1481 India: How they brought the good news from Ghent to Tanchi
austraLasia 1481
How they brought the Good News from Ghent to Ranchi*
GENT: 8th March 2006 -- This is not a tale by Robert
Browning, nor about 'Aix-la-Chappelle', except to note in passing that
precisely this week Belgium is making certain changes to its laws about
naming places, returning to the former Flemish names.
Aix-la-Chappelle, on that score, will once again be that instead of
today's Aachen, one supposes. But no, Browning aside we heard a whisper
that Bishop Van Looy was in the South Asia region, the city of Ranchi,
to be precise (for Salesians that would be in New Delhi
province). So we asked him, as that seemed to be the best way to
get the correct info. As usual he replied by return mail to say
that Cardinal Telesphore Toppo had invited him to bless a Church that
had been constructed with funds from the Gent diocese. It goes
further than that, however, since there have been long-standing
connections between Ghent and Ranchi. The 'Good News' was indeed
brought from Ghent to Ranchi. The first Jesuit missionaries were
Flemish, and Fr Constant Lievens is the great missionary of nearby
Chotanagpur. His body was brought back there in recent years and
is now venerated in the Cathedral in Ranchi, There are still Flemish
(and Ghent) Jesuits working in Ranchi, along with two other
Congregations which had their origins in Gent: the Brothers of Charity,
and the Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary. The Ursulines from
Tildonk also have a foundation in or around Ranchi. Of course
Bishop Luc also took the opportunity to re-establish old ties with
Salesians in the area. For those who do not know, he was at one
time the Councillor for the Missions, and had visited many of these
places before.
Meanwhile, since it is 'Oscar' time, we also hear
that Cardinal Rodriguez will be visiting Rome - almost certainly in
time for the ceremony installing Cardinal Zen later this March, but he
will be visiting the UPS to launch a book published by Ancora and
fittingly entitled (in its English translation) The Oscar colour
purple, by Enzo Romeo - the story of Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez as
the 'voice of Latin America'.
GLOSSARY
* 'How they brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix' [16 - ]:
Poem by Robert Browning published 1845 or thereabouts, famous for its
onomatopoeic effects
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