Four priests were ordained yesterday in the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, the same that was torched on Christmas Eve of 2007, a prelude to the wave of anti-Christian persecution of August 2008. The ordination ceremony was marred by a serious car accident in which 18 relatives and friends of the new priests died.
They are Fr. Anand Pradhan and Sr. Anjali Pradhan. They have another sister, also a nun. During the anti-Christian persecutions of 2008 they left their home to save themselves. Their example is the proof that "persecution, destruction and threats cannot change God's will".
Sr Deepika Nayak is originally from Tiangia, a village that saw some of the most vicious violence by Hindu radicals. In 2008 she survived by escaping into the forest. "The executioners may kill my body, but not my soul. Death is not the end but the beginning of eternal life."
About 3,000 Catholics gathered to remember the violence of 2004 and 2008. For Fr Singh, Mary intercedes for us above all in times of fear. In the wake of the 2008 violence, Catholics may be materially poor but are strong in their Christian faith”.
In 2016 the Indian Church approved an action plan for former "untouchables". The Regional Conference prepares a program to make it effective in all parishes. A permanent committee created. In India, 37% of Dalits live below the poverty line.
The Office for Scheduled Castes/Backward Classes wants to commemorate the people who struggle for the emancipation of the former "untouchables". Applications can be submitted until 25 March.
The sculpture of the Virgin is in the grotto of the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Aligonda. The “religious feelings of the Christian minority in India are hurt." In Partama, more than 15,000 devotees of Mary celebrate the feast dedicated to her. Muslims and Hindus are also present.
The congregation set up the Uday Social Development Society in 2009. "[E]ducation is the key to success in life". The NGO offers sewing, embroidery, cooking and home economics courses. Its goal is to make women independent and "agents of social transformation".
An evangelical group issued a report highlighting 351 cases of violence, but the figure is not exhaustive, as many victims are afraid to come forth to report attacks to police. In three years, attacks against churches and other places of worship increased by 28 per cent.
More than 2,500 people took part in the memorial service for the missionary’s centennial, who spent five years in the Dachau concentration camp, an experience that helped him prepare for his future mission in India. Fr Marian dedicated his life to the poor and those living with leprosy; in them he saw the face of God.
Three Confirmation ceremonies were held in the district. In 2008, the Indian state was the scene of the most violent anti-Christian pogroms. 175 young people confirmed in the parish of St. Peter of Pobingia; 88 other young people in the parish of Saint Sebastian in Saramuli; 271 young people from the parish of St. Joseph of Godapur.
The ceremonies took place on 17 December with 25 priests, 30 nuns and 10,000 believers present. The Christian faith remains steadfast locally despite the violence of the 2008 pogroms by Hindu fundamentalists.
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