Forty-one young women from ethnic minority groups took vows to become Catholic nuns in a rare event of this scale in the eastern Indian State of Jharkhand.
Church leaders welcomed what they described as a trend for more tribal people to choose a religious path in life.
More than 1,000 Catholics, including families and parishi-oners of the women, gathered December 8 for the ceremony at the Nirmala Catholic Church in the State capital, Ranchi.
The women took vows to become nuns of the indigenous congregation of Daughters of St Anne. “This is a great sign that young people are attracted to religious life,” Cardinal Telesphore Toppo of Ranchi, who officiated at the ceremony, told.
It also showed that the Indian Church was thriving despite opposition from Hindu nationalist groups, the cardinal added.
