WHO WE ARE
Divine Word Missionaries
Vision
To create conducive environment for God experience to people of all faiths to serve humanityMission
We the Divine Word Missionaries at Karunalaya seek to discover God already dwelling among the people we are working with and give witness to Him. We do this in union with Jesus, who became one among us not to condemn the fallen humanity but to give them the fullness of life. We are called:- To restore human dignity and self-respect to the people affected by Hanssen’s disease
- To collaborate with other likeminded NGOs, donors and with the government to build a just and humane society
- To work for justice, education, empowerment and interfaith dialogue
- To put the last first with an all-inclusive love and service
The Founder
Fr. Marian Zelazek, SVD
Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.-William Shakespeare Fr. Marian belongs to this kind of people. Fr. Marian Zelazek, SVD was born on 30th January 1918 in Poznan in Poland. During the world war second he was a young novice forced into Nazi custody where he was imprisoned for five years though not a soldier. His life in the cruel and merciless conditions of the concentration camp at Dachau laid a solid foundation for his future life as a priest, missionary and a servant of God and of people. As a result of his experiences in the camp he learned to value and cherish all life and be compassionate to all, especially those who are suffering. Fr. Marian says that he had died a thousand times in Dachau, and his liberation from the camp was an opportunity given him to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.He was ordained a priest in the Society of the Divine Word on 18th Sept. 1948. After his ordination he was assigned to Sambalpur mission in Odisha (India) in 1950. While he was in Sambalpur, he distinguished himself as an efficient and zealous missionary, an ardent educationist and an advocate for the cause of tribal Christians and the people of the region. As a promoter of vocations he was responsible for opening a minor seminary in the Diocese of Sambalpur. He was a linguist who could speak with ease at least three Indian languages: Hindi, Oriya and Sadri.
Fr Marian Zelazek SVD started the SVD Mission at Puri (Odisha-India) on June 1, 1975. Visiting Puri city he found people with leprosy in unhygienic condition begging by the roadside for alms from tourists and motorists without any shelter to cover them. Nobody would assist them in their medical or material needs for fear of catching the disease or being made unclean thus they were ostracized by the society. They could not earn a living or find food to eat. Fr Marian, shocked by what he saw, dedicated his life to the care and rehabilitation of the leprosy patients of Puri which later on embraced leprosy patients from all over the state of Odisha and the neighboring States. He recognized that Puri, the center of Hinduism in India, should also have a Christian presence in the spirit of service and dialogue. Thus grew the dream of a Catholic ashram or a spirituality center not far from the city.
In 1975 the District Magistrate and Collector of Puri asked Fr Marian to take care of medical needs of leprosy patients. Fr Marian started a small dispensary for the purpose of treating people. And he called this place “Karunalaya” (Home of Mercy and Compassion). The dispensary was later made into a 20 bed short stay home with medical facilities where patients could be admitted and treated for the ulcers caused by Leprosy, or any other general illness.
As a result of his selfless and dedicated service of 31 years in Puri, the community of leprosy patients has today:
- A well-organized colony with a population of over 1,000 leprosy patients
- Beatrix school for children of leprosy patients
- A mini hospital for leprosy patients
- A mercy kitchen for those who cannot help themselves
- A hostel for the children of leprosy patients.
- Self-help programs, like weaving, bandage making, rope-making, sewing, gardening, chicken farm, etc.
One of the very positive aspects of his work among the leprosy patients is that he has succeeded to a large extend to integrate this community of leprosy patients into the local communities. Beatrix school is a very good example of this integration where children of non-leprosy patients attend classes together with the children of leprosy patients.
His dedication to the leprosy colony was total. He not only served them, but he loved them. For his leprosy patients no sacrifice and no hard work were too much for him. Once he told his good friend late Archbishop Raphael Cheenath, SVD “I would like to die while I am working”. The Lord granted him his request. On 30th April, 2006 Fr. Marian had gone to the colony to take part in their festival “Okhya Trutia”. He had his mid-day meal in the colony itself with some of his friends. After the noon meal Fr. Marian was going to his jeep to return to his residence, Ishapanti Ashram. He collapsed before he reached the jeep. What happened is significant. He died in the midst of his beloved people. It was his own people who picked him up and brought him to the dispensary “Karunalaya” where he breathed his last. His spirit is alive and active in Karunalaya and the surrounding places when people remember him fondly as “Baap” (father).
Fr. Marian loved his life intensely because he was losing it daily in Dachau. Once liberated from such misery he did not allow it to be bitter for himself, nor for the others. He went out of his way to spread that joy of life everywhere. So, we have a man in the person of Fr. Marian Zelazek, who tried to live his life in its fullness and spent himself fully to help others live their lives in the same way. He truly belongs to the category of people who “achieved” greatness during his life-time by making others great through ordinary ways.
