Prayer
Pray for: Catechist who survived Kandhamal pogrom marks 43 years of lay ministry
About the dispatch
Christian Today India·November 1, 2026
Christodas Behera, a Catholic catechist in eastern India, has marked 43 years of lay ministry that carried him through an anti-Christian pogrom. A mob attacked him in 2008, and he and his wife ended up in a government relief camp.
Read at Christian Today India →Pray with the global church
Shepherd, we lift up Christodas Behera and his faithful journey of 43 years in lay ministry despite facing persecution in Kandhamal. You have sustained him through trials and lifted him from the ashes of violence, making a testimony of Your grace and power. Guard him as he continues to serve, keeping his heart steadfast and his witness strong. Pour out Your Spirit in eastern India, opening eyes to see Jesus among those who oppose Your name, that even persecutors might find life in Him. Raise up more laborers for the harvest there, and let their love transform communities marked by past conflict. Let the light of Christ shine brightly through Behera's life, bringing hope to many. For the glory of Your name we ask these things. Amen.
Anchored in
Psalm 23:4
also: Matthew 9:37, John 12:32