Jeevadhan Home of Love was established on 25 September 2019 by the Sisters Adorers of the Blood of Christ and is located at Arampilly, Thrissur, Kerala, India. Jeevadhan continues to work with a clear focus on its guiding vision, mission, and motto, offering care, protection, and support to those in need. Jeevadhan stands firm on its Vision, Mission, and Motto. Its vision is to build a just society based on justice, love, and human dignity. Its mission is to empower the marginalized and include the excluded, and its motto inspires everyone to “Give the best to the least, protect and promote life. ”Jeevadhan Home of Love was established on 25 September 2019 by the Sisters Adorers of the Blood of Christ and is located at Arampilly, Thrissur, Kerala, India. Jeevadhan continues to work with a clear focus on its guiding vision, mission, and motto, offering care, protection, and support to those in need. Jeevadhan stands firm on its Vision, Mission, and Motto. Its vision is to build a just society based on justice, love, and human dignity. Its mission is to empower the marginalized and include the excluded, and its motto inspires everyone to “Give the best to the least, protect and promote life.”Sr. Rani Padayattil is the Director of Jeevadhan Destitute Home for Women, working in collaboration with Sr. Valsa Mammootil and Sr.Jyothi Nallamothu. The team also includes one Social work counsellor Ms. Meghana Joseph and three supporting staff members. Together, the team works with dedication and compassion to ensure the well-being and dignity of every individual under their care.Jeevadhan destitute home for women in Arampilly is more than a shelter home it is a place of healing and hope for women who have been abandoned or homeless or facing mental health issues.The home focuses on a holistic approach to care ensuring every resident feels valued and supported through a variety of daily activities designed to develop both the body and mind. The journey towards wellness at Jeevadhan begins with consistent medical attention and emotional support. Monthly health checkups are a priority. Every month the doctors from Amala medical college hospital visit the residents of Jeevadhan and monitor the health conditions of the women. Along with medical support, counseling also provides for the residents to build emotional strength to overcome past trauma faced in their life and to support the emotional and mental well-being of the residents. Jeevadhan encourages mental stimulation and creativity, as a part of that, residents take part in activities such as colouring, learning basic alphabets, and craft work. Physical health and personal discipline were promoted through recreational activities including gardening, regular evening walks, and simple exercises. Also spiritual nourishment continues to be an integral part of daily life of the residents as some of them participate in the daily rosary, adoration, and the collective participation in the Holy Mass, which offer comfort, strength, and a sense of peace. Cleanliness, order, and overall care are experienced within the Home.To encourage a supportive and family-like environment, monthly meetings are held regularly. These meetings give residents a safe space to share their concerns, needs, and suggestions. Their views and feelings are always listened to and respected. Along with that, social activities for the residence are planned to encourage social connection and emotional well-being. Major festivals such as Onam and Christmas are celebrated with joy and active participation. National days like Independence Day and Republic Day are observed in a respectful manner. Important personal and spiritual occasions, including Mother Teresa’s Day, the Congregation Feast, and the birthdays of residents and Sisters, are also celebrated and bring happiness to the residents. This joy is further enhanced by generous visitors who choose to celebrate their personal milestones such as weddings, birthdays, death anniversaries, and jubilees at the Home. These celebrations help residents experience moments of happiness and provide emotional relief from long-term pain and depression. To keep every resident healthy and active Jeevadhan encourages the women to participate in daily exercises which help them to maintain physical mobility. Also social connection and creative expression are the heart of the home vibrant atmosphere. Group discussions are held regularly which encourage the women to share their thoughts with one another and to build a meaningful friendship with one another. In addition, slicing vegetable is another meaningful part of daily life at Jeevadhan. This activity serves as a form of functional therapy for the women, allowing them to contribute to the household which make them feel productive and it provides a place for casual conversation and increase bonding with other residents.At Jeevadhan every activity is a step towards a happy and meaningful life of the residents. Today, Jeevadhan is more than just a shelter it is a true home filled with love, care, and compassion. Every activity here is a step towards healing, restoring dignity, and helping each resident live a happy and meaningful life. Jeevadhan Home of Love continues to shine as a beacon of hope, where broken lives are gently healed with love.

