Constant Lievens facts for kids
Constant Lievens was a Belgian priest and missionary who worked in Central India. He helped tribal groups like the Mundaris and Oraons. Many people call him the "apostle" of the Chotanagpur area, which is now in the Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh states. He was born on April 11, 1856, and passed away on November 7, 1893.
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Contents
Life Story
Early Days and Studies
Constant Lievens was born in Moorslede, Belgium. He came from a large family with many brothers and sisters. He studied at the Minor Seminary, Roeselare from 1870 to 1877. After that, he began studying to become a priest.
He really wanted to become a missionary in another country. So, in 1878, he joined the Society of Jesus, a group of Catholic priests and brothers. After two years of special spiritual training, he was sent to India. He finished his studies in Asansol and became a priest in Calcutta on January 14, 1883.
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Helping People in India
In 1885, Lievens went to the Chota Nagpur Plateau in Central India to start his missionary work. After learning about the Munda people and their language, he settled in a small hut in Torpa in November 1885. Torpa became the main place for his work.
He saw that the local people were facing many problems. They were often forced to work without pay, were deeply in debt, and had their land unfairly taken away. Lievens realized that he needed to help them with these problems first. It was hard to talk about faith if people were suffering so much.
He started learning about the tribal people's traditional laws. Then, he began defending their rights in the English courts. He was very good at showing the English judges that the local customs and laws should be respected. His success in court made the Munda people trust him. They saw him as a "savior" and started to learn about Christianity. Many people asked to be baptized.
This led to a huge movement of people becoming Christians. In 1886, there were only 2,700 Christians in the area. But just two years later, there were 15,000 baptized Christians and about 40,000 people who were learning about Christianity before baptism. Lievens was very busy helping people in court and teaching them about faith. Other missionaries came to help him.
Because he grew up in a farming family, he understood how important land was to the tribal people's pride and way of life. He helped the Mundas, Oraons, and Kharias. In 1888, he became the leader of the mission and moved to Ranchi. From there, it was easier to manage all the activities, like helping with justice, social work, education, and spreading the faith. By then, there were 73,000 Christians.
Sickness and Passing
Lievens became very sick with tuberculosis. Doctors sent him to the mountains in Darjeeling in late 1891 to get better. However, he heard that some people were leaving the faith, so he quickly returned to Chota Nagpur. He worked very hard again, even though he was ill. In 1892, he baptized about 12,000 people in the Barway area.
His sickness got much worse, and he had to stop working for good. His religious leader sent him back to Belgium to recover. But it was too late. Even with medical care, his health declined, and Constant Lievens passed away in Leuven, Belgium, on November 7, 1893.
Honoring His Memory
- Recently, a process has started to see if he can be declared a saint. His ashes were moved to Ranchi, Jharkhand, India. They are now kept in the Catholic Cathedral of the Ranchi Archdiocese.
- A statue of Lievens riding a horse was put up in Torpa, which was the center of his work with the Munda people. Another statue of Lievens holding a crucifix was placed in his hometown of Moorslede, Belgium.
