News and Events
Indian Jesuit At SJU To Discuss His Experiences
Father Tony Uvary, S.J., an Indian Jesuit who has seen firsthand the violence against Christians in Orissa, India, will speak on his experiences at Saint Joseph's University on Sunday, October 26. Mass will be celebrated in the Chapel of St. Joseph at 11:00am. Immediately following Mass, Fr. Uvary will show a short documentary and a PowerPoint presentation, as well as share his own experiences. Refreshments will be provided and the event is being jointly sponsored by the Jesuit Communities of St. Joseph's Prep and Saint Joseph's University.
A Jesuit since 1985, Fr. Uvary is dean of administration at the Xavier Institute of Management in Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India. The distinguished Jesuit-run school was threatened when mobs passed through the town.
Orissa, a part of the Jesuit Province of Jamshedpur, where Maryland Jesuits have ministered for more than 60 years, has been the scene of anti-Christian violence since late August. After a fundamentalist Hindu leader was murdered, Hindu extremists targeted Christians - even though a Maoist group claimed responsibility for the murder. Since then, the All India Christian Council reports that violence has spread across the district. Some 40,000 are hiding in the forests. Another 12,000 have taken refuge in government-run relief camps, confirmed dead number 45 with 18,000 injured. Some 4,000 homes and 115 churches have been destroyed, and 11 schools and colleges have been attacked.