Pilgrimage #6 2002-2003 Pictures

sets off soon

The Farewell Mass of Commissioning was held on the evening before: Saturday, 30th November, at 7.30 p.m. in the Trinity Chapel.

Taking Up the Challenge!

Do you want to be involved in an experience of a lifetime?

 Are you prepared to "Walk a mile in someone else's shoes"?

Are you prepared to make a "Journey of Faith"?

 Introduction:

Since 1991 Trinity College has provided an opportunity for five groups of volunteer students to spend time in India during the Christmas holidays. See Photos of Past Pilgrimages. The primary objective of these pilgrimages is to provide students with an opportunity to work with abandoned and disabled children in Madras and in various hospitals and homes conducted by Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity.   Such experiences give our students a sense of the disparity between East and West, and what the term "poorest of the poor" might really mean.  Included in this journey will be visits to several of the Christian Brothers' special missions in India, which are supported by Trinity's fundraising efforts.  Students also have the opportunity of taking in some tourist sites along the way. Read further information about these places in India

 What's it all about?

At Trinity we are constantly reminded that we should be "men of the gospel, men of justice, men for others".  And St. James reminds us that "faith  without good works is dead." (James 2:17)  So we are offering our Year 10 students the opportunity to put their faith into action. 

   We spent our Christmas holidays in 2002/2003 in India.  We worked for some time with disabled and disadvantaged children in Chennai as well as at some of the hospitals and homes conducted by Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta.  We had the opportunity to work at Kalighat - the Home for the Dying Destitute.  We visited Nabo Jibon - the refuge for abandoned and homeless railways children.  We visited Shishu Bivan - the home for unwanted and abandoned babies.  And wego to Titigarth - the colony for people with leprosy.  These were the formal opportunities when we worked directly with the poor of India, but there were many other times when we were directly confronted by the poorest of the poor especially in our day to day travels.

  We also had the opportunity to be with the Christian Brothers in India and shared their hospitality as well as witnessed their special ministries with poor children in Calcutta, Mandal, Mangalore and Mawjrong.

 But in all of this we tried no to be patronising or  superior, but rather we offered the hand of friendship and approached each individual with generous and open hearts.  We learned about the rich and ancient Indian culture and the diverse peoples who make up her nation.  We also learned much from those who live simply and manage on so little.  Hopefully we returned home as people of compassion, determined to work for justice in our world. 

Our Pilgrimage Vision

Each Pilgrimage through India  

becomes a special journey: 

A journey in faith, 

a journey of gifts - of receiving and bestowal. 

And each Pilgrimage is a journey of self-discovery. 

In response to the call of Jesus, 

present in all of our brothers and sisters, 

we embrace the people of India. 

We explore God's unfolding mystery in their culture. 

We seek their wisdom and examine our faith in their world. 

  In humility, yet charged with hope, 

we offer some time and some service

and learn something about loving and commitment.

We come to share of our bounty

and we strive to be 'men for others'.

We return to our homeland and families,

richer for the experience.

We return eager to share the 'Good News'

with family, friends and acquaintances,

so that together we will continue to build a better world.

Why is it called a "Pilgrimage" and not a trip? 

We use the term "pilgrimage" because this journey is much more than just a tour or a trip.  It is a journey with a sacred purpose.  Our pilgrimage vision tries to capture this spirit.

When is it taking place? (For how long?) 

The pilgrimage extended for 5 weeks from the beginning of December 2002 until mid January 2003.  Pilgrimages have taught us that because India is such a vast country with so much to learn, and because we need to allow enough time for service, travel, education, rest, recreation and fun, we spent at least five weeks in India.

 How much will it cost?

The whole pilgrimage cost about $3500.00.  This cost included:

• International airfares,
• Domestic Airfares,
• Visas
• Land Travel (Trains, buses etc)
• Insurance
• Inoculations & Medications
• Accommodation
• Living Allowance & Spending Money.

