Indian missionary on Lenten "journey" among Mundari tribal

March 07, 2014 - An Indian missionary priest is making a Lenten journey of visiting tribal Christian families of his parish that are spread across a vast territory. Fr. Lino Fernandes, a Pilar missionary began his Lenten journey on Friday "to proclaim the love of God for the Mundari tribal, crossing mountains and rivers" in the Blessed Mother Teresa parish of Siadih, in the diocese of Jamshedpur (Jharkhand state). Fr. Fernandes serves the parish where 45 Mundari families are scattered across 25 villages. "Ten of these villages - the priest told AsiaNews - are also 15-20 km away, but everyone needs the same attention". The missionary’s desire to bring the Word of God to all has pushed him to undertake this journey. "Evangelizing - says Fr . Fernandes - means to be involved in the development of every human being, even those who live in difficult social realities; bring peace and reconciliation; build human communities in the context of their cultures; accompany people in their journey to God, who are wounded and in constant search as we all are. Evangelization calls us to respect the traditions and religious experiences of the people, as humble seekers, providing our guide based on faith." Source: AsiaNews)