Even as India continues to report a daily covid-19  infection rate of over 350,000 and the media is replete with distress stories from all over the country, the Good News is that several Catholic dioceses and institutions have come forward to help the affected in whatever way they can.

Only yesterday, somebody sent us the news that the youngsters of Ranchi Archdiocese in Jharkhand state under the leadership of Archbishop Felix Toppo SJ and Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas SFX have launched a free lunch service for the relatives of patients hospitalized in Ranchi’s biggest hospital RIIMS.(Rajendra Institute of Integrated Medical Sciences).

Ranchi Catholic Youth Association  led by its President Kuldip Tirkey, serve free packed hot lunch consisting of Rice, Lentils (dal), chicken and vegetables along with bottles of mineral water to patients and their attendants. The programme is being conducted with all safety precautions. The Ranchi Catholic Youth Director, Fr. Roshan Tiru,  Kuldeep Tirkey, Rohit Ekka, Luis Bara and Sony Ekka, Mukti Minj, Amardeep are also involved in this service.

Archbishop Felix says, “The Church will continue this service daily  as long as it can as those attending the patients neither have the time nor resources to prepare a meal for themselves.”

Bishop Theodore said, “We are living in a very difficult time and the pandemic shows no signs of ebbing. At this moment it is necessary to follow the Government rules and regulations of social distancing and public safety. The Church will continue to work for the poor and we are able to help the needy only because of the generosity of good people who are contributing.”

 The RIMS hospital in Ranchi is a government run hospital  and is mostly frequented by the poor.

Similarly in Karnataka, Salesian sisters, Camellian brothers, and the  I C Y M Bangalore Youth have volunteered to be covid warriors in Hospitals. Fifty Catholic Corona warriors  are working different batches and days, says Father Daniel D’Sa from Bangalore.

Meanwhile in Gujarat State, Archbishop Thomas MacWan of Gandhinagar diocese, has written to the local government authorities, offering space at Catholic run schools and institutions to help the government set up care shelters for those with mild Covid infection.

The Archbishop in his letter to the District Magistrate mentioned that three hospitals in the diocese: Christ Hospital in Rajkot, Our Lady of Pillar hospital in Vadodra, and the Pillar Hospital in Sanand, are in the forefront, serving the Covid infected in the state.

Earlier, the Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore (Bangaluru) met with the management of Christian hospitals to understand their difficulties in managing their operations and offered to attach the nearest Catholic school each hospital to set up as post-Covid care centres.

When the second wave of COVID-19 struck Karnataka state, the Christian Mission Hospitals joined hands with the State Government to fight the pandemic, deploying their resources, thereby serving the Covid afflicted not only in Bangalore but also all over the State of Karnataka.

Catholic nun, Sister Lucy Kurian, has come forward, to help the government fight the second wave of the corona-virus pandemic. Sister Lucy is the founder director of “Maher” (Mother’s House), a community and inter-faith organization for abused and destitute women and children.
“Let us make life a little better, as sadness, and negativity, spreads across India,” she says
The 64-year-old nun has offered one of her houses, an orphanage, to the government to use for people who are in need. For this, she shifted the residents of the orphanage to another house.
“We have vacated one of our home, for people from villages, who need to be isolated due to the pandemic,” Sisiter Lucy said.

  Catholic Church, Covid Warriors, COVID-19, Pandemic, Ranchi catholics