives, as I had then reported.

During my annual holidays, I traveled to faraway places like Kashmir, and Sikkim to write the UCAN’s Diocesan Profiles, paid by UCAN. By this not only I shared some stories to the world from these uncovered places, pastorally too I learnt from these dioceses.

When I wrote a story of a Buddhist convert priest in Darjeeling, a neighboring prelate complained to my (then) bishop that I should not have written all those in that story. My bishop wanted to punish me by depriving my monthly allowance, on which I survived in that village mission of lapsed converts.

When I informed my predicament to Kavi, Father Bob had assured him, “We will support him!” But thank God, my deanery priests rescued me from that misery.

Such was the stand of our Father Bob for the team. He wanted to build a family of professional Catholic Asian journalists from various areas, status and profession.

Due to his UCAN venture, I got professional training in journalism, joined the team of Asian Catholic journalists and communicated stories to the world from various regions.

As I do, I will continue to write all my life, besides doing my pastoral ministry. That is the beautiful bouquet I can offer to the great soul of our dear Father Bob. May God grant him His eternal reward.

(Father Francis Maria Britto is the parish priest of Catholic Church, Parsahi (Bana) near Pandaria in the Janjgir-Champa district of Chhattisgarh state. He is available at francismbritto@gmail.com)