Oscar Sevrin - Bishop of Raigarh-Ambikapur (Chhattisgarh)

Bishop of Raigarh-Ambikapur (Chhattisgarh)

In 1951 something quite unusual happened: Sevrin, at the age of 67, asked Pope Pius XII the permission to be relieved from his responsibility in Ranchi. He was giving two reasons: there was a local Oraon priest, Nicolas Kujur, who, Sevrin felt, was quite capable of taking his place as the pastor of the diocese, and, second, he wanted to go to a neighbouring state where conditions of missionary work - because of great hostility towards Christianity - were extremely difficult. His new diocese, Raigarh-Ambikapur (newly erected), was formed of several little princely states where, as long as they were autonomous (till the independence of India in 1947), the presence of Christian missionaries was strictly prohibited. Illiteracy and the exploitation of the tribal people were rife. Sevrin, the new bishop, settled down in a small parish (Ginabahar) and started his work: education, medical help, economic and social development were going hand in hand with evangelization. Success got him many enemies and he had to face a number of malefide court cases. On the other hand he acquired great prestige among the aboriginal population of the area, including non-Christians. He was highly esteemed.

In 1957, for the second time, he decided to resign to allow a local man to be religious leader of his own people. Sevrin ordained bishop his own successor at Raigarh-Ambikapur: Stanislas Tigga. This did not mean retirement however. Appointed spiritual guide and professor of religion in the high school of Kunkuri he remained active till his death at the age of 91 on 30 April 1975 in Kunkuri, Chhattisgarh, India.