Shanti Pulickal

Shanti Pulickal is a member of the Sisters of the Cross of Chavanod of the Kolkata Province, India. A teacher by profession, she has taught science at the junior college level, and has served as the animator of some local communities. She has also ministered as a counselor in a retreat center and in one of the Sisters of the Cross of Chavanod's schools. Since 2012, she has been helping in Asha Bhavan, a hostel for disabled girls, and serving as the Berhampur Diocese's coordinator for the Prison Ministry India Commission.

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Girls who live at Asha Bhavan hostel in the Berhampur Diocese in Southern Odisha, India, join an event for Children's Day, which is celebrated annually in India on Nov. 14. (Courtesy of Shanti Pulickal)

Through patience and perseverance, some polio survivors thrive

What I admire most in Vidya is the way she has accepted her weaknesses and made them her strength. It is here that she becomes a model for others.

Girls who live at Asha Bhavan hostel in the Berhampur Diocese in Southern Odisha, India, join an event for Children's Day, which is celebrated annually in India on Nov. 14. (Courtesy of Shanti Pulickal)

Asha Bhavan is a home away from home for girls with disabilities

The Cross of Chavanod Sisters started Asha Bhavan hostel in India's Berhampur Diocese. For poor disabled girls who were considered a burden for their families, Asha Bhavan is an opportunity for medical care and education.

Bishop Sarat Chandra Nayak celebrates Christmas Mass in the Central Jail, in the Berhampur Diocese, in Odisha, India. (Provided photo)

Renewing the lives of prisoners in India

Millions of prisoners worldwide are isolated from home, loved ones and society. As a volunteer for Prison Ministry India, I work with others to help prisoners cope with isolation from home and society.