Ten members of the Daughters of Charity have celebrated 25 years of religious life, marking their Silver Jubilee with a Eucharistic celebration focused on gratitude, faith and continued service to people on the margins of society.
The Jubilee Mass was celebrated August 10 at the Provincial House of the Daughters of Charity in Berhampur, a city in Odisha state in eastern India. Fr. Francis Puthenthayil, CM, director of the Daughters of Charity’s Northern Province, presided over the Mass.
“As we celebrate this Jubilee, let us pause to remember and thank the Lord for the many blessings He has poured into our lives. It is truly a great gift that we have received from Him,” Fr. Puthenthayil said.
He also invited the jubilarians to use the occasion for reflection and renewal.
“This is also a special time to reflect on our journey and to evaluate how we have been serving in the vineyard of the Lord. May this Jubilee renew us in gratitude, faith and zeal,” Fr. Puthenthayil said.
More than 25 priests, 35 religious women and lay faithful attended the celebration.
The ten jubilarians expressed gratitude for what they described as God’s constant love and accompaniment throughout their 25 years of consecrated life.
The Silver Jubilee was presented not simply as a commemoration of 25 years in religious life, but as an opportunity to recognize the many years of quiet and dedicated service carried out in communities, schools, health care institutions and among people experiencing poverty, hardship and social exclusion.
“Over the past 25 years, we have sought to make our lives a living expression of the Gospel through service to God and humanity,” said Sr. Sumita Uthansingh, one of the jubilarians.
The Daughters of Charity have served in a variety of ministries, including education, health care, pastoral work and social outreach, particularly among people who are poor and vulnerable.
Fr. Asish Digal, associate parish priest of St. Vincent Pro-Cathedral Parish in Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha, said the sisters’ ministry has been marked by compassion and a commitment to human dignity.
“Their ministry has been shaped by compassion for those on the margins and by a deep conviction that every person deserves dignity, respect and hope,” Fr. Digal said.
He added that the sisters’ journey has included both moments of joy and fulfillment and periods of difficulty that required perseverance, courage and renewed faith.
Through these experiences, their commitment to their vocation has remained a source of inspiration to the people they serve, Fr. Digal said.
The Jubilee celebration therefore became an occasion to look back with gratitude while also looking ahead with renewed purpose. The sisters’ witness highlights the value of presence, humility, generosity and steadfast service, often carried out without public recognition.
The Daughters of Charity arrived in India in February 1940. Four Spanish sisters, Sr. Adelaida Biada, Sr. Angelina Beramundi, Sr. Paz Gracia and Sr. Milagros del Val, established the congregation’s first community at Gopalpur-on-Sea in Odisha.
Their early ministry focused on caring for orphaned and motherless children. Over the decades, their mission expanded to include education, health care, pastoral ministry and social services, particularly for people who are poor, elderly, abandoned or living with disabilities.
Today, the Daughters of Charity in northern India continue their Vincentian mission through schools, hostels, parishes, clinics, nurseries, homes for the elderly and services for people with disabilities, as well as outreach programs for communities experiencing poverty.
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