Making of the Encyclopaedia | Prof. George Menachery | Part 19

  Saturday Evening Post

Making of the Encyclopaedia

From the Horse’s own Mouth

George Menachery

Nineteen

In the Atlanta Sheraton where the Bishops were meeting I felt that things were done in a simple open manner as opposed to some of the practices I had noted in the conduct of Bishops’ Conferences and even other conferences in India. The General Secretary Msgr. Rauch received me with gladness and even great respect. When I showed him the letter from the Cardinal he treated me with even greater respect. He promised to distribute my brochures on the Encyclopaedia at the official press conference at the end of the Conference. That he did it with a short laudatory talk I came to know later from the various national media representatives I met later. Though I failed to ask for or get any monetary help from the USCC, my visit to Atlanta helped the Encyclopaedia project to obtain national exposure of the best kind imaginable. This was the high-water mark of my US visit of 1972. 

The Director of New York Archdiocese’s DioMedia was so impressed by our brochure and the USCC General Sectretary’s “pep talk” that she wanted to make the Encyclopaedia the topic of the Mission Sunday national broadcast.  She asked me to send her from India as soon as possible some colour matter as without colour pictures and videos no TV broadcast would be a success. I introduced a Syro-Malabar priest in New York to her as my liaison. I could not send the colour material she had asked for till the end of September and finally she broadcast a Syro-Malabar Mass by the priest  for the Mission Sunday national programme.

There were many other interesting and novel experiences during my two-month  stay there. I will recall only just one or two things here as many of those experiences do not have any great direct bearing on the making of the Encyclopaedia.

I had mentioned earlier how I took with me to the US the letter of invitation I had received from the US PaxRomana as the National Vice-President of the Newman Association of India (PaxRomana) to attendant the Bogota International Eucharistic Congress of 1968. The US Director of the PaxRomana who was in New York kindly arranged residence for me at the Leo House. When the Leo House people had asked the Director whether there would be any problem with the payments for the room he replied that if there were any problem he would settle the bill. I stayed at the Leo House for more than a week and when I left they did not ask for any money and I did not pay any.

At that time the Director told me that he was arranging a meeting of all the PaxRomana Ministers of the New York area to meet me for a talk. The talk would be followed by a banquet dinner at the Dunwoodie St. Joseph’s Seminary.

The talk I gave was a success, to judge by the fact that during the drinks and dinner session that followed three ministers approached me to visit their institutions to attend similar conferences. I accepted the invitation of the Maryknoll HQ and Seminary to give a talk. After my talk at Dunwoodie there was drinks session which was novel for me. All were walking about or sitting in conversation with glasses in their hand. As I was a teetotaler I felt a little out of place. I asked the steward to give me a coco-cola. He said that there was no coco-cola available. But he was kind enough to get one for me from the Seminary refectory and I went about carrying my coco-cola glass among the participants.

It was at that dinner that I first ate a beefsteak the size of the huge plate on which it was served accompanied by all the trimmings. And I was served a similar steak at the hotel where my father’s pen-friend took me with her husband for a dinner. The third time I had a similar steak was at the parish priests’ house at Greenfield, Ann Arbor, Detroit where I was given hospitality by the parish priest  at the recommendation of my Jesuit brother’s friend Fr. Stephen, sj of Cannanore,  who had stayed there as an assistant vicar during the days of his studies. As a result of these dinners I became an admirer of such steaks and I have been pestering Maggie to make such steaks. She now makes Swiss steaks often but is unsuccessful at making the type of steaks I enjoyed in the US. For that matter not many restaurants in India give good steaks even now though I constantly order beef steak at the best hotels out of my greed for the tasty item I had enjoyed in my days of starvation in the States!

Once a priest in New York gave me a check for US $ 15 for the Encyclopaedia. That was a crossed check and no bank in New York cashed it for me. They said that that check should come through the Encyclopaedia’s account in India. But when I presented the check at a bank in Atlanta the officer told the teller to cash it and I got fifteen dollars in cash, which was a heaven-send at the time.

The Maryknoll Father who drove me to their HQ in New York stopped on the way for a car wash. The machine car wash was a new experience for me. The huge brushes which were rolling all around the car even frightened me, as there were no such car washes in India at that time. The Fathers at Maryknoll arranged for a special dinner at a hotel for me. The Editor of their magazine was my companion at that dinner. He had ordered a number of dishes for me. But I could eat only a small part of it. He told the waiter to pack the remainder for his wife. This packing of items which could not be consumed by the customer was a new experience for me though it is a common practice with Maggy now.

