New Delhi: Relief murals depicting St Francis Assisi’s Canticle and statue of Mother Mary and Child Jesus squatting on a lotus welcome visitors to the newly built headquarters of the Delhi province of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary (FMM).
“We want our new house to stress the need to protect environment and highlight our works among the poor in northern India,” FMM Delhi provincial Sr. Taurina Vaz says.
Three archbishops, 60 priests and hundreds nuns and lay people attended the blessing of the new house, Prabhalaya (house of light), on February 24, at Greater Kailash Part 2, a southern suburb of India’s national capital.
Archbishop Anil Couto of Delhi, the main celebrant, in his homely reminded the sisters that a religious building is not a place for people to settle down but a means to proclaim the Good News and fulfill God’s plan each one’s life.
“We return to the building to be energized, relaxed, refreshed to continue joyfully God’s mission out there in the peripheries. Even the administrative work is a mission at the service of the Institute,” the prelate told the gathering.
Among those present were Archbishop Vincent Concessao, retired archbishop of Delhi, and Archbishop Kuriakose Bharanikulangara of Faridabad Syro-Malabar diocese.
Sister Vaz told Matters India that the new house was their long awaited dream as they had no proper place to coordinate their various works. The province has 207 sisters working in 10 northern Indian states through their 24 houses. “In North we cater to all the religions and try to up lift people through our education, health, social work and pastoral ministries,” she added.
She said the congregation has taken seriously Pope Francis’ call to work for environmental protection.
They invited Church Art, a unit of Lokenath Engineering, Kolkata, to put up the relief murals in metal on their boundary wall. The firm has been engaged in designing and manufacturing various items required in churches and places of worship in India and overseas.
The Canticle of the Sun, also known as Praise of the Creatures, is a religious song composed by Saint Francis of Assisi. It praises and thanks God for creations such as “Brother Fire” and “Sister Water.” The saint often referred to animals as brothers and sisters to Mankind, rejected material accumulation and chose “Lady Poverty” in place of sensual comforts.
Sister Vaz said their congregation, which draws inspiration from the saint, would take up environmental protection and ecology in a special way. Since their house sits on the side of a forest, the nuns have requested the Delhi Municipal Corporation to allow them maintain a part of it. “We will keep it clean and attractive,” Sister Vaz added.
The FMM, with headquarters in Rome, was founded by Mother Mary of the Passion in 1877 in Ooty, southern India. It now has 6,314 nuns belonging to 79 nationalities working in 75 countries through their 843 houses.
India has 1,200 nuns in five provinces and 120 houses. The Indian nuns work among domestic workers and fight human trafficking.