On a tense May morning, villagers in Samba — a small hamlet along the Line of Control between India and Pakistan — woke up to the sound of fighter jets, mortar fire and heavy shelling. As thousands fled to safer areas, three Catholic nuns at St. Joseph Community Hospital made a brave decision: they stayed back to care for the sick and injured. St. Joseph Community Hospital, run by the Jammu-Srinagar Diocese, is the only charitable hospital for the poor in the region. The building is old and resources are limited, but for local villagers it is a lifeline. Sr. Annie Manickathan, the senior nun, said, “If we leave, who will be with them? God sent us here.” She has served in different mission areas for decades and believes this work is her calling.
The hospital has six departments and survives through “simple living and strong faith.” Many patients are migrants, widows and daily-wage workers. “Some don’t even have five rupees,” Sr. Annie said. “For them we give medicines free.” Sr. Lilly Thomas, who joined soon after the war, came from New Delhi’s Holy Family Hospital. Though her family feared for her safety, she said she felt called to serve in this border district. Sr. Anita Minj has been in Samba for eight years and earlier worked with local youth through skill development programs. During the four-day conflict in May, the nuns treated people injured in shelling, cared for mothers and children, and kept the hospital open even when power lines were damaged and bombs fell nearby. Many nights they stayed awake praying for safety.
In mostly-Hindu Samba, the sisters say they share God’s love not through words but through service. Villagers — Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs — come to them simply as “sisters.” For the people of this border village, their courage and compassion have become a sign of hope.
