Aid for the renovation of a convent
The Handmaids of Mary, an Indigenous women’s congregation, was founded in 1944 to care for those on the margins of society, in particular the women and children of the disadvantaged ethnic minorities and the Dalits (previously known as the untouchables)—members of the lowest class in society. Today, the sisters are active in 18 different Indian dioceses.
In the Diocese of Rourkela, they have a house in Telendih. The people here are mainly from ethnic minorities and most families are very poor, surviving on what little they can grow and provide for themselves and finding themselves completely dependent on the monsoon rains. Often their crops don’t provide enough to live on and many are forced to toil as day labourers. But their faith is deep and strong, and for many of them Holy Mass is the unmissable high point of their Sundays and Holy days.
The sisters work above all in catechesis, assisting people with a better and deeper understanding of the Gospel and the faith of the Church. They are also working to encourage girls to attend school. Most of the women cannot read or write and are underprivileged as a result. So the sisters are teaching the girls and raising awareness of this issue with families. By visiting the sick, the elderly, and the dying, they are also helping people to experience the love of God.
Sister Meric Toppo, the superior of the community in Telendih, is one of the pioneering figures in the convent. Sister Bernadette Kerketta, the provincial superior, says of her: “She has served our mission with joy over the past 40 years, walking many miles on foot to visit the people in their pain and suffering and bring them hope and fresh courage. She has united the people of the parish into a single community, as someone strongly grounded in her way of life, profoundly rooted in the Gospel values, and utterly committed to passing on the faith.”
Sister Bernadette is now asking us for help for her community in Telendih so that they may rise to the challenges they face. Their convent is in need of extensive repair. The roof is leaking, and the building has become unstable, with cracks in the walls and wooden doors eaten away by termites. And the kitchen, bathroom, and electrical wiring all need renovation and replacement. We have promised them $24,150 for the most urgent repairs.
