Jhabua: The first bishop to be ordained from the Bhil tribal community says he want to "empower" his people "socially, economically and politically."
Bishop Devaprasad Ganawa of Jhabua told UCA News on the occasion of his June 16 episcopal ordination that he wants to take up "a holistic revival plan" for his community with the people's support.
The Divine Word prelate also stressed the need to protect tribal dialects, culture and traditions, as well as fight increasing drug and alcohol abuse that have become part of tribal life.
About 10,000 people, mostly Bhil tribal Catholics, attended the ordination ceremony, with many saying they have high hopes that the new bishop would help them develop as a Church community.
The predominantly tribal diocese in central Indian Madhya Pradesh state, created in 2002, has been without a bishop since its first prelate, Bishop Chacko Thottumarickal, was transferred to neighboring Indore diocese in October 2008.
Archbishop Leo Cornelio of Bhopal led the ordination ceremony, which saw tribal people in traditional dress dancing to the beat of drums. Eleven other bishops, including three archbishops, more than 300 priests and about 500 nuns also attended.
Sharing his elation during the event, Vijay Martin Meda, a Catholic, told UCA News: "Now the tribal people can go and see the bishop directly to share their problems. They will feel that they would get a proper hearing as the bishop knows the community well."
He also said people expect the new bishop to expand education, health care and other Church services "to every remote corner of the diocese, even where there are no Catholics."
Manual Ganawa, nephew of the new bishop and a catechist in the diocese, shared that "we now have overcome the biggest hurdle, the communication gap."
Although the former bishop and other missioners were "doing a good job," several of them failed to see the importance of local traditions and customs as they came from "outside the community," he said.
Father Casmir Damore, a Bhil tribal, echoed this view, saying that the ordination of Bishop Ganawa "is a dream come true for our community,"
Bishop Thottumarickal also told UCA News that a local person heading the Church here is in a better position to identify with people's feelings and sentiments than people from outside the community.
In his homily during the Mass, he noted that a local person becoming bishop "was a real recognition of the aspirations of the people."
Fifty-eight-year old Bishop Ganawa heads a diocese of about 31,000 Catholics in an area which is home to about 4 million people, mostly Hindus.
Presently, 14 of the 61 priests in the diocese are from the Bhil community.
Christianity is more than a hundred years old here with the first parish set up in 1896 in Thandla village.
The Catholic Church created Jhabua diocese out of Indore and Udaipur dioceses so as to better meet the needs of the tribal people.
Jhabua district is considered a backward district in India, having poor health care facilities and a less than 23 percent literacy rate. The district made headlines in 1998 with the rape of three Catholic nuns by suspected members of rightwing Hindu groups.
Since then, the local Church has witnessed a series of attacks on its members. Extremist Hindu groups have accused the Church of using education and health care to attract and convert gullible tribal people.
Source: Indian Catholic
Bishop Devaprasad Ganawa of Jhabua told UCA News on the occasion of his June 16 episcopal ordination that he wants to take up "a holistic revival plan" for his community with the people's support.
The Divine Word prelate also stressed the need to protect tribal dialects, culture and traditions, as well as fight increasing drug and alcohol abuse that have become part of tribal life.
About 10,000 people, mostly Bhil tribal Catholics, attended the ordination ceremony, with many saying they have high hopes that the new bishop would help them develop as a Church community.
The predominantly tribal diocese in central Indian Madhya Pradesh state, created in 2002, has been without a bishop since its first prelate, Bishop Chacko Thottumarickal, was transferred to neighboring Indore diocese in October 2008.
Archbishop Leo Cornelio of Bhopal led the ordination ceremony, which saw tribal people in traditional dress dancing to the beat of drums. Eleven other bishops, including three archbishops, more than 300 priests and about 500 nuns also attended.
Sharing his elation during the event, Vijay Martin Meda, a Catholic, told UCA News: "Now the tribal people can go and see the bishop directly to share their problems. They will feel that they would get a proper hearing as the bishop knows the community well."
He also said people expect the new bishop to expand education, health care and other Church services "to every remote corner of the diocese, even where there are no Catholics."
Manual Ganawa, nephew of the new bishop and a catechist in the diocese, shared that "we now have overcome the biggest hurdle, the communication gap."
Although the former bishop and other missioners were "doing a good job," several of them failed to see the importance of local traditions and customs as they came from "outside the community," he said.
Father Casmir Damore, a Bhil tribal, echoed this view, saying that the ordination of Bishop Ganawa "is a dream come true for our community,"
Bishop Thottumarickal also told UCA News that a local person heading the Church here is in a better position to identify with people's feelings and sentiments than people from outside the community.
In his homily during the Mass, he noted that a local person becoming bishop "was a real recognition of the aspirations of the people."
Fifty-eight-year old Bishop Ganawa heads a diocese of about 31,000 Catholics in an area which is home to about 4 million people, mostly Hindus.
Presently, 14 of the 61 priests in the diocese are from the Bhil community.
Christianity is more than a hundred years old here with the first parish set up in 1896 in Thandla village.
The Catholic Church created Jhabua diocese out of Indore and Udaipur dioceses so as to better meet the needs of the tribal people.
Jhabua district is considered a backward district in India, having poor health care facilities and a less than 23 percent literacy rate. The district made headlines in 1998 with the rape of three Catholic nuns by suspected members of rightwing Hindu groups.
Since then, the local Church has witnessed a series of attacks on its members. Extremist Hindu groups have accused the Church of using education and health care to attract and convert gullible tribal people.
Source: Indian Catholic
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