Overall my stay in the US was a help in many ways to broaden my horizons but it did not bring me any money – although to get some funds for the printing of the Encyclopaedia was the primary objective of my US visit. 

I think it is high time that I returned to the printing of the Encyclopaedia at the BNK Press, Madras.

 

 

 

Making of the Encyclopaedia | Prof. George Menachery | Part 18

 

 Saturday Evening Post

Making of the Encyclopaedia

From the Horse’s own Mouth

George Menachery

Eighteen

 

I stayed in that room for four or five days and utilized my time to visit the New York Public Library. The two marble lions in front of it attracted me much; also the beautiful systems in the reference room. There was an half hour film shown every half hour in a cosy little room on the history of the Library which was very enjoyable. Whether I attended all these on my first visit or on a later trip I cannot say. The boat trip to the Statue of Liberty about which I had heard much and the climb up the statue will always remain in my memory. The obelisk like Washington Monument fascinated me for more than one reason. But I must be careful to prevent this narrative from slipping into a travelogue. May be I should write a book on my travels in the US and the other thirty odd countries I have visited. Some articles I have written in various periodicals on my experiences in those countries giving importance to the attractions and explaining how I could travel in Europe, especially, on $5 and $10 a day! But let that go for the moment. It was to Washington DC that I wanted to go as Washington was the HQ of the USCC and as I mentioned earlier I had a very good recommendation letter to its General Secretary Msgr. Rauch from the Cardinal. So I had purchased a ticket from New York to that city though I got down in Philadelphia and Baltimore on the way. At Washington D. C. I directly went to the United States Catholic Council. But I was told that all important persons in the office, including Msgr. (later Bishop) Rauch were in Atlanta, Georgia where the Bishops’ Conference was taking place. But the sole official left at Washington promised me to publish a detailed account of the Encyclopaedia project after discussing with Msgr. Rauch the General Secretary. And next when I visited Washington he gave me a copy of the USCC Bulletin where the Encyclopaedia was featured prominently.

The United States Catholic Council Bishops’ Conference at Atlanta would go on for a week or so. I thought it would be a good opportunity to give an exposure to the Encyclopaedia if I could go there and meet Msgr. Rauch for whom I had a very good letter from Cardinal Parecattil. The price of a flight ticket from New York to Atlanta was rather high, and I did not know how I could reach Atlanta before the Conference closed. Then I saw an advertisement which offered a cheap ticket to Atlanta at just US$ 100. The only disadvantage was that the flight was at midnight. But for an Indian this is no problem at all. I took that flight and landed in Atlanta very early in the morning when nothing was stirring. But as the sun rose I found a taxicab. I asked the driver to take me to the Sheraton Hotel where the Bishops’ Conference was going on. When I reached the hotel the meter read one dollar and fifty cents only.  On the way the driver had asked me why I am going to the Sheraton. Probably he guessed, and rightly so, that my type could not afford that. When he knew that I was a Catholic he was very happy because he was also a Catholic. And in the South I had read Catholics are not generally welcome, I had read stories of Catholics even being lynched there, and something about the proceedings of the Ku Klux Kan. When I gave the driver two dollars (including a tip of fifty cents) he refused to accept the money and said that the trip was free for a fellow Catholic. But I put the money into his pocket and thanked him for his goodwill.  

 

 

 

Making of the Encyclopaedia | Prof. George Menachery | Part 17

 Saturday Evening Post

Making of the Encyclopaedia

From the Horse’s own Mouth

George Menachery

Seventeen

It was 8 a. m. That meant that there were only some eight hours left for me to get my baggage out of the parish office. And still I did not know what I could do. I proceeded to the Sub-way station. On the way a coloured person asked me where I was going. He was very tall, dressed as a dude or dandy, with a tall silk hat. Together we entered the station. While I was taking out my wallet for the 35 cents to buy the token he had purchased a bunch of tokens. He pressed me to accept two. I have often noticed how many coloured persons are generous out of the way and present you with gifts, unasked for, probably because I am brown. Inside the compartment I took out my passport holder and the addresses of my father’s pen friends and the two recommendation letters given by His Eminence. The only place that I could visit was the National Office of the Propagation of Faith which was on 5^th Ave. I got down at the 42^nd street and began to walk towards that office. It was on the first floor. I entered the antechamber of the office and after explaining my plight I handed over the recommendation letter to the Fr. Director. He looked at the letter with some suspicion. Then he went inside the office. When he came back he was having a smile. Probably he had checked the signature on the letter  from his file and found it genuine. Or the Cardinal might have sent a coy to him. Any way he said that he is buying two copies of the Encyclopaedia and again went inside and came back with a cheque (check) for $ 65X2 = $ 130. It was on the Chase Manhatten Bank. That cheque could be changed only through the Encyclopaedia’s  account in India. Understanding my perplexity he said, “Just go down the steps and somebody will give you the money”. I did not comprehend but I obeyed. When I came down the steps and turned left to the branch of the bank which was on the ground floor of the same building  a young lady came out and asked me, “Do you need $ 130?” The director must have telephoned her from above. She took the check from me, had me sign it and gave me $130 which she was carrying with her. My astonishment knew no bounds. With the 130 dollars in my wallet I stood erect and breathed a sigh of relief. Now I was a very rich man!

The first thing I wanted to do was to purchase some warm cloth. As I was standing in a nearby junction a man came along wearing a colourful sweater. I asked him where he had purchased it. At first he looked angry but when I explained that I felt very cold and therefore I would like to buy a sweater like the one he was wearing he pointed to a building a little distance away and informed, “ Korvette’s”. I went to the multi-storeybuilding indicated. I told the attendant that I would like to buy a sweater. He pointed upwards and said that all winter clothes are now on the 2^nd and 3rd floors. As summer advances winter clothes travel upwards in the store.  I went up to the 2^nd floor and approached the coloured floor-boy (floor-man rather) and pointing to a jacket asked what it cost. He looked at me in a disparaging way and remarked, “You are not going to buy it Mister”. But I told him that I was serious and wanted to purchase some warm clothing. Then he changed his attitude and showed me the overcoat and said its cost was $ 120 but as the winter is over it is now priced at a mere $ 39.00. He went on to say that it would be a very good buy as it was quite fashionable with huge strong buttons and had also a removable woolen zip-lining inside. I purchased it straight away. It was one of the best things I ever bought and used it in many journeys for the next many years till a priest in Germany enamored of it made me exchange it for a heavy woolen blue winter Russian- looking overall. After my purchase at New York, at any assembly I appeared wearing it I was a noted person and women looked at the jacket with envious eyes. It acted as a sort of open sesame. When I appeared at the Parish office wearing it the Rev. Sr.’s attitude was very different. She telephoned the nearby YMCA and booked a room for me ($ 7 per day) and called a taxi to take me there. I was grateful and went to the YMCA hotel a changed man, with my pocket full of dollar notes! Or so I felt. The Sister’s call was very useful because the receptionist at the Y was reluctant to give me a room until I reminded him of the call made by the Sister on my behalf. 

  

