Two Indian nuns refuse to evacuate, continue serving people fleeing war in Ukraine

Two nuns belonging to the Missionaries of Charity (MC) decided to stay in war-torn Ukraine to serve people amid a full-scale invasion by Russia.

Sister Rosela Nuthangi and  Sister Ann Frida, from the north-eastern state of  Mizoram in India, are ready to risk their lives to serve the people fleeing war.

Sister Prema, the Mother General of the MC sisters, established contact with the two nuns on March 2, asking them to move to a safer place by road. But the two nuns preferred to remain where they are to help the people in whichever way possible. The sisters have informed their relatives of their safety despite the challenging times.

Sister Rosela Nuthangi, daughter of (Late) David Laiawrha and (Late) Monica Lalbuangi, hails from Sihphir village in Mizoram. She is the second MC sister among the Mizo community. She made her first religious profession in 1984 and was sent to the then USSR as a missionary. She worked in St. Petersburg in Moscow for ten years.

The nun mastered Russian and moved to work in  Latvia and Estonia. In 2017, she moved to Ukraine to serve as a missionary.

Sister Ann Frida, daughter of (Late) Joseph Rothangpuia and Elizabeth Lalremi, is from Mizoram’s capital city Aizawl. She made her first religious profession in 1998. After working in India for a few years, she was sent to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, and has been serving there for the last ten years.

Appreciating the sisters for their heroic courage, Archbishop John Moolachira, the President of the North East Regional Bishops’ Council, said, “I am not surprised that two religious women Sisters of the missionaries of Charity who are working in the war-ravaged Ukraine are not leaving the country despite the great danger to their lives and the interest of the Government of India to evacuate all its citizens. I am proud of them.”

“What the two nuns have done is a small example of what the Church stands for,” Archbishop Moolachira said.

“Every consecrated person cares more for the lives and comfort of their fellow men and women than that of their own. They would consider it cowardice and unbecoming of their noble call to flee when the people under their care need their help, prayers, and support the most,” the prelate said.

Father Robert Faustin, a Salesian priest from Mizoram, said that the anxious relatives of these two Mizo nuns have been in constant touch with them for the past few days. “We hope for the safety of these two heroic nuns, and let us also pray that peace and normalcy return in Ukraine, Russia, and the rest of the world,” Father Faustin said.

With inputs from Felix Anthony