Sacred Heart Church, Rajagiriya

Sacred Heart Church, Rajagiriya

I met one of the stalwarts of the Charismatic Renewal in Sri Lanka before my talk at Sacred Heart Church in Rajagiriya today. His name is Lalit Pereira and he has, quite possibly, done more in Sri Lanka to revitalize the Charismatic movement than anybody else. I was quite impressed with him and invited him to do one of the classes for the planned HSI School of Discipleship. It was an invitation he accepted.

The talk in the evening was to a very sparse crowd and though I told myself that the people whom God wanted to be there were there, I had to struggle not to let my disappointment show. The general unresponsiveness of the crowd didn't help, and though nearly everybody present came for blessings afterwards, it took a lot of time in prayer that night before I felt anywhere close to normal again.

Philip Neri's Church, Pettah

Philip Neri Church, Pettah

I began my mission in Sri Lanka with a talk at a beautiful little Church in Pettah named after Philip Neri. Neri was an Italian churchman, noted for founding the Congregation of the Oratory, a community of Roman Catholic priests and lay brothers who live together without any formal vows but only with the bond of charity.

Despite a problem with parking (prohibited in most places because of the threat of bombs), there was a fairly good crowd, though not very responsive. It is a common Asian trait, and with the exception of Charismatic circles, audiences tend to be very quiet. This audience was quieter than usual and I found it a little unnerving, especially after the vocal crowds in Bombay, but settled in quickly enough.

Mission to Sri Lanka

One of the publicity posters put up across town about my programs

My first mission in Sri Lanka owed a lot to a lady who was a total stranger: Patricia Keppetipola. An Indian from Bombay married to a very influential Sri Lankan, she had heard about me from a friend who had attended one of my Discipleship Programs and that had impressed her enough to go through a lot of effort to organize preaching sessions for me in several churches. I found her to be a lovely person and the moment I met her, I knew that my mission in the country would not only be an eventful one, but a comfortable one as well.

I also knew that it would be a very difficult one, because the oppression I felt the moment I stepped through Bandarnaike airport was thicker than anything I had ever felt. It increased as the day went by, and when I woke up from a nap feeling sleepier than I had before I went to sleep and with a twisted arm to boot, I knew I was in for a really tough time. I hoped that the HSI intercessory cells were praying hard for me!

The Armor of God

The Armor of God - the fourth publication from HSI Publishing - is out. A compilation of a series of essays written in the days when I had time to write, it is the third in the Booklet Series. I have realized that most people don't have time to read full length books and these 24 or 36 page booklets go down very well. Additionally, as they are relatively inexpensive to produce and sold at cost, people don't mind buying multiple copies and distributing them to others. Evangelization, all!

International members of the HSI family who would like to print these booklets in their own countries - to save on shipping costs - are requested to drop me a note.

The Silver Cross

As a little side story that might not interest readers, but is a source of wonder to me is how I have managed to hold on to a silver cross for nearly four years, despite having "lost" it several times. A tiny little thing that clips on to my shirt pocket, I bought it shortly after my conversion and have worn it nearly every single day since.

I lost it again while preaching in the Church in Poona, and though the probability of finding it was slim - it really is a very small cross, I asked the parish priest to see if he could get somebody to look for it. The next morning, he called saying the cross had been found! It cost me more than ten times the price of the cross to pick it up, but it was worth it.

HSI School of Discipleship

My first mission in Poona (Indianized to Pune) was a two and a half hour talk at St. Anne's Church in Solapur Bazaar on November 16. It was very well received, but as often happens, the talk wasn't the only reason I landed in the city. Once again, I met some very blessed people, doing powerful work for the Kingdom of God. One of them was a young gentleman who runs a 21 week, live-in school for evangelization.

I have been wanting to start such a school - which would provide those eager to enter ministry with a strong foundation - for some time now, and this seemed to be a great opportunity to get started. Discussions are currently underway, but hopefully things should move speedily, and we'll have our school started early 2007.

I also met Msgr. Valerian D'Souza, the Bishop of Poona for a brief time. I try to make it a point to introduce myself to the Bishop of every region I visit. Not only is it good polity, I feel happy to get their blessings. Permission for me to preach in their cities is usually secured from them earlier.

Immaculate Conception Church, Borivili

Talk on the Armor of God at IC Church, Bombay

I gave a short talk on the Armor of God at the Immaculate Conception Church (popularly known as IC Church) in Borivili on November 14. A packed church looked a little stunned when I told them that we were in a war and we were losing!

Following the session, I had the chance to spend some time with a group of very different, yet similar minded people, all eager to grow the Kingdom of God. I can see the hand of God in all that happens and it is quite amazing to behold. More on this later.

Discipleship Program, St. Anne's Church, Bandra

St. Anne's Church, Bandra, Bombay

Another Discipleship Program followed the one held at St. Peter's. This one was held over three days (November 11-13) at the lovely St. Anne's Church, which is also located in Bandra. I had lived just a few meters away from the Church when I was a kid and had prayed here at least a few times before I turned atheist. I had never expected to return here and preach!

Discipleship Program, St. Peters Church, Bandra

St. Peter's Church, Bandra, Bombay

Altar Call

Despite having visited Bombay several times over the past couple of years and having given talks in several parishes, I had never conducted HSI's Discipleship Program in the city -- until now. The Program was held over four evenings in St. Peter's Church, Bandra, from November 7 to 10, and the response was phenomenal. The numbers kept increasing, and by the final day, the Church was packed.

An altar call at the end of the Program had nearly everybody present there come forward, despite the lateness of the hour, and I can only pray that all those who answered the call continue to walk the narrow path. I am certain that they will be mentored well, because I found the parish priest of St. Peter's - a young man named Fr. Gerard - a good shepherd, as also the leader of the prayer group - another young man called Mario.