The place of worship commemorates the death of Mathew Navak during the dramatic anti-Christian violence of 2008 in the state of Orissa in India.
Newsroom (May 31, 2025, 12:25, Gaudium Press) Seventeen years after anti-Christian violence ravaged Kandhamal district, in the state of Orissa (Now Odisha) the inauguration of the new Archangel Michael Church on May 26 stands as both a testament to enduring faith and a memorial to the martyrs of the 2008 pogroms. Built on the very site where Anglican pastor Mathew Nayak was burned alive by Hindu radicals, the church symbolizes what Archbishop John Barwa of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar called “the mighty hand of our God” prevailing against attempts to “eliminate Christians from this region.”
From Martyrdom to Resurrection
The new church replaces the original St. Michael’s Catholic church where Nayak – a 28-year-old government teacher and Church of North India pastor – was murdered during the 2007-2008 violence triggered by the killing of Hindu leader Swami Laxanananda Saraswati. Eyewitnesses recall how a mob doused Nayak in kerosene and set him ablaze inside the church compound, where he had sought refuge. Another Christian woman, Lalita Digal, was killed nearby, her body never recovered.
“For 17 years we waited to rebuild near the spot where our brother was martyred,” said Benansio Pradhan, an itinerant catechist from Padang parish. “This church proves God never abandoned us.” The dedication ceremony drew over 500 Catholics, 14 priests and seven nuns – many themselves survivors of the violence that claimed nearly 100 lives and displaced 56,000 Christians.
“Faith Reborn from the Fire”
Archbishop John Barwa of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar, an SVD missionary, celebrated the inaugural Mass alongside Fr. Sebastian Thottamkara CM, who spearheaded the rebuilding. “The criminals wanted to demolish our faith,” Barwa said in his homily. “But like the Archangel Michael defeating evil, we stand firm in Christ.” The church’s strategic location beside the ruins of the original structure creates what Fr. Thottamkara calls “a living diptych of persecution and resurrection.”
Local Catholics – predominantly Dalit and tribal converts – contributed manual labor to construct the new church despite ongoing tensions in Gudrikia, where just 45 Christian families remain surrounded by Hindu neighbors. “After the violence, some said our faith would disappear,” noted Fr. Thottamkara. “But today our people dance and sing hymns where once there were only ashes.”
A Continuing Cross
The celebration occurred amid persistent challenges. Kandhamal Christians still face sporadic violence, economic boycotts, and legal hurdles in rebuilding over 5,600 destroyed homes. Many await justice for the 2008 atrocities – fewer than 10% of related cases resulted in convictions.
Yet as dancers performed traditional tribal worship songs during the dedication, 72-year-old widow Janaki Digal – whose son disappeared during the violence – told AsiaNews: “This church is like the mustard seed in Jesus’ parable. From something small and crushed, God grows a tree where birds can nest.” Pointing to the charred foundation stones preserved beside the new building, she added: “The stones remember. So must we.”
The Archdiocese plans to install a memorial plaque honoring Nayak and other victims, ensuring the church serves as both sanctuary and living history lesson. As Archbishop Barwa concluded: “Every brick proclaims what Paul wrote – ‘Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.'”
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Asianews.it
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