By Sujata Jena
Bhubaneswar, April 8, 2025: The Odisha unit of the Conference of Religious India (CRI) that met April 8 heard their national secretary stressing the importance of dialogue with lay collaborators, integrated prayer life, and formation programs that are relevant to today’s challenges.
“If our preferential option for the poor remains only in our preaching and not in our practice, we risk creating a painful dichotomy between our words and our witness,” warned Presentation Sister Elsa Muttathu while addressing some 25 members of the unit at the Archbishop’s House in Bhubaneswar, the state capital.
She told the gathering that the Conference of Religious India exists to promote unity and cooperation among religious congregations. “Our mission is to address shared challenges, strengthen our collective voice, and support the individual charisms of each institute.”
Sister Muttathu reminded the gathering that religious life is not about institutional survival or personal security, but about responding to the needs of the present moment.
“Let us not limit ourselves to routine physical tasks. Make time for reading, writing, and deep reflection,” she urged.
“Our communities were not founded to build institutions or secure our comfort,” she stated. “We are called to live among the people, listen to them, and be part of their lives—just as the early religious did.”
She challenged the participants to critically evaluate their ministries.
“Do we visit families to truly know them and share in their lives, or simply to seek vocations for our congregations?” she asked.
Underscoring the need for authenticity, the national secretary stressed the importance of aligning action with values.
Speaking on the role of women religious, Sister Muttathu encouraged them to prioritize intellectual and spiritual growth alongside daily responsibilities.
She also advocated for greater involvement of women in decision-making spaces within the Church.
The meeting helped the participants voice their expectations, struggles, and hopes in living out their vocation as the CRI members.
The meet began with Mass celebrated by Archbishop John Barwa of Bhubaneswar, who offered prayers and blessings for the meeting’s success.
Among the key takeaways was the call to collaboratively channel resources towards emerging ministries focused on specific local issues.
As part of her presentation on the Year of Hope, Sister Muttathu posed questions to guide future action:
How can we live synodality within our CRI units?
How might we celebrate the Jubilee Year in a way that meaningfully includes people on the margins?
Participants were invited to plan three actions in response to these prompts, which they will further develop and finalize within their respective diocesan units.
During the meeting, representatives from the Priests and Religious Lawyers Forum shared insights about the forum’s mission, highlighted recent initiatives, and outlined future plans to advance the Church’s justice ministry.
I quote the statements of the CRI National Secretary (from the report): “Our communities were not founded to build institutions or secure our comfort,” she stated. “We are called to live among the people, listen to them, and be part of their lives—just as the early religious did.”
A few questions to the CRI:
1) Why have the religious congregations (both men and women) deviated from the “committed, simple and sacrificial lifestyle of the early religious”?
2) Today 95 percent of religious congregations feel PROUD of their “institutions” built in the past and continue to build “money-yielding” institutions. They feel safe and secure to remain in the “comfort zones of their institutions”. Why?
3) How many religious congregations are ready to take the statements of the national secretary seriously and give up their institutions, live among the people, listen to them, and be part of their lives?
CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME.