For Orissa Archbishop, five new priests are God's gift to Kandhamal
Orissa (India), 13 April 2013: In the District of Kandhamal, in the south-east Indian
state of Orissa, the Catholic Church celebrated the ordination of five new priests
two days ago. About 70 other priests, 100 nuns and 5,000 Catholics attended the ceremony,
which was held at the Church of Our Lady of Charity and led by Archbishop John Barwa
SVD, archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneshwar. The new priests are Fr Aswin Kumar Singh,
Fr Bikram Pradhan, Fr Jiten Kumar Pradhan, Fr Kapilas Nayak and Fr Rashmikant Nayak,
all from Kandhamal itself, the focal point of Orissa's anti-Christian pogroms of 2007
and 2008.
"In the Year of Faith," the archbishop said in his homily, "these
new priests are a gift from God to the archdiocese, but especially to Kandhamal. In
spite of the anti-Christian persecution of 2007 and 2008, God has not left us or forgotten
us. He is with us and he gave us these young priests so that they may serve the Church.
This is a clear sign that faith in Kandhamal continues to shine."
Addressing
the new priests during the Mass, the archbishop said, "The priesthood is centred on
Christ who came to serve and not to be served. By living and emulating Christ's life,
every priest must serve everyone else, not just Christians, but people of all faiths.
Jesus came to give us salvation, peace, joy and happiness. Christ's words 'I thirst'
must resonate in our hearts and in our minds. As priests of Kandhamal, we are called
to bring peace, joy and reconciliation among all the people of Orissa."
Archbishop
Barwa reminded those present that by washing the feet of inmates at the Casal del
Marmo youth detention facility, Pope Francis "reminded us that we should serve everyone,
without distinction of caste or creed." Addressing the new priests' parents and all
the worshippers present, the prelate stressed the importance of encouraging boys and
girls to embrace the priesthood and religious life.
With the new ordinations,
the Archdiocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar now has 91 diocesan priests and 54 religious.
According
to data collected by the Church, at least 100 people were killed by the violence unleashed
by Hindu nationalists in Orissa, particularly in Kandhamal, beginning at Christmas
2007 followed by a series of attacks in August 2008.
More than 54,000 Christians
were left homeless, nearly 300 churches were destroyed, as well as a number of convents,
schools, hostels and care facilities.
Although some homes and villages have
been rebuilt, again thanks to the action of the local Church, the life of these communities
has not yet gone back to normal.