Lissy Maruthanakuzhy
Sr Lucy Kurien, a member of the Holy Cross Sisters of Chavanod washed the feet of the staff of the Maher Home (mother’s love –a home for the abandoned) on 13 April, Maundy Thursday.
To the mostly non-Christian staff, Sr Lucy demonstrated the love of Jesus through this service.
Sr Lucy Kurien is the founder and director of Maher, a community and interfaith refuge for abused and destitute women and children, with its headquarter in Pune.
Maher’s board includes Hindu, Christian, Buddhist, and Muslim members, and many religions are represented among staff and residents.
“As Sr Lucy bend down at the feet of every staff and women and washed the feet and kissed them, we all became very emotional and we were reluctant to stretch our feet to be washed. But Sr Lucy insisted saying throughout the year we are serving the women, children and our aged people. It is OK for me to wash your feet once a year,” said one of her staff.
Sr Lucy explained about the symbolic meaning of washing the feet to service and humanity. We all had tears in our eyes as we listened to her story of Jesus who died to give us all life. Sr Lucy also washed the feet of some of the women and children and thanked them for giving her a chance to serve them. She thanked all of us for our trust in her, she added.
“The Maher community decided to mediate, fasting and keep silence for a day on 14 April. The amount that is collected from the fasting was handed over to a poor cancer patient,” another staff added.