Although we consider it to be a special privilege to be included on such a pilgrimage, we also believe that it is important that the pilgrimage is not just a trip for the privileged few!  It does seem appropriate that there is an element of sacrifice involved in the preparation.  Usually this means the students went without a lot of things in the 16 month lead up to departure.  Birthday presents and Christmas presents were directed towards the pilgrimage expenses.

 Where do we go?

Depending on the commitments of our hosts we began in Chennai where we worked for a week with disabled children at M.I.T.H.R.A.  From there we travelled to Mangalore where our students were billeted with families from the Christian Brothers school in Bajpe.  We then headed for one of the Christian Brothers' village missions in Mandal, Gujarat. From there we travelled to Rajasthan  and stayed in the pink city of Jaipur.  Then we headed for Agra (city of the Taj Mahal) and Fatephur Sikri, the abandoned city, before we caught a train to India's capital, New Delhi.  In Delhi we visited the Red Fort where Independence was proclaimed in 1947; we walked down the crowded Chadni Chowk and witnessed amazing scenes before visiting the Sikh Temple.  Then onto the Jain Bird Hospital, the third largest mosque in the world before we visited the homes of Mahatma Gandhi and Mrs Indira Gandhi.  We inspected the sites where both of thee people were assassinated.

From Delhi we flew to Kathmandu in Nepal for rest and recreation.  In Nepal we stayed at Chitwan Island Jungle Lodge where we rode elephants, saw the rare white rhinoceros and possibly the sloth bear and tiger in the wild!  We attempted white water rafting and perhaps even  see Mt Everest in the distance.  Then we returned to India via the holiest Hindu city, Varanasi, before making our way to Calcutta.  This is where we began our second round of service activities.  We broke up into small groups with some teachers and worked at various Missionary of Charity homes and hospitals.  We were accommodated at the Christian Brothers, St Mary's Orphanage in Calcutta.  Before we returned to Australia we also visited another Christian Brothers mission in Mawjrong in Megalaya.

Then we farewelled India and returned home, having a brief stopover  and de-briefing in Singapore!

  What do we do?

None of us are trained nurses, doctors, carpenters or specialists of any kind.  But we are young human beings with enormous hearts, energy and goodwill.  We were challenged to give of ourselves: our time, our energy, our love and our patience.  In the Brothers' missions we assisted in teaching English. In MITHRA we played with the children, kept them company, and assisted them in simple tasks such as washing, feeding and physical exercise as well as teaching simple lessons. In Calcutta we performed very simple acts of kindness for the people we served.  On many occasions we were challenged by Mother Teresa's words: "Remember that when you hold this person in your arms you are holing Jesus in his most distressing disguise."

And as much as we think that we have so much to offer, we are the ones who learned so much about our own limitations and inadequacies.  We learned how happy these people are who live such simple lives.  We were embarrassed by their generosity to us.  That's why these pilgrimages have sometimes been called "an exchange of love."  And we also learned that sometimes ordinary people can do extraordinary things!

During the pilgrimage we tried to learn as much as possible about the various projects supported by Trinity College so that we were able to give a first-hand account to the school community when we returned.

.

 Who may apply?

The pilgrimage was open to every student in Year 10 (2001) who will had just completed Year 11 when we left, and therefore they are Year 12 students when they returned in 2003.

We would be disappointed if a student did not apply because of financial considerations.  We took the opportunity to discuss such difficulties if a student was particularly keen to be included, but knew he would have difficulty in raising the full fare.

Not for everyone.

We understand that such a pilgrimage experience does not appeal to everyone, particularly at 15 years of age.  So it is no reflection on anyone if he does not feel like being a volunteer at this stage.  There are many opportunities for students to be involved in Christian Service projects in our own city of Perth.

How do I apply?

If you are interested in applying for this Pilgrimage through India, then you need to do the following when the next opportunity arises.

These are the steps involved:

1.       Discuss all the details with your parents.

2.       Write a personal letter of Application to the Indian Pilgrimage Committee.  In this letter you need to: