Tura, March 30: The mortal remains of missionary nun Sister Rosario Lopez who left a lasting mark in Garo Hills, educating and training specially challenged children, was laid to rest at the Bethany Society institute in Tebronggre, 20 kms from Tura, on Saturday afternoon following a special service at St. Xavier’s School in Tura.
The 94 year old spanish nun passed away on March 28th from heart complications in Shillong after having spent 60 years in Meghalaya, mostly in Garo Hills, and was the pioneer in establishing the first ever school for the blind and deaf children in Tura and also opened an institute at Tebronggre village to train and equip specially challenged adult men and women to be economically strong for the future.
Bishop of Tura, Rt Rev Andrew R Marak, led the funeral service for Sr Rosario recalling her work and kindness. “She had this unique zeal to always be prepared to do everything possible from her end for the special children,” said Bishop Andrew.
Long time principal of the Jyoti Sroat school for visually impaired children in Shillong, Ms Berta Dkhar, who is herself visually impaired and is now the Assistant Director of Bethany Society came down from Shillong to offer her tributes to Sister Rosario and said “she touched lives of each and everyone she came across”.
And, truly it was so, as several of Sr Rosario’s old visually impaired students, who received education, underwent training in different livelihood skills to ekk out a living, waited long hours at Tebrongre for the funeral cortege to arrive from Tura. It was moving for many of her old students who came forward to touch her coffin and honour the nun who helped transform their lives.
Many of the former inmates of Bethany Society Training Institute at Tebronggre were trained to convert discarded leaves of the arecanut (betel nut) into eco friendly plates for sale, and others learnt the skills of bamboo weaving to make stools and other furniture.
Some of Tura’s well known personalities, from medical doctors, academicians, police officials and even former patients who benefitted from the free cataract surgeries provided by Bethany Society during Sr Rosario’s time in Garo Hills didn’t forget to say thank you as they said their last goodbyes to someone who left a lasting imprint on their lives.
The funeral service was not confined to just Tura but telecast live on Youtube by Hub News for her many wellwishers who couldn’t make it, and particularly for her family and friends in Spain who were able to participate in the service through the live telecast.
The quiet village of Tebronggre, that was chosen by Sister Rosario, to be the site for the permanent campus of Bethany Society- a place that provided skill training to the most underprivileged sections of society when they needed it the most, was to be her final resting place.
Having been a part of their lives, sharing their joys and sorrows, Sister Rosario’s last wish was to be laid to rest at Tebronggre. She was finally home.
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