By Purushottam Nayak,
Simonbadi, Feb 3, 2022: Three survivors of the worst anti-Christian violence in modern India have been ordained as Capuchin priests.
Bishop Aplinar Senapati of Rayagada February 1 ordained Deacons Surya Kanth Mallick, Alphonse Kumar Balliarsingh and Ajay Balliarsingh at Mary Mata Parish, Simonbadi in Odisha state’s Kandhamal district. The parish comes under the archdiocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar.
“A priest is the one who should lead the people of God without any discrimination of caste, creed and religion,” Vincentian Bishop Senapati told the newly ordained priests during his homily.
The prelate reminded the newly ordained that a priest does not a priest doesn’t become a saint on the ordination day. He tries to become a good human and it’s the duty of everyone, including the priest’s parents, to constantly guide him to become a holy man.
Around 40 priests and 5 nuns and a handful of laypeople attended the ceremony held under strict Covid regulations.
Father Mallick was born on June 1, 1993, as third of four children of Bijaya Chandra and Margarita Mallick, residents of Hostinapur villager under Raikia parish.
After his tenth grade in 2009, he joined the minor seminary at Enikepadu, Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh. After novitiate at Poovanvilai in Tamil Nadu state he took his first vows on May 15, 2014 at Peda Avuntapalli, Joseph Thambi Shrine Vijayawada. He studied philosophy and theology at Janampet in Andhra Pradesh’s Eluru town.
He told Matters India that his village has some 500 families and only five them are Catholics. “There are some good Hindus who cooperate with us even although” they are members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the umbrella body of Hindu radical groups.
Father Alphonse Balliarsingh was Mullick’s companion in the novitiate. He was born December 5, 1993, as the second of three children of Pradeep and Kasmita Balliarsingh at Bandiguda under Kandhamal’s Tumudibandh parish.
He vividly remembers the December 2007 violence against Christians of Kandhamal. “I ran to the forest to escape from the fundamentalists,” he told Matters India.
Similarly Ajay Bellarsingh (no relation) too had faced threat to life for being a Christian. “But the threat did not stop me from becoming a priest and serve people of God,” he told Matters India.
Ajay was born July 3, 1990, at Pakri, Dukuma parish as the second among six children of Ananta and Aspherenta Balliarsingh. He completed tenth grade in 2007.
He did novitiate at Manalikad in Kerala’s Thirussur district.
Father Karunakar Kasu, provincial of Capuchin’s Andhra province, said they have been working in Odisha for the past 27 years.
“This year we are blessed with three new priests. We have total 29 priests from Odisha,” he told Matters India.
They have three each houses in Cuttack-Bhubaneswar archdiocese and Berhampur diocese, and two in Rayagada diocese.
The congregation has 12 provinces and around 1,200 priest in India.
May God bless you all abundantly in your ministry .
My Jesus always keep your hand over the head of these newly ordained priest.