Sr Rani Padayattil, ASC
Direttrice del Centro

Wherever we are, wherever we live, we dwell under the same sky. During the day, when we look up at it, we see it as blue, or gray from rain or pollution. At night, however, the situation changes, depending on where we are. If we live in a city or a town, we’ll probably be able to spot a few stars here and there. If, on the other hand, we live in the countryside or in an area with few artificial lights, we should be able to see many more stars. Yet it is the same sky where days and nights, mornings and evenings, alternate. Some time ago, I was given a candy, one of those with a little note inside that usually has romantic phrases written on it. To my great surprise, the message I received read, ‘I know nothing for certain, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.’ This phrase was written by Vincent Van Gogh to his brother Theo, to whom he was very close, reflecting on the fact that, although he did not know the future or the deeper meaning of life, the beauty of the night sky offered him comfort and inspiration. In some way, the sky is a constant. It gives us security. We know we will always find it in its place, towering majestically and infinitely above us. From childhood, we are taught that it is God’s dwelling place, that Jesus ascended into heaven, that Mary was assumed into heaven, and that our loved ones join it once they leave this earth. Psalm 19 proclaims that the heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Unfortunately, these days the sky in many countries has become threatening, because it is streaked with missiles that tear through its beauty and terrify those who no longer feel safe beneath its firmament. From an inspirer of dreams, it has been transformed into a nightmare. From a proclaimer of God’s glory, it has been turned into a mere space from which destruction and death rain down. From a herald of God’s work, it has been reduced to a vehicle of violence and oppression. If human beings are denied even the simple freedom to look up without fear, what remains for them? If the sky becomes a threat, where can they turn their gaze? Let us continue to turn our eyes to God and pray for peace, hoping and believing that the words of Psalm 85 will one day come true: Mercy and truth shall meet; righteousness and peace shall kiss. Truth shall spring out of the earth, and righteousness shall look down from heaven. Amen.

Sr Barbara Perali, ASC

It was in 2022 when the door to serve the AYTA indigenous community in the Philippines was opened for us Adorers of the Blood of Christ, through our Mission Clinic in Quezon City, Philippines and in partnership with St. Vincent School of Theology. Since then, we accompany the community monthly to respond to their medical concerns together with our collaborators, mission partners, youth and other organizations.
The indigenous communities are the original or native inhabitants of a specific region or country who have a historical continuity and a strong link to their ancestral lands before the arrival of colonizers or the establishment of present-day state boundaries. We have learned their culture, values, their connection to the earth as well as their joys and struggles. We have been part of the community, and our service didn’t end with medical help but was extended to scholarship of one student who is now graduating from the University, training of 6 indigenous women and marketing their harvests and even opening our convent as an open and safe space where they can rest whenever they come down to sell their produce.
Through this endeavor, our ASC congregation was invited to be part of the ROOTS-Asia (The Catholic Network of Indigenous People in Asia) and with the help of the General Administration through the office of ASC-JPIC headed by Sr. Dani Brought, Sister Flor Manga, ASC participated in the conference on Inculturation, Synodality and Integral Ecology held in Bangkok, Thailand Dec. 8-12 at Don Bosco Homes. The 18 participants in the conference included persons and Institutions from Asia that work directly with Indigenous communities along with some theologians. 
As I participated, I remembered how St. Maria De Mattias started from the grassroots during her time. She dedicated her early years to giving catechesis to the women and girls and even to the shepherds. She was content to be with them and serve the Lord through them. But the time came for her to go to Rome and to higher authorities. For the sake of the Institute and for the works that were already flourishing to be recognized she went overcoming her resistance. 
In our pursuit of justice, peace and the integrity of creation as called forth by our Precious Blood spirituality, we were called to the indigenous community. From listening to their cries of injustice, struggles to survive, fight for their ancestral lands which are being destroyed, we were brought to the platform. The recent conference was the platform to be their voice. It was also an affirmation that we are not working alone but there are also many who already started these works and that around the world there are a lot of indigenous communities. Working together makes us stronger and more equipped in doing our ministries. My gratitude for this possibility.

