Aid to the Church in Need: India: Training programme for nuns engaged in village pastoral work

India: Training programme for nuns engaged in village pastoral work

Posted by Project of the Week on 18/4/2009, 5:00 pm
Board Administrator

INDIA

Training programme for peripatetic religious sisters engaged in pastoral work in the villages

It is often said that the Church must go out to the people. In the diocese of Bongaigaon in the state of Assam in north-east India, Catholic nuns are doing just this. In fact they are called the "Village touring sisters“, since they travel from village to village, staying there as long as necessary and teaching the children their Catechism, helping the young people, preparing young couples for marriage, listening sympathetically to people's sorrows and joys, visiting them in their homes and praying together with them, supporting the women and often also providing precious development aid and advice - since the people of this region are very poor, belonging as they do to a variety of smaller and neglected ethnic minorities.

The diocese of Bongaigon was established only in the year 2000 and comprises 25 parishes, in each of which there are two nuns who visit the surrounding villages. In a total population of 5.5 million souls only around 64,000 are Catholics, though their numbers are rising steadily. The people in the villages are joyfully embracing the Good News.

As the bishop of this young diocese, Bishop Thomas Pulloppilli well knows, the best way of evangelising is to go out directly to the people and talk to them about the Faith. Bishop Thomas is very committed to building chapels in as many villages as possible and promoting a vibrant faith life among the people. The work of the religious sisters is an especially precious part of this, but he knows too that it is essential for them to continue their own training and learn new methods of evangelisation, so that they can better cope with the many challenges they face in this multi-ethnic environment. And so he wants to offer training programmes for the 50 nuns in his diocese.

In a letter to the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) the Bishop wrote, "I am certain that the Catholic communities will profit immensely from the active missionary zeal of our touring sisters as a result of this programme. The presence and the commitment of well-trained sisters will greatly enhance our missionary activities. Please pray for our diocese that we may be able to continue the proclamation of the saving message of God with still greater power and enthusiasm".

ACN has promised Bishop Thomas a grant of $15,000 for this training programme, which will span three years.

To help this cause please contact the Australian office of ACN on (02) 9679-1929. e-mail: info@aidtochurch.org or write to Aid to the Church in Need PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148. Web: www.aidtochurch.org

Some of the sisters visiting the people in the villages
(Code: 317-05-70)

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Aid to the Church in Need PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148 ABN: 62 418 911 594
Ph/Fax (02) 9679-1929 e-mail: info@aidtochurch.org web: www.aidtochurch.org