Rohan Kemu, a disabled 18-year-old, ‘with the scent of holiness’ has died

He was a guest of the House of Charity for 15 years, run by a congregation founded by an Italian priest. "He gifted us the joy and grace to touch the Body of Jesus. " Despite his suffering, he was full of enthusiasm. He had a strong love for the Eucharist and spread joy around him.

Mumbai (AsiaNews) - Rohan Kemu, an 18-year-old boy with physical and mental disabilities, died on 4 June in the House of Charity in Uttan, north of Mumbai. Until the very end, the sisters of the Marian House of charity have looked after him and say that after his death there was "a scent of holiness".

Sister Julie Pereira, the superior of the house, recalls that Rohan “for 15 years has been a gift for us, from when he was three to 18 years old. It gave us the joy and grace to touch the Body of Jesus. "

Sister Julie recalls that in the past 20 days of life Rohan had a constant fever. She held him in her arms day and night, never leaving him or putting him to bed: “I sat on a chair, with him in my arms, and prayed the rosary of Divine mercy. In those moments I felt the presence of God, of Jesus who said to me: This is me; it is my body that you are supporting; do this in memory of me; everything you do to him, you did for Jesus. Rohan taught us to live despite the many sufferings and offering our pain to Christ. He taught us to contemplate God and how to pray to him. The more he suffered, the more sincere his prayer. Even during his agony, he taught us to pray. "

The House of Charity of Uttan (Bhyandar) was built in 1992. The congregation of the sisters of the "Marian House of Charity" was founded by an Italian priest, Fr. Mario Prandi (1910-1986). At present there are 11 guests, all physically and mentally disabled. The oldest is 82 years old; the youngest is five years old, but was welcomed into the house when he was only one month old.

Godfrey Malu, deacon of the parish of Our Lady of the Sea in Uttan, has known Rohan for eight years. "Rohan - he tells AsiaNews - was chosen by God before he was born, to be an example of patience, endurance, mercy and love of God. If you looked at him, your heart was filled with compassion, but to see his enthusiasm, despite its physical limitations, made you feel ashamed."

Since birth Rohan has suffered from dystonia, a disease in which parts of the body experience uncontrollable muscle spasms, often very painful, caused by erroneous brain messages. Rohan's mother died when he was three years old. His father was a chronic alcoholic, who continually beat him mercilessly.

The village people, witnessing these daily abuses and tortures, in addition to the fact that his father did not bother to feed him, asked the sisters of the House of Charity to welcome Rohan.

The trauma suffered, created so much fear in him that at the beginning, if the nuns tried to talk to him, he closed in on himself. The male voices terrified him, since they reminded him of his father's. If someone raised their voices to speak, he was thrown into fear and insecurity.

“Little by little - says Fr. Godfrey - growing up in the house, together with other guests, also disabled, he learned to enjoy life, to be happy, jovial, always smiling.

The best thing that happened to him is when he made his First Communion with all the other children. He attended the catechism class like everyone else, and he understood that Jesus was his friend and took care of him. His love for the Eucharist was so strong that if they did not bring him communion, he would get upset and cry. He liked to follow mass in Latin on television, but above all he loved to participate in mass in maharati and participated in it in an integral way: body, mind and soul. His favorite saints were Padre Pio and John Paul II. He kept two pictures under his pillow: Padre Pio on his right, John Paul II on his left. He knew that these two saints interceded for him to be relieved of physical suffering. "

Rohan liked cartoons and dark chocolate. His smile was also contagious for the doctors who treated him. Some of them paid for the medical care and operations he needed out of their own pocket.

“I thank God for the gift of Rohan - concludes Godfrey - because he taught me what it means to smile and say thank God for his blindfolding much more than we deserve. He was a living example of how to spread the message of God's love despite our pains and sufferings."