Vatican City: Pope Francis pays tribute to Sister Lucy Kurien, a Malayalee who has been giving shelter to abandoned women, children and the elderly for more than two decades. The Pope warmly welcomed Sister Lucy Kurien at the Vatican on Monday. In 1997, Maher, an organization founded by Sister Lucy to provide shelter to the wandering refugees in Pune, Maharashtra, is making many people feel at home. After a meet with the pope, Sister Lucy opened her mind to Vatican Radio about her ministry life.
Once, a pregnant woman escaped unharmed from the attacks from her cruel husband. I promised to provide her with somewhere to stay for the next day. Sadly, the woman returned home in the evening and her husband burnt her to death. The baby died in the womb. It was at that event that Sister Lucy was inspired to start a shelter for women. Apart from Maharashtra, the organization has a presence in Jharkhand.
The Maher organization is mainly aimed at providing safe homes for the needy. Sister Lucy says most of the women in the shelters are from the street. She explained that many of them are mentally ill or elderly and have the attitude that their families don’t want them. People of different religions are sheltered there. Sister Lucy added that she was taking up the mission of women from the streets, not concerned by their religion.
The organization provides health care and self-employment training. In 2016, Sister Lucy Kurien won the Nari Shakti Award, the highest honor for women in India. Sister Lucy has won numerous awards including the Neerja Bhanot Award, Jijabhai Achievers Award, Sree Sathya Sai Award for Human Excellence – ‘Unity of Religions’, Women’s Woman of the Year and Leadership Award.
