Jessy Joseph

A hermit nun’s mission deep inside the Girnar mountain range in western India’s Gujarat state has a new successor. “I had no plan or desire to lead an ascetic life, but God called me to continue the Mathaji’s mission,” says Father Christanand who moved into the ashram of Prasanna Devi on August 15, 2019, to begin an ascetic life.

The ashram was started in 1974 by Sadhvi Prasanna Devi, a Catholic hermit, inside the Girnar mountain range, the only home for Asiatic lions in India. Thousands of people, mostly Hindus, used to visit her seeking prayers and blessings.

Ill health had forced the Catholic ascetic nun to leave the ashram and move to the Junagadh parish house in September 2014. The ashram was abandoned since then. “It is God’s decision rather than mine,” Father Christanand told Matters India over phone on April 22 from his ashram deep inside the forest. The 50-year-old priest, a former public relation officer of diocese of Rajkot and a member of St Xavier’s Carmelite province, said he knew that the hut was abandoned but had no plan to stay there and continue the nun’s work, until the end of 2018, when he started his sabbatical year. “I had planned different activities for my sabbatical and one of them was to stay three months in Sneha Deepam (light of love), the ashram where mataji lived for 40 years,” he said. The priest went to stay there for a week and spent time in prayer. But “I was worried about cooking,” since there was no electricity or gas. “One day while praying, a dry branch of a tree Mataji had planted fell in front of me. Suddenly, I felt that God was speaking to me and showing me a way to cook my food,” he said.

After a week he went to his native parish in Kerala for pastoral ministry and from there to attend a retreat for priests. One of the preachers was Father Binoy Karimaruthunkal of Sehion Retreat Centre at Attapady in Kerala’s Palakkad district.

During the individual blessings, the preacher laid his hands on the head of Father Christanada (who was then Father Sebastian Malieckal) and told him that he had a vision of forest and fire. “God spoke to me through the preacher and I became convinced that God wants me to be in that forest hut to continue mataji’s work,” Father Christanand explained.

He recalled his visit to Prasanna Devi’s hut with Bishop Gregory Karotemprel of Rajkot to offer Mass in 2005 when the hermit nun asked the two who would continue her work.

To comfort her, the priest had told her not to worry, he would continue her work. “But I never thought about it seriously,” he said. After the retreat, the priest abandoned his plan to visit Varanasi, Rishikesh and Haridwar. “I went back to Gujarat and got permission from my provincial and the bishop, and began my stay here,” he narrated. Now, his day begins at 3 am. He spends time in meditation, canonical prayers, Mass and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. He takes breakfast at 9:30 am, mostly some snacks given by the visitors. “The day I have hard work I make breakfast, otherwise I take some snacks the visitors give,” he says. He spends time in gardening and cleaning the surrounding area of the hut.

In the afternoon he recites the rosary of God our Father and spiritual readings. He starts evening prayers at 6 pm. When visitors come, he attends to them. Some are regular visitors while others are new. During the Hindu festival season he gets lot of visitors. Some of them used to come to visit mataji. They ask for her. “I make the visitors to take a word of God from the vachana petty (Bible verse box) and make them to read it and based on the verse, tell them about Christ,” he said. The visitors are mainly Hindus. “It is direct evangelization,” the priest says. “I sing Christian bhajans and bless them and give them tea. I pray for them and listen to their problems.” The priest also explains to them about mataji, her life and the incidents that happened during her stay here. “Through Mataji’s life I tell them about Christ.” Close and regular friends of Mathaji still visit her at St Ann’s church in Junagah. They bring snacks and food and share. They come regularly during Christmas.

Father Christanand’s first friends in the forest were langurs. They come for tea and snacks with me. Squirrels and peacock are other regular visitors.

Asked about mongoose, mataji’s friends, the priest said some come but not sure if they are the same mataji had. “I call them by name, they look at me and run away,” he added.

During summer lions and leopards come to drink water in the stream close to the hut. “They come drink water, rest for sometimes and go away,” he says. His neighbours include some Hindu priests. Once a month he goes to the parish church in Junagadh, 7 km away, to hear confession. The common image of a hermit in India is a person who is completely detached and spends the day in solitude, silence, contemplation and prayer. “I tell about Christ to all those who visit me,” he said. “It is a call within a call and God’s grace drew me to this way of life now,” he added. My friends used to ask me if it was possible for me to live the life of a hermit because I was engaged lots of work in the province and the diocese. He was secretary to the provincial for six years from 2012. Father Christanand was born in 1971 at Adimaly in Kerala’s Idukki district. After his ordination, on January 1, 2003, he was engaged in several missions in Adilabad and Rajkot dioceses. The new life asceticism has made him happy. “I don’t find any difficulty in this way of life; I am happy and get lot time for prayer and silence. I am content with simple life,” he added.