The Church and the missionary institutions have been at the receiving end for the last few decades, and we might experience a sense of self-pity that we have been made to go through these ordeals for no fault of ours. We might even compare ourselves to the Saviour who accepted the Cross without uttering a word, and went through untold pain and agony on the cross. We may feel we have to go through these ordeals because that is what the Lord had foretold.

Pause! Let us ask ourselves honestly, if we are pulled up for our ignorance about certain norms laid down by the government, is it our fault, or the fault of those who probe our institutions with a magnifying glass? Can we honestly say that we had made honest efforts to keep our houses in order?

It goes without saying that most of the government orphanages, hostels, health-care centres, do not comply with the norms set down by the government. You do not require proofs for this; just walk into a government-run orphanage and check with the mandatory requirements. You would be shocked to observe that most of the requirements are not in place, and yet when the very same officials visit the missionary-run orphanage, they would demand the things that the government institutions lack. When these mandatory requirements are not found, then they would impose penalty and termination of approval for such institutions. This is the reality we face all the time.

Ignorance is not bliss

Ignorance alone cannot suffice before the court of law to justify a commission or an omission. One of the primary problems haunting the Church institutions, especially the hostels, orphanages, charity institutions and social service centres, is that we take most of the things for granted. We might tell ourselves that we are not doing anything bad, and our only purpose is to serve the people of God, irrespective of colour or caste or creed.

It is time that we break the cocoon and come out to see the changed situation around. The government institutions may impose on the Church-run institutions certain restrictions, which would be mandatory in nature, and we cannot find excuses for not complying with them. Just because no other institution is following certain practices does not give us the liberty or freedom to conduct our affairs as we have been doing in the past.

Before we start a hostel or an orphanage, do we find out from government officials what the mandatory procedures are? No one can question our primary motive in starting hostels and orphanages for the under privileged, but keeping the papers (call ‘records’) in order is a crying need today. If the Church-run institutions have been pulled up in the recent times, it is largely because our records were not in order.

Public Relations Vs Publicity 

The Church institutions in general are alien to the art of public relations; how many of the government officials in the area know who we are and what work we are engaged in, and how we manage our funds, etc.? Most of the institutions do not have a public relation cum communication officer, who is conversant with the use of modern means of communication and the social networks.

One of the reasons for the lack of visibility of our noble works, we claim, is we are doing these works of charity and service to the marginalized and outcastes of our society, not for publicity, but as translation of the good-news of the Lord. Thus, very few institutions would have a website, where their activities are displayed, even the funding status is given, without hiding anything. But is this done in view of publicity. Of course not. 

One of the most important sources of information for the government offices is the websites of institutions, and when they are not available, then they have to go in person to collect them. Today, as citizens of the global village, we cannot remain locked up within the four-walls of our convents and institutions; the world around us wants to know us, who we are, why we do the things we do, how do we manage the finances, and what sort of help we require from the neighbourhood community, etc. Our reluctance to publicity is often construed as refusal to be transparent, and if we can break this notion, then there would be less suspicion from the part of outsiders about our works.

Tapping Govt. Resources

The government has several projects and programs oriented towards the welfare of the social out-castes and the marginalised, which for the major part go untapped. For instance, there are provisions in many states for scholarship and educational help for the tribals and economically backward classes. If we are engaged in running schools and hostels for tribals, it would be good to appeal to government officers to help tribal children avail such funds. 

Liaison with government officials is an important part of our public relation; inviting important government officers to our institutions on important days, such as the Republic Day or the Independence Day or the Children’s Day, and soliciting their help to improve the infrastructure or facilities is sure to bear much fruit. Granted that many of the government officers have their political leanings, and yet when they see genuine need, they are sure to come forward to help us in our need.

Not many of us are aware of the special funds available for the minority communities. It is true that we are often averse to availing government funds, due to red-tapism, and the amount of formalities required to get them. But when there are intermediaries who are ready to help us, it would be unwise not availing them. With foreign funds almost dry, we need to generate enough local resources to manage our charitable institutions.

Jump into the band-wagon

Church has always felt that politics is evil, and to enter into politics would imply entering into a dirty ground to soil one’s hands and hearts. We can hardly come across priests, brothers and nuns, who encourage young boys and girls to consider politics as a viable option. Teaching is one of the most recommended options from the part of missionaries.

Even if we consider Indian politics is dirty, can’t conscientious Christian men and women enter into the arena and clean it with their stance for justice, honesty and transparency? We need more and more of our young men and women enter into politics, to become part of those who tell us what we should do and how. Our schools and colleges may be the best places for us to start producing future MPs and MLAs for our nation. This is not only our responsibility, but also a great service we would do to the country.

In the similar vein, we also need to produce from our community future civil servants, IAS, IPS, IFS, etc., who would speak up their hearts and help change the chaotic situation the country is in. If all missionary colleges can have a special coaching for those aspiring for these competitive examinations, then we are sure to have men and women, who would stand by us, for they would know who we are and why we do the things we are engaged in.