Heroes Still Walk

While the late Mother Theresa did much to draw worldwide attention to the plight of the poor and suffering in Calcutta, many lesser known Catholic missionaries have been active in India as well. Filmmaker Caroline Nellis's Heroes Still Walk focuses on one such missionary: “Father Jerry” Ziliak, who went to India in the late 1940s, and spent his entire career working with other missionaries in Madhya Pradesh state to--among other projects--establish a farm to teach sustainable agriculture, and start up a chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous to battle the devastating effects of home-brewed alcohol abuse in the community. Many of the people in Madhya Pradesh are known either as “tribals” or “untouchables”--collectively the least-respected levels of Indian society (members of each group think of the other as occupying the lowest societal rung)--who live as bonded laborers (basically slaves) and exist outside of India's caste system. However, while India's population is mostly Hindu and Muslim, Madhya Pradesh has been considered an area of religious tolerance, hence the presence of Catholic missionaries (although in the last five years, militant Hindu attacks on nuns and missionaries have seriously multiplied). Combining interviews with members of Father Jerry's parish (he recently retired) with beautiful shot-on-location video, Heroes Still Walk is an inspirational portrait that is recommended for larger collections. Aud: P. (C. Block)