Making of the Encyclopaedia | Prof. George Menachery | Part 16

Saturday Evening Post

Making of the Encyclopaedia

From the Horse’s own Mouth

George Menachery

Sixteen

Moving a few steps away from the vision of the Rev. Sr. I opened the Directory’s section for New York at random as people open the bible sometimes. The first name that came into my sight was “Fordham University”. I knew that it was a Catholic institution.  So I decided to go there, come what may. One coloured person was walking towards the church office past me. I asked him how to go to the Fordham University. Without stopping he shouted “It’s up-town!”.  And he disappeared. The next person who came along was a white, and I asked him how to get to the Fordham University. He also did not stop. But he said, “Take the Subway” and pointed behind me. From reading many American detective novels I knew what the sub-way was. So I started walking in the direction he had indicated. But I did not see any sub-way station. Then I saw a girl approaching from the same side as the others. I asked her where the sub-way was. I looked in the direction she pointed but I could not see any station. Then I told her that I could not see any sub-way station. She must have understood that I was a total stranger and she told me to go downstairs at the opening in the ground with parapets at the side. When I reached the bottom of the staircase there was a cubicle where a coloured lady was selling tickets. I did not know what the price of the ticket would be and I had only one dollar and some cents left in my pocket. I said, “One ticket to Fordham University.” She smiled. Probably because as I understood later there was only one ticket or token for the sub-way and that with this ticket costing 35 cents (from the beginning of 1972-I was travelling in the US in April & May 1972) you can travel any distance in one direction. The ticket was a beautiful shining piece of metal, brass I think, with a “Y” hollowed out at the centre. When I visited the States in 1983-84 the token cost more ($0.90 I think) and the “Diamond Jubilee” token with a diamond shaped hole at the top was in use.  Yet again the price had gone up when I visited the US in 1993-94 ($ 1.25) and it was the “bulls-eye” brass token with a silver circle at the center that was in use. In 2005 when I was in the US for a seminar at the Concordia University there were no metal tokens but only electronic cards. Well, you put the token in the slot at the  revolving gate or turnstile and the gate will allow one person to enter the platform. So I entered the platform and I asked how to go to Fordham and I was told to get into the first train that came, which was a fast train, and to get down once I reach Fordham. There was a terrible rush as people were returning after their work. I squeezed myself into the compartment and was pressed on all sides by the crowd. I remembered the rush hour Bombay locals. Much of the way the train travelled underground, and in a few places it went at the ground level but nearing Fordham it became the L train or “Elevated” moving on rails fitted to elevated pillars. Finally I got down at Fordham. It was getting dark and cold. I was wearing my full suit but I did not have a waistcoat or vest or sweater or a good scarf to resist the chill. Hence after seeking directions of a totally woolen covered stranger I walked fast to the entrance of the University hostels. Meeting the warden I explained my plight and requested him to give me shelter for a night. He had the same appearance and fierce look of the parish priest of the Holy Cross church whom I had faced earlier. And he asked me whether I had written earlier for accommodation. I said that as I had to come away from India in a hurry I could not write. Then he said that he could not help me. I pointed out that as it was very cold outside and as I was expecting my (imaginary) friends only the next day I shall be much obliged if he could give me a place to sleep one night. He said in a voice of finality that nothing could be done. Crestfallen I was coming out of the warden’s office. Looking behind I saw that I was being followed by a young priest, the assistant warden, or so I thought. When we reached out of hearing of the warden he said, ”Let me try something”. He was a Vietnam veteran who had acted as the chaplain for American soldiers in Vietnam. He understood the problems and difficulties of people from Asia well. He led me to the door of one of the hostels and he told me that the supervisor of that hostel was a friend of his. He rang the bell many times but there was no response. Next he knocked on the door but to no avail. Finally he shouted the name of his friend from the garden, looking up at the first floor corridor. Again no results. Then he did something right out of a P. G. Wodehouse novel. He took a flowerpot from the garden and threw it up into the upstairs corridor where it fell down with a big thud and broke into pieces. Even in the midst of my worries and anxieties I could not resist the thought of efficient Baxter throwing flower pots through Lord Elmsworth’s window, “Say it with flower pots”. The flowerpot, as I said, landed upstairs. Straight away a voice came out “What’s that!” followed by the body of the friend. He looked down upon the Vietnam veteran and asked what he wanted. My benefactor told him that he wanted the friend to give some accommodation to me for the night. Without more ado the sleepy friend replied “Let him come up and sleep in the dormitory”. I thanked my benefactor and went up. It was a huge hall with tables and benches. There were note-books, pens and c. all over the place. The friend pointed generally towards the hall and told me to sleep anywhere I liked. And he disappeared. I slept fully dressed. Next morning I wanted to thank him and tell him that I was going. As in Kerala one might take one’s departure after informing the host I wanted to thank him. Also I wanted him to see that I had stolen nothing! But the person was not to be seen anywhere. Nobody cares for anything. Perhaps that was the American way!      

Making of the Encyclopaedia | Prof. George Menachery | Part 15

            Saturday Evening Post

Making of the Encyclopaedia

From the Horse’s own Mouth

George Menachery

Fifteen

Tehran and Geneva were the refueling stops in that 1972 trip. During the next trip the stops were Beirut and Paris. As the political climate in Iran and Lebanon changed Air India kept changing their refueling stations. As the plane was circling the airport at Tehran I was thrilled by the thousands of lights from the city which I watched from my window seat. Some hours before approaching Geneva I think the pilot flew the aircraft quite low so that passengers were able to get a glimpse of Michelangelo’s  Dome and Bernini’s Colonnade at the Vatican. This might have been during a different flight, I am not sure.

Finally I landed at the Kennedy International airport, New York around 3 p. m. I did not know what to do. I was told that the city was some two hours’ distance by bus. I looked at the board and got into an airport bus going to New York City Centre, after depositing my pieces of rather heavy luggage in the baggage area under the bus through the side opening.

