India: Jesuits pay tribute to Fr Stan Swamy on National Justice Day

Silent witness on National Justice Day

The Vidyajyoti Jesuit staff in Delhi, under the leadership of Father Nirmal Raj SJ, the rector of the faculty paid respects to Father Stan Swamy SJ and pledged to carry forward Fr Swamy's legacy of struggle for justice and peace as concerned citizens of India on 28 July 2021. Jesuits all over the South Asian Jesuit Assistancy observed 28 July 2021as a National Day of Justice.

The program began with paid floral tributes to the portrait of Fr Swamy kept at the Jesuit chapel followed by a short reflection on Fr Swamy - A martyr for Justice by Fr Alla Stanislaus SJ, member of the Vidyajyoti faculty. Holding a banner that read: Justice Delayed is Justice Denied, the Jesuit proceeded to the gate of the Vidyajyoti Jesuit Residence and stood there holding many placards that displayed prominently the sayings of Fr. Swamy. They recited the rosary interspersed with short gospel readings and sayings of Fr. Swamy.

Peacefully praying and standing at the gate for close to an hour attracted the attention of many who drove through the road. At the end, Fr Nirmal read out the press-release of Fr Stanislaus D'Souza SJ, the President of the Jesuit Conference of India.

Fr. D'Souza in his press-release noted: "Amidst growing inequalities, violence, atrocities, discrimination and exclusion in our country, "not to be a silent spectator" is the message of Fr Swamy SJ, he said. He further added that as a committed Jesuit Fr Swamy SJ walked with the excluded in a mission of reconciliation. Fr D'Souza affirmed that Fr Swamy in his death has risen as a symbol of hope for all who strive to protect the secular a democratic fabric and diverse cultures of our nation.

LINK

Vidyajyoti College - https://vidyajyoticollege.in/