ROME – While the lives of minorities in Pakistan, especially Christians, are perceived from afar as a time of ongoing persecution and discrimination, there are exceptions. One of them is the late Sister Ruth Lewis, who spent her life serving the disabled in Karachi. .
Widely known and highly respected for her work with disabled children, Lewis was revered not only by those in her care, but she was admired throughout Karachi and the wider Sindh region where she spent her life in caring for the poor and marginalized.
Lewis, who died of COVID-19 last week, praised through friends and co-painters for his “remarkable” paintings and tireless service to those in his care.
Speaking to Crux, Father James Channan, director of the Lahore Peace Centre, said Lewis is a “well-known, identified and loved personality” in Karachi, the capital of Pakistan’s Sindh province.
Her reputation, he said, “was due to her tremendous services to the handicapped and mentally (disabled) children and adults.”
“She did all this to manifest her supreme love for Jesus Christ, His example and Savior par excellence. Sister Ruth enjoyed and cared for young people with disabilities as her own children,” he said, adding: “I am grateful and render the richest tribute to her in Karachi. She is a style of service to others and giving them unconditional love. May her soul rest in peace!
Born May 2, 1946, Lewis belonged to the Congregation of Franciscan Missionaries of Christ the King. Together with fellow Sisters Gertrude Lemmens and Margaret D’Costa, she founded the Dar-Ul-Sukun (House of Peace) home for mentally and physically disabled individuals in 1969.
The place, which has accommodated anywhere from 150-300 people at a time, quickly gained a reputation throughout the region for its work, and it soon began to receive funding from the local government of Sindh.
After more than 50 years of service, Lewis contracted the COVID-19 coronavirus while working with the 21 children from the Dar-Ul-Sukun home who were also infected with the virus.
She was admitted to the Aga Khan Hospital and put on a ventilator July 8, and she died July 20 at the age of 77. Her funeral two days later was presided over by the Archbishop of Karachi, Cardinal Joseph Coutts, and was livestreamed on various television stations and social media platforms.
In a message posted on his Facebook page after Lewis’ death, Dar-Ul-Sukun Home said he was heartbroken by the loss and called Lewis “a true inspiration to all the staff who love him and will strive to be involved in each and every one of them. “day. your steps.
“She is the icon of love, care and true compassion,” they said.
Less than a week after her death, Lewis was given the Sitara-e-Imtiaz, the third highest honor and civil award in Pakistan, by the Sindh government, which paid for Lewis’s hospitalization costs. Representatives of the local government are still working in a specialized quarantine ward set up in Dar Ul Sakun for the children and staff who are sick.
Speaking to Crux, Cecil Shane Chaudhry, executive director of the National Commission for Justice and Peace, a Catholic human rights organization, said Lewis, his life, “tirelessly served” young people with special desires and physical disabilities who came to Dar Ul Sakun. .
“Her contribution is remarkable and, especially in the city of Karachi, she is well known for her excellent work,” he said, and speaking of the Sitara-e-Imtiaz award given to Lewis, he said: “It’s smart to see the government honouring his contribution by giving him this civilian award. It will also give the Catholic and Christian network a sense of pride and encouragement.
Bishop Samson Shukardin of Hyderabad-Sindh, who had known Lewis for about 35 years, told Crux that his old friend was “very generous and committed to the social and religious centers of his life. “
Lewis was called “mama” by all the children who stayed at her home for the disabled, he said, recalling how she would often encourage them to take leading roles in games and to get involved in activities such as art, volunteering and service to other children.
Highlighting several of Lewis’ accomplishments, Shukardin noted that four young men from Dar Ul Sakun won medals at the 1998 Paralympic Games in the United States.
In addition to her local work in Karachi, Lewis also pioneered several national projects, he said, including the establishment of a home for socially displaced boys in Quetta in 2007; a home for socially displaced girls in Muslimabad in Karachi in 2010; a center for the elderly in Karachi in 2015; and the addition of a new extension of the Dar Ul Sakun home and a modern rehabilitation complex in Rashidabad earlier this year.
In January 2014, Lewis received the Pride of Karachi award, and in 2018, she was given the Hakeem Muhammad Saeed Award, named after a celebrated medical researcher and philanthropist who was governor of the Sindh province from 1993-1994 before he was assassinated in 1998.
According to Shukardin, Lewis was also among the people featured in a book of personalities who shaped Karachi written by Pakistani actor Imran Aslam.
Shukardin said he was “deeply saddened” by Lewis’ death.
“His lifelong service and love for the disabled will be remembered,” he said.
“She had a vision to create an inclusive society for other people with disabilities so they could contribute to the general public,” he continued.
“She was the pride of Christians and, indeed, of all nations. The Sindh government’s resolve to award him the Sitara-e-Imtiaz, Pakistan’s highest civilian award, is admirable,” he said. “She, in fact, served humanity without any discrimination. “”.
Follow Elise Ann Allen on Twitter: @eliseannallen
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