“Among our tasks as witnesses to the love of Christ is that of giving a voice to the cry of the poor.”
—Pope Francis
by Sister Isadora Dkhar
Kajoli Nomo lives in Damdamia, Agartala, West Tripura, India, with one daughter and her younger brother. Due to lockdown in the state, her brother was not able to find work and they were struggling to survive.
As the Spirit would have it, Kajoli accidentally encountered the Sisters of the Holy Cross living in Damdamia, and she shared her problems and struggles with them. The sisters visited the home and immediately took compassion on them. The family really needed help, as they lived in a one-room hut with livestock and had no proper kitchen. It was difficult for the sisters to witness the family’s living conditions.
The sisters tried to help the family in small ways, donating clothes, sharing vegetables, and teaching them how to take care of the things that they had. They also advised the family to plant vegetables—an opportunity for them to experience reward and satisfaction from their own efforts.
Still, the sisters longed to do more. Following their hearts, they devoted their minds to how they could provide a new home for the family. After some initial planning, they approached Father Paul Pudussery, CSC, director of ASHA (Association for Social and Human Advancement) Holy Cross in Damdamia, and requested some assistance with funding for the project. He immediately and generously agreed, extending a contribution and an idea. He suggested that Father Mariaraj, CSC, send seminarians to build the house, which would help move the work along and be less expensive. Without hesitation, Father Mariaraj and the seminarians embraced the opportunity.
We began working on July 17 and finished on August 7. We gathered every Saturday—the only day the student sisters and brothers were free—and worked from 10 a.m. until evening. With the collaboration and joint effort of the sisters, brothers and priests, we finished the work successfully. We are very grateful and thankful for the seminarians and their selfless service and tireless work in building the house.
“Trusting in God’s Providence,” as our founder Blessed Basil Anthony Moreau advised, and believing that “God will provide,” the project was fruitful. At the beginning we had nothing in our hands to start, but together we accomplished something beautiful. It was great, and we were filled with joy to see the smiles of the Nomo family.
Our mission states that we “are called to participate in the prophetic mission of Jesus to witness God’s love for all creation.” We feel grateful that we could live this out in one small way. On the last day of work, all of us felt the spirit of being one Family of Holy Cross, just as Father Moreau had envisioned for us.
