JOURNEYS | LUMEN
17 separate ends . After that , the gathering takes another hour to disperse . It is important to shake hands with everyone , embrace ( men to men ) and lay hands on the foreheads of the women . Touch is also very important here !
After tea in one of the parishioner ’ s house , I moved to the next mission in a town called Matale and from here I will move further inland nearing the border with India . Will have a week there .
On the way I pass the remainder of the ‘ tent city ’ where the people were displaced by the massive floods in July 2010 . It ' s hard to understand it as everything now looks so parched and dry !
22 January 2011
Hello from Kotri – six hours by road from the last stop . I am now deep in the interior of Sind . The ‘ cowboy-like city ’ of Karachi now looks like a metropolis as one travels inland ! The Friars in these outposts are more of individuals rather than communities doing great work but looking tired and missing the typical home-like communities . I think I have had every variety of dhal , lentils and pulses and chapattis ! Here we eat chapattis with marmalade jam , cheese , butter , Nutella and curry too ! I will return to Karachi on 29 January ! There ’ s not a sign or scent that Chinese New
Year is around the corner and let ’ s not talk about bak kwa or pineapple tarts !
Then after two more Visitations in Karachi – I will have to write my report for the General Curia of the Franciscans in Rome and organize the chapter for the Franciscans in Pakistan .
15 February 2011
So after all the visits and missions , the friars here met in Chapter , prayed hard and tried to truly listen to each other .
It was difficult holding the whole custody of 32 Chapter members ensuring everyone had equal voice and facilitating them . Very often , what is being said has a deeper and more fundamental issue . What I discovered in Pakistan , is that caste , tribe , religion are so ingrained and stratified . It is not just what is being said , but who is saying what , why they are saying it and how they are saying it - even at times , the time they are saying it . I guess that is what ‘ true listening ’ is and it is a very active and exhausting activity – requiring much silence .
If anything it has taught me how we often ‘ hear ’ things but never truly listen .
20 February 2011
Slept through three rounds of gunshots at about 2am and it is not clear if it was target killings or excitement of celebrations gearing up for the
Prophet Mohammad ’ s Birthday !
Pakistan is fascinating – not for the faint hearted but truly fascinating ! Medieval social structures are all in place and fully alive even today ! Yet when I turn on the TV , I get channels where political issues are freely debated and social issues discussed that it can put many other governments to shame !
If there is one thing that is apparent to me – it is a land that has everything but needs good governance .
But it has all come to a close and they have elected a new team to administer a life plan for the growth and development of the custody .
My bags are packed – it has definitely been an experience of a lifetime . Praying for a safe flight home .
Signing out !
Mike
Page 15 : Friar Michael spends time with the children Facing page : Friar Michael fellowshipping with a family This page : The Franciscan Brotherhood in Pakistan