Maher is the name of a project that Indian Sister Lucy Kurien of the Order of the Sisters of the Cross of Chavanod (SCC) began in 1997 to shelter exploited and destitute women and children, in Pune, in western India’s Maharashtra state. In the local Marathi language ‘maher’ means ‘mother’s home’ – a name that Sr. Lucy chose for her centre as a haven of hope, belonging and understanding. Sr. Lucy has received several honours and recognition for her works or mercy. Recently, on the occasion of this year’s International Women's Day, March 8, she was conferred the Nari Shakti Award for 2015 by Indian president Pranab Mukherjee, for her outstanding contribution to women’s empowerment.Last week, in the first part of a telephone interview with her, Sr. Lucy briefly spoke about the Nari Shakti Award, and went on to explain her work and how it began over 19 years ago. It so happened that a battered woman...
Maher is the name of a project that Indian Sister Lucy Kurien of the Order of the Sisters of the Cross of Chavanod (SCC) began in 1997 to shelter exploited and destitute women and children, in Pune, in western India’s Maharashtra state. In the local Marathi language ‘maher’ means ‘mother’s home’ – a name that Sr. Lucy chose for her centre as a haven of hope, belonging and understanding.
Sr. Lucy has received several honours and recognition for her works or mercy. Recently, on the occasion of this year’s International Women's Day, March 8, she was conferred the Nari Shakti Award for 2015 by Indian president Pranab Mukherjee, for her outstanding contribution to women’s empowerment.
Last week, in the first part of a telephone interview with her, Sr. Lucy briefly spoke about the Nari Shakti Award, and went on to explain her work and how it began over 19 years ago. It so happened that a battered woman fearing her abusive husband sought help at Sr. Lucy’s convent, a help the community was unable provide. That very night the woman’s husband set her on fire and the woman along with her unborn baby later died of burns. Shattered by the tragedy, Sr. Lucy wanted to do something concrete for these women, and so with due permission from her congregation and Church authorities, she came out of her community life to live among and work for the suffering people. While she continued to be a sister of the Cross of Chavanod, her work was not part of the congregation. She stepped out into the unknown, wholly trusting in God who provided her and still continues to provide her. Today, Maher runs 25 projects simultaneously for women, children and also men, not just in Maharashtra, but also in Kerala and Jharkhand states. In her work, Sr. Lucy was particularly inspired by Mother Teresa. Sr. Lucy told us the entire Maher project is run by a board of trustees whose members belong to various religions and her centres are open to anyone in need, regardless of caste or creed.
Well today, Sr. Lucy Kurien begins the final part of this interview explaining the various projects of Maher.
The Augustine Institute's new facilities in Florissant, Missouri. / Credit: Boeing Company and Augustine InstituteCNA Staff, Apr 23, 2024 / 13:30 pm (CNA).The Augustine Institute, a Catholic educational and evangelization apostolate based in Denver for nearly two decades, announced on Tuesday that it will be moving its operations to a new campus in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. The institute, founded in 2005 as a Catholic graduate theology school, currently has an enrollment of 550 students. It says on its website that it exists to serve "the formation of Catholics for the new evangelization" by "equip[ping] Catholics intellectually, spiritually, and pastorally to renew the Church and transform the world for Christ."The organization announced on Tuesday that it had purchased the former Boeing Leadership Center in Florissant, Missouri, just outside of downtown St. Louis. The school will "begin transitioning its operations over the next few years," it said in ...
Over a year after the earthquake that hit Syria and Turkey in February 2023, restoration of Aleppo's Church of St. George has been completed. / Credit: Abdul Kareem DanielAleppo, Syria, Apr 23, 2024 / 14:15 pm (CNA).This year's feast of St. George was a particularly joyful one in the Syrian city of Aleppo, especially for the Melkite Greek Catholic community. The church is reopening its doors after undergoing restoration due to damage from a February 2023 earthquake. Additionally, Archbishop George Masri of the Melkite Archdiocese of Aleppo and its environs will celebrate his golden jubilee.The celebrations took place during the visit of Patriarch Joseph Absi, the current patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, who presided over the Divine Liturgy in the restored church on the evening of April 23. The evening before, there was a procession along Holy Bible Street followed by vespers.Restoration of the Church of St. George in Aleppo after the February 2023 earthquake...
Archbishop Luis Argüello and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. / Credit: Archdiocese of Valladolid; La MoncloaACI Prensa Staff, Apr 23, 2024 / 15:00 pm (CNA).The Spanish government approved today in the Council of Ministers a plan to implement recommendations made in a report on sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. While recognizing some good points in the plan, the Spanish Bishops' Conference (known by its Spanish acronym CEE) issued a statement strongly objecting to what it called unfair treatment and discrimination against the Church by the government.Before giving details of the government's plan, the minister of the Presidency, Justice, and Relations with the Legislature, Félix Bolaños, extrapolating data from a survey commissioned by the People's Ombudsman, estimated that in Spain there are about 440,000 adults who were victims of sexual abuse as minors, representing 1.13% of the adult population in Spain."Around half of these abuses would have been committed...
