Mary Ellen Ziliak’s

Roving Recollections

Indiana Meets India

January 24, 2026

A mere two letters of the alphabet bridge the immense distance between “Indiana” and “India.”

A frigid 9 degrees and crystals of snow on my living room skylight mark the start of a 12-inch snowstorm in Evansville, Indiana. A balmy 79 degrees and lush green wheat fields mark the same winter day in Madhya Pradesh, India. My mind notes the stark weather differences while my heart echoes the belief of my departed missionary uncle, Father Jerry Ziliak, “We are all connected.”

Sunderlal (Sunder) grew up in the small village of Karpur, Madhya Pradesh, India. Throughout childhood he was ostracized as an Outcast, an Untouchable. The segregated caste system of twentieth century India prohibited him from drinking out of the same well as a higher caste, much less eating at the same table.
A very narrow future stared young Sunder in the face. Attending Fr. Jerry’s mission school in Karpur cracked the door opened for advanced education and led to a lifetime career as a respected English teacher.

One year ago, after the release of my children’s book, Tiny Teak, Sunder tracked me down. Email communication began. Sunder voiced treasured memories of Sunday mornings after Mass, listening to his dad and Fr. Jerry discussing crops and farm plans for the coming week. Sunder and I officially met two weeks ago via the magic of Zoom. Excitement, tears of joy, and talking at the same time were part of our first live visit. I was embarrassed the burden of communication fell upon Sunder’s shoulders. I knew no Hindi; Sunder’s English was excellent.

As a Society of Divine Word missionary, Fr. Jerry brought Christ to many. During his fifty years on mission, he ran a Research Farm in Karpur from 1961 to 1997. The mission grew to provide a primary school, health dispensary, seventy new wells, miles of roads and field terraces, improved crops, and forests of teak wood and bamboo. People of the village were positively impacted, including Sunder.

On the Zoom call I listened closely as Sunder uttered heartfelt words
of gratitude for Fr. Jerry. He credits Father for changing his life.
Receiving respect, an education, spiritual and physical support provided
unimagined opportunities.
Today, Sunder shares a feeling of cultural acceptance rather than
exclusion. “Look at me. You can no longer tell if I am an Outcast.
No one can tell. That is because of Fr. Jerry,” he states with pride.

Sunder thanked me for writing Fr. Jerry’s biography, Touching the Untouchables. He appreciated that by sharing Father’s legacy I was also preserving a significant part of village history for his family and neighbors.

My husband Roger and I are invited to visit Sunder in India. He still owns a family farm in Karpur, including the village flour mill. Sunder said he would love to show us around and promised to take good care of us. He assured me the mark left behind by my uncle is legendary and continues to have an impact today.

It was a thirteen-year labor of love but my deathbed promise to
Reverend Jerome Ziliak, SVD was met with the release of Touching the
Untouchables, his biography. During my research, poring over Fr. Jerry’s
plethora of notes and Roving Recollections newsletters, I came to love
India and the villagers of Karpur. I feel a connection, a kinship, a shared
love and honor of Fr. Jerry.

Jerry was a simple farm boy from the Midwest who went on to do great
things in a country from the other side of the globe. Embracing dreams of our heart and opportunities placed in our path we too have the potential for greatness. Taking the first step begins the journey. Faith in God and ourselves provides clarity. Accepting the synchronicity of the unexpected adds spice and growth.

“Life becomes more rich and meaningful when we consider ourselves a part of a brotherhood of all that lives,” said Fr. Jerry. “We are all connected.”