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Murdered Indian nun hailed as missionary example

Special services mark the fifth anniversary of the nun who championed the rights of tribal people
Murdered Indian nun hailed as missionary example

Archbishop Anil Couto of Delhi addressing a memorial service for Sister Valsa John in New Delhi on Nov. 12 marking the fifth anniversary of her death. (Photo by Bijay Kumar Minj)

Published: November 16, 2016 05:19 AM GMT
Updated: November 16, 2016 05:49 AM GMT

A Catholic nun who was brutally murdered in 2011 for daring to stand up for disenfranchised Santal tribal people in central India has been hailed as an example of exceptional missionary work.

Sister Valsa John, from the Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary congregation, died after a group of men armed with axes, knives, bows and arrows attacked her at her home in Pachwara village in Jharkhand state. She died on the spot, succumbing to deep injuries inflicted on her neck and face. She was 53.

Some 200 people, mostly from the villages of Dumka Diocese in Jharkhand state, attended a memorial Mass on Nov. 15, marking the fifth anniversary of her death.

They held a Mass beside her tomb in Dumka’s St. Paul’s Cathedral cemetery and villagers, who lost their champion and friend, paid tribute to the nun, said Jesuit Father Tom Kavalakatt, a close associate of the nun.

The priest said her advocacy for the rights of illiterate Santal tribal people enraged the mining lobby. She organized people to take legal action against the excavation of their traditional land. The miners asked her to leave but she deified them, reports said

"Apparently the mining lobby succeeded in getting her eliminated finally," Father Kavalakatt said.

"Sister Valsa reminds us that we have to be ready to shed our blood and life to build a just society," the priest said. She "never wavered from her commitment to protect the tribal people despite threats from the mining lobby who wanted to grab their lands to extract coal."

A colleague of Sister Valsa, who wanted to remain anonymous, said she was raped in order to terrorize the nun into abandoning her activities. She was staying in the nun’s hut when the murder happened.  

"The memories of that night continue to trouble me even after five years. But my Didi [elder sister] is still alive in my memories and will be with me through all my incarnations," she said.

Sister Valsa had formed a voluntary organization and organized local indigenous people to demand compensation from Panem Coal Ltd, a mining company operating in the area.

Rights activists and religious leaders hailed her as a model for Christian missioners at another memorial held on Nov. 12 in New Delhi.

Archbishop Anil Couto of Delhi told attendees that a missionary's life requires "us to leave our comfort zone and fight to redeem this world."

Sister Talisha Nadukudiyil, secretary of the Indian Catholic bishop’s office for women told ucanews.com that the church in India will remember the nun for her "dedication and love for the downtrodden."

Sister Rose Joseph, vice provincial of Sister Valsa’s congregation said that her slain colleague has made their congregation "proud" of her "challenging work and life."

Before she died, Sister Valsa lived in a village cut off from her congregation and companions. She lived like ordinary village women dressing, eating and working with them, Sister Joseph said.

Jharkhand, where she was based, has a population of 33 million people and is home to a vibrant tribal Christian community. The state's 4.5 percent Christian population is almost double that of the national average.

Some Indian Christians believe that the situation has got worse for them recently. There were 85 major persecutions of Christians in India in 2015, according to a report by The Catholic Secular Forum quoted in the Times of India. It was an unprecedented spike in religiously motivated attacks.

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