Help Renovate a Convent in India

The Handmaids of Mary are a women‘s congregation indigenous to India that was founded in 1944 to care for those on the margins of society. They have always given special care to women and children of the disadvantaged ethnic minorities and the dalits (the former “untouchables”) on the bottom rung of society. Today the Sisters are active in 18 different Indian dioceses.

In the Diocese of Roukela, they have a house in Telendih. The people here are mainly from ethnic minorities, and most families are very poor. People survive on what little they can grow and provide for themselves, and they are completely dependent on the monsoon rains. Often their crops do not provide enough to live on and so many are forced to toil as day laborers. Thankfully, their faith is deep and strong, and for many, Mass is the unmissable high point of their Sundays and Holy days. 

The Sisters give particular attention to catechesis, helping people reach a better and deeper understanding of the Gospel and the Faith of the Church. They work to encourage girls to attend school. Most of the women cannot read or write and are disadvantaged as a result. The Sisters teach the girls themselves and raising awareness of this issue with the families. The Sisters also visit the sick, the elderly and the dying, 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 in India.” 

Sister Bernadette is now asking us for help for her community in Telendih, which is facing many challenges. Among these is the state of their convent, which is in need of extensive repair. The roof is leaking, and the building has become unstable, with cracks in the walls, and the wooden doors have been eaten away by termites. The kitchen, bathroom and electrical wiring all need renovation and replacement.

We have promised them $18,700 for the most urgent repairs.

Will you help Sister Bernadette renovate her convent, so her community to continue to serve those in need in India?

We are sure she and the other Sisters will gratefully remember you in their prayers. 

Aid to the Church in Need commits to invest your funds where they will have the greatest impact for the Church that we serve. Funds donated to Aid to the Church in Need’s projects will be used towards the greatest need in our programs to help keep the Faith alive.

Code: 317-05-19