Purushottam Nayak –
Raikia, Kandhamal, Odisha Eastern India: About 3000 thousand faithful, six priests, and 10 nuns gathered together to thank the Lord for the completion of a new Marian shrine after 46 years.
“It was a double occasion for us to observe the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, the patron feast of our village, and to thank the Lord for the new Marian Shrine to show our deep respect, reverence, and devotion to Mother Mary,” said Manjula Nayak one of the devotees of Mother Mary who led the 9 day prayer and meditation that begun from 28th September 2022 to 6th October 2022.
“We thank God specially for this shrine where Mother Mary protected us from the perpetrators during the anti-Christian violence of 2008. We have grown in faith in God and learned to show our devotion to Mother Mary,” continued Nayak.
“Belonging to an orthodox Hindu family the family members and relatives after unsuccessful consultation with doctors directed me to go to the temple for the divine blessings to recover from dumb and paralysis but I chose to come to this new Christian Marian Shrine with strong faith in Mother Mary’s intercession to Her Son Jesus Christ to heal me,” said Gopal Pradhan, a dumb and paralytic staunch Hindu from Kotingia, now residing in Kalumaha.
The Catholic village Kalumaha belongs to Our Lady of Charity Parish, Raikia, the Block under Cuttack-Bhubaneswar archdiocese of Odisha which witnessed more death and threat, where several houses, institutions , churches destroyed and looted. More than 56, 000 people took shelter in the jungle not fearing wild animal but fearing human being in anti-Christian violence of 2008.
The parishioners took archbishop from Our Lady of Charity Parish Church to Kalumaha village’s Marian Shrine dancing and giving slogans of Our Lady of the Rosary, Jesus as the King of kings creating festive favour occasion.
The new Marian shrine was blessed by Archbishop John Barwa, S.V.D before the celebration begun under police protection.
“The celebration of the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary invites all to ponder, mediate and to focus deeply upon the mysteries of Christ, following the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary who was so remarkably, extraordinarily and more singularly associated with the incarnation, passion and glorious resurrection of the Son of God,” said Msgr. John Barwa, SVD, archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar of Odisah who led the celebration.
“We can receive many benefits from praying the Rosary. We can have peace of mind, an increase in love of Jesus, unity with our Church, follow Mary’s request understand better the will of God in our lives, and a greater focus on God instead of ourselves,” asserted the Divine Word prelate.
The archbishop continues St. Dominic, founder of the Dominican order in the early 13th century first received Rosary from Mother Mary and we continue today praying together where Jesus becomes centre and we share His joys and sorrows, place our needs and our plans in His hands, we draw from Him the hope and the strength to go on. It is very true the saying of St. Teresa of Kolkata popularly known as Mother Teresa ` Family that prays together, stays together’.
“By the grace of God the few families who were established by the effort of the Daughters of Charity has increased today. The tree of charity has spread its branches now there are 200 families who settled happily in this village. May Mary intercede her Divine Son for their spiritual as well as other aspects of their life,” wished Maria Goretti Senapati, Daughters of Charity Sister superior of St. Catherine’s Convent, Raikia. Kandhamal.
Daughters of Charity Sisters, DC, dedicate themselves to all kinds of works: in schools, hospitals, small dispensaries, in rural areas, orphanages, infant homes, homes for the aged, rehabilitation centres. The first house in the archdiocese was opened in 1947 at Raikia. The sisters are the ones who settled in collaboration and service to the orphans and widows, poor and marginalized in this village coming from different areas and today the Kalumaha village is a full-fledged with 200 Catholic families.
The new shrine is rebuilt with the contribution of the faithful in kind, in labour and in money selflessly and faithfully which was begun first by pioneers Juano Pradhan, Mohan Nayak and Karnelio Pradhan.
“The generous and kind heart of poor faithful has made it possible to complete the new Marian shrine at Kalumaah,” said Jayananda Nayak , the president of the village committee, who leads the faithful , young and old to cooperate and collaborate to develop the Shrine to facilitate everyone creating prayerful atmosphere to give respect, reverence and devotion to Mother Mary.
There was a short cultural programme at 6 PM on the same day of Our Lady of the Rosary Feast where the youth came from different villages to perform Christian religious dance and song.
“We get peace of mind, enlightenment, direction and guidance when we pray in the shrine. God is one but the paths are different. We need each other despite our religion differences,” said Satyaban Patra, a Hindu man, District council member, who presided over the evening cultural programme.
“May all sentient beings be at peace, may no one suffer from illness, May all see what is auspicious, may no one suffer. Om peace, peace, peace,” wished Patra.