For nearly 50 years, the Rev. Jerome Ziliak was a missionary in Central India. He helped villagers sustain life through innovative agriculture, and his knowledge led to the creation of schools and clinics. Now, a family member has captured his service in a new book.
Mary Ellen Ziliak is married to Roger, a nephew of “Father Jerry,” and has penned “Touching the Untouchables,” a biography of the Haubstadt, Indiana, native, who died in 2012 at age 92. The Archway Publishing book profiles a man who combined brilliance and compassion: He built a natural gas plant fueled by cow manure, and his research farm produced seed and bumper corn crops suitable for the Indian climate.
Mary Ellen recalls that Father Jerry loved showing slide shows on his infrequent visits. “The first time he went to India in 1948, his first return home was 1958, and it would be every 5-6 years after that,” she says. “When he came home, it would last a year, and he would travel and do fundraising.”
“A Red Balloon to India,” a piece by Caroline Nellis in July/August 2000 Evansville Living, introduced readers to Father Jerry’s missionary work. Nellis and Mary Ellen want to preserve his story — sainthood is being pursued through the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago. They’ve also worked with Saint Benedict Cathedral School to establish a sister site in India.
“His central theme was, all living things are connected — plants, trees, animals, humans,” Mary Ellen says. “It was very simple and straightforward. He lived that way: Be respectful of everything and everyone around you.”