        

Sr. Flor M. Manga, ASC
ASC-JPIC contact person, PhilippinesASC-JPIC contact person, Philippines

Among the thirty-one people to whom the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, awarded the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic for their civic engagement, their “dedication to the common good ” and “their witness to republican values,” there is also a religious woman we know well: our own Sister Emma Zordan, the dynamic member of the Congregation of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ who, at 84 years old, has been traveling every Saturday for the past 12 years from Latina to the Rebibbia Prison, where she holds her creative writing workshop with the inmates of the Roman penitentiary.

On March 3 at 12:00 p.m. at the Quirinale, she was awarded an honor as significant as it was unexpected: “Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic,” with the citation: “For her dedicated efforts to improve the living conditions and reintegration prospects of prisoners.”

This recognition was awarded, therefore, specifically for her volunteer work at Rebibbia, where she organizes writing workshops and literary contests “to foster and enhance the inmates’ ability to express themselves.” We know that the time she spends every Saturday morning in “confinement” is more than just a demanding writing workshop: it is a space of freedom and welcome that uplifts and offers listening, attention, and affection to the inmates. It helps them face the harshness of incarceration and reconnect with the threads of their broken lives, regain dignity, seek forgiveness, and look to the future with hope, despite the inhumanity of prison. A commitment that does not stop within the prison walls, but which Sister Emma continues outside, in her relationship with the inmates’ relatives, following and supporting those who have been released from prison. But also by helping those on the outside to free themselves from prejudices and preconceptions, opening their eyes and hearts to the reality of prison. The tool she uses is the presentation of the books she edits each year, at the conclusion of the creative writing workshop, collecting testimonies from inmates and thus giving them a voice. These are meetings held in parishes, schools, and bookstores that help raise awareness of the reality of life behind bars and the humanity of those who live in confinement.

Because of her dual commitment—both inside and outside the prison—Sister Emma has received numerous messages of congratulations, such is the esteem in which she is held by those who have known and appreciated her as a teacher and formator, or who have met her in prison as inmates or volunteers. Particularly significant is the message from the Provincial Superior of her Congregation, Sister Milena Marangoni. “We were delighted to learn,” writes the superior, “of the distinguished title of Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic that was conferred upon you by the Head of State, President Sergio Mattarella, for your commitment to improving the living conditions of inmates and giving them the opportunity to reintegrate into society.” “It is an act,” she observes, “that rewards your tireless and passionate work on behalf of people living in extremely precarious conditions in our prisons, as evidenced by the numerous suicides that occur there. It is an event,” the nun concludes, “that honors not only you but the entire Congregation to which you belong and, above all, our Region. We thank you, Sister Emma, for showing us that there is no age limit to dedicating our lives to the least among us, and we wish you continued energy and love in this ministry, which is so urgent today.”

While the Head of State's recognition has presented the public with positive examples to follow, Sister Emma's award honors not only her but also the dedication of the many volunteers—particularly religious women sisters—who, with humility, discretion, and generosity, devote themselves to the prison population.

Precisely for this reason, that phone call from the Quirinale came unexpectedly and surprised Sister Emma. But it also confirmed President Mattarella’s great sensitivity toward the reality of prison life and his concern for the inhumane conditions in which inmates live. This recognition has strengthened the volunteers’ bond with the person who most fully represents democratic institutions and safeguards our Constitution. This high honor certainly does not change Sister Emma’s life or her commitment, but perhaps it compensates her for the many hardships, misunderstandings, and sufferings that—like the inmates—the volunteers also endure while working in the prison. Now, perhaps with even greater strength and determination, Sister Emma Zordan, Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, will walk through the security gates of Rebibbia to meet her friends, the inmates—who are surely happy and proud of this recognition, which extends beyond Sister Emma to embrace all her sisters who dedicate their lives to serving prisoners in Italian prisons. It is an extraordinary and essential service of compassion and humanity that the Quirinale has brought to the nation’s attention.

Roberto Monteforte