'We had prepared tapioca and crabs for him, and he enjoyed the Kerala cuisine thoroughly.'
In 2004 Father Robert Prevost -- now Pope Leo XIV -- visited Kerala for the first time.
It was Father Prevost's first visit as the Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine (OSA).
During the two weeks he spent in Aluva, he participated in the ordination of six Augustinian deacons and blessed them.
One of those deacons is Father John Bosco Koottuthara OSA.
"I had goosebumps when it was announced that Cardinal Robert Prevost was going to be the next Pope." Father Koottuthara tells Rediff's Shobha Warrier.
April 22, 2004. The ordination of six Augustine deacons
I had joined the seminary in 1992 and after 12 years, six of us had finished our studies and were to be ordained.
As the Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine, Father Robert Prevost had to visit our Augustinian communities all over the world at least once during his 6-year tenure.
He was elected as Prior General first in 2001 and then in 2007.
He planned his visit to India to coincide with the ordination of us, the six Augustinian deacons to priesthood.
He reached Aluva on the 19th of April and the ordination was on the 22nd at the St Francis Xavier's church in Kaloor in Kochi.
The ordination was conducted by Archbishop Daniel Acharuparambil with OSA Prior General Father Robert Prevost serving as the chief celebrant.
It was a rare honour to be ordained in the presence of the present Pope Leo XIV, and also to be blessed by him.
Pope Leo's 2004 visit to Aluva
He stayed at the St Augustine study house, the house of the Order of Saint Augustine, for almost two weeks in 2004.
It is here that all our dignitaries stay when they visit us.
It is also where priests and seminarians are also put up. It meant he stayed in the same house where we students also stayed.
What I remember about him is though he was the Prior General, he interacted with each one of us with love and patience, like a brother.
He was a very simple and down to earth person.
He spoke less and listened more.
He was more interested in listening to us than speaking to us. He gently asked us questions about us, our families, our interests and our plans for the future.
He was more eager to know about our culture, the Kerala way of life, the main occupation of the people, etc.
When he came to Aluva, he had already been a missionary in Peru for almost 20 years.
We young deacons were so attracted by his concern for the poor, the marginalised and the downtrodden.
We could sense a missionary zeal in him. All of us wanted to emulate him and be with the people and work for them.
As he had travelled to so many countries and met different kinds of people, he was very eager to learn new cultures and languages.
He learnt to greet people with a Namaste when he was here.
He already knew six languages but wanted us to teach him a few Malayalam expressions. He learnt to ask everyone, 'Sukhamano? (Are you fine?)'
Having sea food, going on a picnic and conducting Mass
When we came to know that he was very fond of sea food, we prepared tapioca and crabs for him. He enjoyed the tapioca-crab combination of Kerala cuisine thoroughly.
Though he enjoyed Kerala style fish also, the tapioca-crab combination was his favourite.
Having lived in Peru, he was familiar with tapioca.
Whenever any dignitary comes to visit us, we take them on a picnic.
Similarly, when he was there also, all of us -- students and priests -- went on a picnic to the Athirapalli waterfalls.
I remember him sitting there quietly, enjoying the natural beauty of the place.
At the parish, he conducted Sunday Mass. He was so surprised and happy to see the church full of people to attend the Mass even though most of them didn't understand English.
He said later that it was a rare sight for him to see a church full of people for Sunday Mass as it never happened in Europe.
After he was introduced as the Prior General, people gathered around him to converse with him in their limited English.
Everybody had only one question for him: 'How are you, Father?'
He appeared so happy to be among people, surrounded by them. We could see that he connected with them so beautifully.
25 years of First Profession
It was in 2000 that I made my 'First Profession of Vows'. So also the other priests who were ordained in 2004.
2025 is the jubilee year for us.
It has been decided that we will be celebrating the jubilee year of all the priests in our provincial house in Spain on the 28th of June.
After the celebration, we will be taken to the Vatican.
Hopefully we will get a chance to see the Holy Father too.
If that happens, I will definitely tell him that he had blessed me on my ordination in 2004.
I will also carry photos of him blessing me to show him.
Like I was blessed by him on my ordination day, I pray that I will get a chance to be blessed by him again as the Holy Father.
Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff
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