Biju Veticad

Rejin Valson, who works at Cochin International Airport, dedicated his effort to the child his pregnant wife is carrying. To achieve his goal, he used 2,755 sheets of A4 size paper and 32 pens.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sunni representative Iqbal Ansari were present at the laying of the first stone of the new temple dedicated to the god Rama (where the old Babri mosque stood). In 1992 the conflict over the site led to the death of over 2,000 people, mostly Muslims. Aid for the development of the poor is as important as building temples and cleaning the Ganges River.

Mukaluvilayil Sameul Sunil dreams of building 1,000 of them in the coming years. House prices in the country have tripled. The academy, rewarded by the government for its initiatives, also helps the disabled, students and orphans. It also runs programs of food support and distribution of drinking water to poor families.

Benedict XVI canonised her in 2008 celebrating the young nun’s “extreme physical and spiritual suffering”. Yesterday, Jinil Joseph was one of the few faithful present at her tomb. His miraculous recovery at the age of two was an element in her canonisation process.

The Indian finance minister has promised that recent amendments would be scrupulously reviewed. The Indian government wants to tax aid transfers between dioceses, parishes and congregations. For expert, the authorities want to freeze funding for missionary activities in northern India.

The dwellers of Kolkata’s slums knew the clergyman as Dr A.C. Originally from Kerala, southern India, Fr. Joseph had been in Kolkata for 30 years. He was a pioneer in education for slum dwellers who had not attended school for years. Through his hard work, he not only provided access to an education, but also gave food to the hungry.

Card. Angelo De Donatis, vicar of Rome, has granted the community of Indian origin the use of Saint Anastasia on the Palatine. The faithful, almost 7 thousand throughout the Italian capital and the province, are celebrating: "It is a great gift from the diocese of Rome and the Vatican".

The Congregation’s Indian province celebrates its first 50 years. Increasingly, its missionaries reach Europe. In India, they are active in youth ministry, social work, education, charity and health services for the poor. In Kerala they still follow the Syro-Malabar rite.

The Brahmaputra has overflowed. Landslides and floods have forced the authorities to move 1.3 million people to safer areas. At least 385,000 people have been displaced in the Barpeta district alone. About 2,100 residents found shelter in 118 rescue camps. The Archdiocese of Guwahati is providing help. Catholics in the Diocese of Tezpur are safe.

The new bishop has been at the Meghalaya mission for 44 years. The State’s Christians number around 2.5 million, or 74.59 per cent of the total population.

A letter from the major archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church on the feast of St. Thomas. Father Jose: “To face the imminent threat of the food crisis, priests like me are invited to go with the people to cultivate the land available in the parishes. No land should be left unused."

A boiler exploded at a state-owned NLC India power plant. “Unfortunately, in our country, many companies underplay the importance of health and safety,” said a fire and safety trainee.