I sat down near the window. As the bus moved the conductor began to go round collecting the fare. I did not know what the fare would be. I sat with bated breath. When I was asked for only four dollars and fifty cents I heaved a sigh of relief for that amount was well within my wallet’s scope. When I looked up I found the sky very dark. Having read a lot about industrial pollution in western cities I believed that this dark sky was a result of America’s industrial pollution. I felt great pity for the people who had to live under such conditions. After half an hour or so the bus stopped to let out two passengers. When I looked out through the open door I found that the sky was white and blue as in my own village in India. The dark colour I had seen was the colour of the enormous window glass. I felt quite ashamed for thinking otherwise. Probably the long journey and one’s false expectations about a brand new place must have played some trick on me.

Again the bus stopped once or twice and let out more passengers. Then the conductor came near me and enquired where I wanted to get down. I had no idea whatever and when the conductor asked me again I said “Near the church”. Which church, he asked. “Near that very big church,” I replied. You mean the 42^nd street church? “Yes,” I said. “The Holy Cross church?,” he repeated. “yes’” I answered. So the conductor dropped me near the huge 42^nd street Catholic church and placed the various items of my baggage on the paved footpath. I stood on the curb and looked around, wondering what to do next.

Across the street I saw the parish office. I decided to go there and ask for a night’s stay. When I entered the office I saw a Rev. Sr. arranging some books. I told her that I was from India, had landed only a few minutes back, and because my (quite imaginary) friends were not in the airport and that I expect them only on the morrow and hence I wish to have a night’s residence.  She looked frightened. She said that such things are not done there. Then I asked to see the parish priest. She was even more frightened and said that he is a strict person and that he might even call the police.

While we were talking the priest walked in from inside. He was a huge person with a fierce look. But I had to say my say. I said what I had already told the Rev. Sr. and even showed my return ticket to India and the letters of recommendation from the Cardinal. But he was not impressed and said that no accommodation could be given. Then I asked him to allow me to keep my baggage there for one night. At long last he growled, “Keep it here for twenty-four hours. If you do not come and take them away I will throw them into the street.” I had to agree. When he had gone back inside, the Sr. told me that he would really do what he had threatened to do. I requested her to do what she could to keep my baggage safe. And I asked her for the address of her office so that I could come back there the next day. She told me that it was easy to locate the office as it was right in front of the Port Authority Terminal on 42^nd Street between the 8^th and 9^th Avenues. I took pen and paper from my bag and jotted down the address. I forgot to write down the phone number and she also failed to mention it. Then, not having an inkling of what to do next I took out from my bag a copy of the American Catholic Directory which my father’s pen friend had sent him. I don’t think it was the current one, but any way. I stepped out into America.

                           

Making of the Encyclopaedia | Prof. George Menachery | Part 14

           Saturday Evening Post

Making of the Encyclopaedia

From the Horse’s own Mouth

George Menachery

Fourteen

It was one of Air India’s newly acquired “Emperor” class aircrafts that I boarded from Santa Cruz to New York. It was Emperor Asoka I think. The huge Boing 747 plane could carry 400 passengers. As there were many nurses and their families, mostly from India and especially from Kerala, and others employed in the U. S. on the planes they were always full. The aircraft was of the height of a three-storey building. Looking at its tail it looked to me like a skyscraper.  Inside the plane all was luxury, even in the economy class. Travelling in the economy class I had opted for a window seat as I thought it would allow me to see the sites of the cities and monuments on the ground as the plane took off and landed. Then the hostess came round with the usual cup of juice. She was gorgeously attired in a shining Indian silk sari. And of course there were the ubiquitous attendants in the airline’s famous Maharaja costume and cap. Soon after the take-off another hostess made the rounds distributing earphones. There were four audio channels available on the socket fitted to the seat handle bringing Hindustani, Indian Classical, Western, and – wonder of wonders -Malayalam music and songs, especially by Yesudas. This last was a gesture for the large number of Malayalee nurses and their families, I suppose. But the price charged as rent for the earphones was US $ 2.65! I rented a pair which reduced my capital to $ 6.35. To land in New York with just $ 6.35 for an envisaged stay of two months! I have often wondered what prompted me to do such foolish things. It can be written off as another trace of the Micawber touch “Something will turn up”. But seriously, I thought that it was the way providence gets its designs executed, even the  smallest ones. All the great inventors and discoverers, and reformers of the world leaped into their risky activities because of a strong irrational urge or passion in them, I believe, prompted by Divine Providence perhaps.

