Covid keeps Odisha’s lone priest-physician busy

By Purushottam Nayak

Sundargarh, May 31, 2020: As India went into a lockdown to contain the coronavirus Odisha’s doctor-turned Catholic priest is busy attending to people’s spiritual and health needs.

“When you serve others, you are doing it for Christ,” Father Valerian Tigga told Matters India on May 30 over phone as the nation prepared to start the fifth phase of the lockdown from June 1.

The 74-year-old priest of Rourkela diocese finds his role as a physician and priest challenging. “One is professional and the other is religious,” says Father Tigga, who currently cares for the physical and spiritual needs of villagers around Catholic Mission Hospital in Nuagaon in Odisha’s Sundergarh district, eastern India.

He attends to cases round the clock. They include migrants, daily-age laborers, poor and needy who are returning to Odisha from other states. They also spend the stipulated quarantine time in government-managed centers.

“We follow the protocol that goes for the treatment of the Covid-19 patient. We have opened OPT [Out Patients’ Treatment] for everyone. We are ready to convert the isolation ward that has protective measures for the Covid-19 patients,” he said.

As per government orders the hospital has kept ten beds ready for Covid-19 patients. People come there with symptoms of fever and breathing difficulty.

Mariam Minz, a 45-year-old patient from San–Nuagaon, says he has “strong faith in Christ” after Father Tigga convinced him through counselling that although it is doctors who treat patients “it is god who heals.”

The doctor-priest has brought a spiritual dimension to my suffering, he added.

Father Tigga is ever ready to serve those coming to the hospital for counseling or other help any time of the day. He not only treats them but shows compassion, Minz says.

Father Tigga says he and other staff members at the hospital’s indoors and OPT departments work round the clock to serve villagers.

Father Tigga was born on October 10, 1946, in Gaibira, the oldest parish of the diocese of Rourkela, where he was baptized.

His paternal and maternal grandparents were catechists and they came to Odisha from Bihar decades ago and settled in Gaibira of Sundargarh district.

Tigga started his primary education at Gaibira boarding school in 1955. He passed matriculation in 1965 and finished college study in Government College Sundargarh in 1965.

Then he earned his medical education at Veer Surendra Medical College Hospital Burla of Sambalpur district in 1974.

Father Tigga says he owes his vocation to his grandfather, who inspired him with his prayerful life. He had the opportunity to know about priests and nuns because missionaries managed the school and the boarding where he studied.

“My family members prayed for missionaries during family Rosary time every day. Since my grandfather was a catechist, I knew the Catholic faith well. Every member of the family prayed that let God choose someone to become a priest,” Father Tigga recalled.

He said he used to help missionaries during his college days accompanying them to substations for Mass. He was also involved in charitable and relief works of the parish.

He says he was also inspired by missionaries’ dedication, zeal and work of God. Their spirit of hard work and discipline motivated Tigga to become a priest.

“I had a great desire to become a priest but unfortunately, it did not happen. I decided well if not priest let me go for secular study,” he recalled.

His uncles who guided him to become a priest also told him that he could also serve people as a doctor.

He then started his medical study.

His life changed after meeting with Father John Maliakal. He shared with the priest his deep desire to join a seminary.

Father Maliakal helped Tigga meet Divine Word Bishop Raphael Cheenath who was then the bishop of Sambalpur.

Bishop Cheenath sent him to St. Albert Seminary, Ranchi, and asked him not to do philosophy but go straight for theology in 1975.

After four years of theology, he was ordained a priest by Bishop Cheenath on April 22, 1979, in Sambalpur. He was appointed as an assistant pastor in Kesramal Parish for one year without rendering any medical service.

Then the bishop sent him to do an administrative course to St. John’s Medical College, Bangalore in 1977.

In 1977, the diocese of Sambalpur was bifurcated and Father Tigga opted for the new diocese of Rourkela.

Today, the diocese, spread over Sundargarh district has 85 diocesan clergy, 43 parishes and 260,000 Catholics. It is the largest of Odisha’s six dioceses.

“I worked as a parish priest in Kalunga and Jhorabahal parishes for eight years. During that time, I visited St. Teresa Hospital of Kalunga, known as now Catholic Mission Hospital San–Nuagaon,” he recalled.

For the past 41 years he has worked as a medical superintendent, resident medical officer and pastor for the staff, nursing school students, and patients who come to the hospital for treatment.

For him being a priest is a call from God. He had seen the plight of people in Gangpur Mission and then foreign missionaries worked tirelessly for Indians.

“For the upliftment of people from childhood, I had a desire to become a priest but the opportunity came only after my secular studies, after which I was accepted for the diocese of Sambalpur,” he said.

He has a Diploma in Health Care Administration and elementary training in ultrasound from Hyderabad. There was no opportunity for post-graduation due to lack of personnel, said the priest.

His dual function as a priest and physician is nothing new. It was the case in Biblical times.

He said, “Luke, the evangelist who was thought to be both a physician and a disciple of Paul (Col.4:14).”

“For me, a priest and doctor’s role is the two sides of the same coin. In antiquity, doctors and priests are commonly the same people one takes care of physical (body) and the other spiritual (soul),” affirmed Father Tigga.

Many priests have been physicians in many parts of the world, including in India.

According to him, a physician has to be available to render his service. And he or she may not have much time for other activities.

“So being a doctor and a priest means working all day and sleeping very little. I administer the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick and distribute the Holy Communion. Priests are people for the Church so to doctors for a community (public servants),” shared Father Tigga with conviction.

People and patients address him as Father Doctor.

“We want Catholic or Christian doctors to come forward to serve people generously in church-run hospitals where we care for least, last and lost cases,” he said quoting other public doctors.

Being a doctor with MBBS-General practitioner he handles all kinds of cases possible.

The present generation is ‘specialist mania so one has to be a medical specialist to serve people and also to satisfy the Government authorities, observed Father Tigga.

“I am the happiest person to serve my people day in day out. No regrets at all. I am for people in need for 24 x 7 and continue to serve till God calls me from this life,” asserts Father Tigga.

“Father Tigga is a unique and a gift to Christians and believers of diverse faith. He is a spiritual and physical healer. He is committed to his call and mission. He is a simple, holy, and faithful person,” said Father Telesphore Barwa, director of Catholic Mission Hospital.