By Jose Kavi
New Delhi — As many as ten Catholic priests succumbed to Covid-19 in the past 24 hours in India, according information arriving from various parts of the country.
Six priests died on May 12 and four on the previous day.
As many as 92 priests and one seminarian have died of Covid-19 since April 10.
On May 12, the Church of South India lost one more priest who had tested Covid-19 positive after attending an annual retreat at Munnar in the southern Indian state of Kerala.
Two CSI had died earlier. More than 100 priests of the Protestant Church were infected with Covid-19 after the April 13-17 retreat. The infected included Bishop A Dharmaraj Rasalam, CSI moderator and head of the South Kerala diocese.
Here is the list of Catholic priests who died of Covid during May 11-12.
Father Ambrose D’Souza, a member of the Karnataka Jesuit province, died May 12. He was 66. He was born on March 20, 1955 and was ordained a priest on December 29, 1993. He joined the Society of Jesus in 1981. He was parish priest of Jagir at Pannur, at the time of his death.
Father John Suresh of Chengleput diocese in Tamil Nadu died May 12, after many days of fight against Covid in a hospital.
Father Jyotish, a member of the Indian Missionary Society, died on May 12, in Warangal, Telangana. He had started a rehabilitation center for HIV children and others in Warangal.
Fransalian Father Rijo Francis Mechery, vice principal of St Francis School at Vikaspuri in west Delhi, died on May 12. He was a member of the Missionaries of Saint Francis de Sales, also known as Fransalians. He was born on June 20, 1986, and was ordained a priest on December 27, 2012.
Franciscan Father Cajetan Lourenco, died on May 12. He was parish priest of Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Mundalli (Bhatkal), in the Diocese of Karwar. He was born on April 14, 1965, at Ponda in Goa. He was ordained a priest on April 14, 1996.
Father Clement Frank of Bangalore archdiocese died on May 12 at Bangalore’s St St Martha’s hospital.
Father Joseph Barah of Patna archdiocese died May 11 night.
Father Ebin Kuzhimullil, a member of the Congregation of St. Therese of Lisieux, died of a cardiac arrest on May 11 while being treated for Covid in a Hyderabad hospital. He was born on April 6, 1988, and was ordained a priest on January 2, 2018.
Father V V Prasad died at 10 pm on May 11 in Visakhapatnam.
Capuchin Father John Britto died on May 11. He was born June 7, 1967.
