Fr Stan Swamy SJ – the late priest who died in an Indian jail in 2021 – will be honoured at a memorial Mass at a London Jesuit parish.
The vigil service at St Anselm’s Church in Southall at 6.30pm on Saturday 4th July will be dedicated to the memory of Fr Stan, whose death anniversary falls the next day.
Fr Stan spent most of his life defending the rights of vulnerable communities in India, including Adivasi (indigenous tribal) and Dalit (low caste) people.
He was arrested by Indian authorities in October 2020 under controversial anti-terror laws for his alleged involvement in violence surrounding protests in 2018 in the village of Bhima Koregaon.
Suffering from Parkinson’s disease, he was kept in appalling conditions in prison and died as a result in July 2021, aged 84.
Jesuit Missions campaigned to have Fr Stan freed and, following his death, has called on the Indian government to clear him of any wrongdoing.
It has held vigils outside the Indian High Commission in London and arranged meetings with parliamentarians in the UK to discuss how to progress his case.
The organisation also invited Alpa Shah, author of The Incarcerations, a book about Fr Stan and others jailed following the Bhima Koregaon incident, to talk about his life and work.
If you would like more information about the upcoming Mass, or St Anselm’s parish, please contact info@jesuitmissions.org.uk
