Pakistan. One of those countries which I know of, but could never really claim to know much about. When I lived in India, Pakistan was the enemy that funded the terrorists who laid siege to Mumbai in 2008, and since then, like so many places, the only news coverage is negative. So when I was invited to join a group travelling to Karachi, Hyderabad, and Badin I was very uncertain what to expect.
The Columban Fathers ‘Invitation to Mission’ programme is designed to give a short experience of the work done by priests, Columban Sisters, lay missionaries, and co-workers. So after two weekends preparation in the UK, our group - Mauricio (a Chilean Columban Lay Missionary to the UK), Ann (who works for CAFOD Salford Diocese), Henrietta (a member of the London Catholic Worker), and myself - were all set.
Fr Dan O’Connor met us and we were given traditional Sindhi scarves in greeting. Fr Dan is a New Zealander Columban who has been in Pakistan for 24 years. We left for Badin, a small city five hours journey to the east. The Columbans’ primary mission in Pakistan is to the Christian community, a minority of less than 2% nationally, with a special focus on the Pakari Kholi people. In Sindh (and other parts of Pakistan) Christians are considered low caste, and several communities are engaged with tasks that are considered unclean, such as road sweeping.
Previous travels, and our preparation weekends had me primed for encountering poverty, but the extent of the rural poverty really challenged me. On our way to the Christian village of Tajelie, we stopped in Kadhan, a Muslim village where the houses are built of local brick and mud clay and Fr Dan has a buffalo. My own experiences have nearly always been in cities, and I believe that without exception these villages were the poorest places I have ever seen.. But even in a place with almost nothing, the welcome and hospitality shown to guests are genuinely warm, and all of us werewelcomed and offered chai.
With Fr Dan and I were John, one of the parish workers, and his children, and a Tajelie man just out of hospital who also had his son with him. We all chatted with some of the children, and found that “selfie” is a universal term!
The link with Kadhan came about when Fr Dan’s car came off worst in an encounter with a buffalo. He bought the beast and the relationship was established. The Columbans’approach to mission has always been based on integration and building relationships – although buffalo aren’t always involved. Fr Dan’s buffalo was due to drop a calf soon, and his intention is to gift it to the village. However, even that is not simple, as the village is under the control of a landlord, and the workers are debt bonded to him.
The community at Tajelie is slightly better off. A recent election success for the candidate they backed has resulted in electricity running to the village, although our visit took place during a power cut. We were welcomed again, and shared vegetables and roti with some of the local families. We also shared Mass, celebrated in Pakari and seated on the floor under the stars – a truly authentic experience..
We shared more chai, and took more selfies before travelling back to Badin to get ready for Independence Day the next morning.
Danny Sweeney is Justice and Peace Scotland’s Social Justice Co-ordinator, and a recent participant on the Columban ‘Invitation to Mission’ programme. For more information on the Columbans, including Invitation to Mission visits this summer to Pakistan and Chile see www.columbans.co.uk/. For more photos from Danny’s visit please see @dannysweeney_ on Instagram.