Caritas India begins yearlong diamond jubilee programs

By Patrick Hansda

New Delhi, Oct 6, 2022: Caritas India, the social development arm of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), has launched a yearlong programs to mark its diamond jubilee.

Although the foundation day was on October 1, the agency opened the jubilee programs with enthusiasm two days later.

Caritas India executive director Father Paul Moonjely, in his opening words, said the organization has traversed through pragmatic and paradigm changes –from being a charitable organization to an agency that promotes inclusive and equitable development – during the past 60 years.

From its humble beginnings, the agency has grown into “a large family that believes in one motto: The joy of service,” he said.

“Caritas India consistently and significantly contributed to the sectors of humanitarian aid and disaster risk reduction, natural resource management, sustainable agriculture, health, education, anti-human trafficking, good governance, sustainable livelihoods, Peace and Social Harmony, urban poverty alleviation. While these accomplishments of Caritas India helped millions of poor to live a life with greater dignity, these also helped her become a respected development agency both nationally and internationally,” Father Moonjely claimed.

He also reiterated that “Caritas India’s commitment to integrated human development and her constant striving to be relevant to the needs and aspirations of the poor and the marginalized have greatly amplified our efforts in gathering a wealth of experience and expertise from the local communities in different sectors like community mobilization, risk reduction, climate adaptive practices, Preventive Health measures and Peacebuilding.”

The jubilee celebrations began with a Mass led by Archbishop Sebastian Kallupura of Patna, chairman of Caritas India. He was assisted by Father Varghese Vinayanand, vicar general of Gurgaon diocese, Father Jervis D’Souza, CBCI deputy secretary general and other priests heading Caritas India.

After the Mass, Archbishop Kallupura released Caritas India’s 60-year logo especially designed with the theme, “Compassion in Action” which symbolizes the organization’s compassionate service to the most vulnerable.

Caritas India assistant executive director Father Jolly Puthenpura, who too addressed the opening program, said the day was historical for the organization. “It is a day of celebration and thanksgiving, today we look back with deep sentiments of gratitude for the past 60 years of Caritas India’s yeomen services in the nation-building processes.”

He expressed the hope that Caritas India’s future would strive for contextualizing and reimaging the Church’s social mission – the Diakonia (service) Ministry. He also thanked the Church leaders, Caritas India’s past leaders, regional and diocesan partners, donors, other like-minded organizations and staff associated with her.

Father Puthenpura also said the organization has planned a host of program to commemorate the diamond jubilee celebrations during the year.

They include jubilee celebrations with the local communities through all cluster programs, organizing a national peace conference involving leaders from various faith groups, conferences on DRR (Disaster Risk Reduction) and Food Security, and national assembly of diocesan directors of social work.

It also plans to build a network of religious congregations involved in the Church’s social ministry in tandem with the units of Conference of Religious India, building a network of national Christian NGOs operational under the banner of Christian Agency Network, formation of the network of church organizations in India working with the transgender community and organizing a capacity building training for the entire staff of Caritas India.

Archbishop Kallupura, in his message said, Caritas India has served different people and reached out to the poor in the past 60 year. Now, the organization will review its operations to reach out to people in different ways to serve the poorest of the poor.

Father Vinayanand told the gathering that Caritas India has shown the world that it stands for ethics through its services. The real honor of Caritas India doesn’t come from outside, but sprouts from within which stays in the motto, he added.

Caritas India also announced major programs in the coming year to celebrate its diamond jubilee such as to start a new child rights program in multiple Indian states, launch a campaign in Kerala as a Church response to fight drug addiction and progressively spread to other states.

It will also formulate state-level policies for the regional fora and diocesan social service societies as part of institutional safeguarding mechanism and initiating a new program on promotion of integral ecology.