The finger-licking items on the continental menu I had chosen on that flight haunts me even today. And in the 24 hour journey they served two breakfasts, two lunches, and two dinners at least. Ever since, those wonderful dishes remained a major attraction to travel. But nowadays airlines have desisted from serving such sumptuous and tasty meals, and even when one gets a delicious meal one has to pay extra for it through the nose.

Making of the Encyclopaedia | Prof. George Menachery | Part 13

          Saturday Evening Post

Making of the Encyclopaedia

From the Horse’s own Mouth

George Menachery

Thirteen

As I mentioned earlier it was Fr. M. M. Balaguer s.j. who under the energetic patronage of H. Em. Valerian Cardinal Gracias organized the 38^th International Bombay Congress. As part of the Congress there were meetings of all international Catholic organisations including the Pax Romana. The Newman Association of India , the senior wing of Pax Romana in India also had its National Conference and General Body meeting in Bombay during the Congress. I was elected national vice-president of the Newman Association on this occasion.  This post gave me the opportunity to visit many Newman Circles in various cities of India which provided me with a greater understanding of the Indian Church and especially its Unity in Variety. This  exposure proved to be of immense value when I had to compile the Encyclopaedia with detailed and exhaustive information on the Church in different States of the country.

May I give a few excerpts from Fr. Balaguer’s articles in the Encyclopaedia on the Congress and the Papal visit:

“The visit of Pope Paul VI to Bombay on the occasion of the 38th International Eucharistic Congress was unique on the following three counts: (1) It was the first visit of a Pope to an International Eucharistic Congress, and after his visit to the Holy Land, the first made to any country abroad; (2) It was the first personal contact ever made by any Pope with millions and millions of non-Christians; (3) It was the visit of a foreign dignitary to receive from the people of India the wildest expressions of their deeply felt joyous welcome.

“Pope Paul’s encounter with the people of India was described as “love at first sight on both sides”. From the moment he appeared at the door of the aircraft, and stretching out his hands in an embrace that excluded none he folded them in a gracious Namaste, to the other moment of his departure when he declared “Here We leave our heart! We feel Ourself to share in a moral citizenship with this land, which We will ever love”, Pope and people felt mutually held in love and deeply bound together, in their respect for God, concern for social justice, and promotion of world peace.

“The aims of the Pope’s visit were clearly revealed in his short speech at the Fiumicino airport before emplaning for Bombay:

““Our journey”, he said, “as it has been very well understood by all, has no other aim than that of paying homage to Christ, Our Lord, the Immortal King of centuries and of peoples, on the occasion of the International Eucharistic Congress that gathers adoring crowds from the world over in the city of Bombay. Ours is besides a journey of peace and of love, aiming at tighter bonds of mutual understanding and friendship of all peoples....., again Ours is a journey of friendship and brotherliness, that gives Us the longed-for occasion of knowing from close quarters an immense people that enjoys Our great esteem...” (From the article on the Papal Visit in the Encyclopaedia.)

Some excerpts from Fr.Balaguer’s article in the Encyclopaedia on the Eucharstic Congress:

“The 38th International Eucharistic Congress was held in Bombay from November 28th to December 6th 1964. Preceded by painstaking preparations of over two years, controlled by an organization of more than 500 persons, and assisted by the whole hearted co-operation of the Civil Authorities and the good will of the Christian and non-Christian public, the Congress, held under the personal direction and ultimate responsibility of Valerian Cardinal Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay, was universally acclaimed

as eminently successful and the most outstanding religious event in the recent history of India.

“Three facts made the Bombay Congress unique among such Congresses: (1) that it took place during the period of the Second Vatican Council; (2) that it was held in a country and city where the population was overwhelmingly non-Christian; and  (3) that it was the first International Eucharistic Congress ever attended in person by the Holy Father.

“Among the Congress characteristics more generally admired one could mention the following: the Sacramental structure into which the main liturgical services were planned; the genuine piety of our Indian Catholics; the friendliness and co-operation of the non-Christian authorities and public; and the happy blend of efficient organization and deeply spiritual tone of the whole Congress.”

Some of the acquaintances I made during the Congress were quite helpful in the Making of the Encyclopaedia and my post as the National Vice-President of the Newman Association procured me an invitation to the Bogota Eucharistic Congress of 1968 from the US Pax Romana. I might also mention here that this 1968 invitation from the US which I carried with me when I visited the States in 1972 served as an Open Sesame on many occasions.