Kalayani- Sr. Maria Sarkar of Auxilium Convent Kalayani celebrates 50 years of her first profession, 10 October 2013.
"Deep love for the Holy Eucharist, full trust in Sacred Heart of Jesus, filial love and trust in the Blessed Mother Mary Help of Christians, love and trust in superiors who brought me up to this stage," says Sr Maria sharing some of her cherished secrets of religious fidelity.
Born at Gogra, a small village in undivided Bengal, Maria was eldest of 11 children (3 boys and 8 girls). At the partition of Bengal, Sarkar family migrated to West Bengal and Maria's father Abraham Sarkar was determined his daughter gets the best education. In 1951 Maria entered the Sisters of Charity run Holy Family School and Boarding at Krishnagar.
"As I was good in study and other activities, Sisters had an eye on me and were preparing me to join their congregation… but I was not at ease to join them," says Sr Maria recalling her boarding days.
"On one of my holidays I went to my uncle's house at Ranabondo where I went to the church (now shrine) of Mary Help of Christians. While kneeling and praying there I was inspired to join the Sisters at Bandel whom I never met nor knew. In fact, I did not know the Salesian Sisters, nor the Salesian fathers then… and no one ever told me about them," recalls Sr. Maria, the first Bengali Salesian Sister speaking about her vocation story.
When she went back to Krishnagar boarding she spoke to Salesian Fr. Louis Gobetti during confession (those days girls were not allowed to speak to the Fathers) about her desire to become a religious Sister.
From then on Fr. Gobetti followed her up and arranged for her to join the Salesian Sisters. Salesian Bishop Louis L.R. Morrow of Krishnagar gave her a solemn blessing of Mary Help of Christians and in March 1957 she came to Bandel at the age of 16, and studying in class VII.
In January 1959 she was sent to St. Mary's Guwahati and she joined class VIII. In January 1961 Maria became a postulant and entered the novitiate in August same year, and made her first profession two years later, on 5th August 1963.
Soon after first profession three of the young Sisters started to prepare themselves privately to give school final examination in 1964 soon after which Maria joined for the Nurse Training Course with other companions. In 1967, after the training, they were given the Staff Nurse Post at Ganesh Das Hospital, which was then managed by Salesian Sisters. Two years later Sr. Maria did Public Health Diploma Course in Kolkata and worked five years as P.H. Nursing Tutor at Ganesh Das Civil Hospital.
In 1976 Sr. Maria did a Diploma Course in Nursing Administration in New Delhi and worked as Ward Sister at Ganesh Das Hospital Shillong till 31st August 1979 when we the Salesian Sisters gave up the hospital service.
After a short stint as P. H. N. Tutor and Sister In-charge of the nurses at the newly started Nursing School at Nazareth Hospital Shillong, Sr. Maria came to Park Circus Kolkata on 1st January 1980 on special duty at the neighbouring Auxilium Parish Gobra to work at the Dispensary and Day Oratory.
In 1983 Sr. Maria started a community at Auxilium Parish and was its first Superior till 1988 January when she was sent to Auxilium Bandel as Vicar, Boarding Mistress, and worked in the Parish dispensary.
From Bandel, Sr. Maria was sent to Bangalore for on-going formation course and returned as Superior of Auxilium Kalyani on 24th June 1990 and was transferred to Auxilium Parish Kolkata as Superior in 1996.
In 2002 she had special assignment to animate the Adoration Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary at Krishnagar till 2005. On returning to Auxilium Dum Dum in June 2005, Sr. Mary was transferred to Auxilium Kalyani where she still looks after the dispensary.
By Sr. Margaret Barla, FMA