About Us
The story, mission and people behind the Samaritans of Mandya.
Our Mission
To mobilize and train a dedicated network of parish volunteers, doctors, and professionals capable of delivering swift medical, emotional, legal, and blood donation support. Through our innovative mobile app, we instantly bridge the gap between people in distress and nearby volunteers ready to respond. We practice evangelism in action, ensuring that every cry for help is met with immediate dignity, discretion, and a hand to hold.
Our Vision
To ensure that no one in our diocese suffers in silence during times of unexpected crisis. We envision a highly connected, deeply compassionate Catholic community where modern technology perfectly unites with Christian service to turn moments of pain into milestones of hope. Ultimately, we strive to be a permanent, trusted lifeline that brings the comforting presence of Christ to anyone in distress.
Our Story: The Evolution of a Lifeline
🦠 The Spark: COVID-19 Pandemic
When the pandemic struck, the Diocese of Mandya refused to let its people suffer in isolation. A centralized Diocesan COVID Committee was quickly established to coordinate dedicated parish-level emergency response teams. Working tirelessly across parish borders, these groups became a beacon of hope — delivering critical medicine and food supplies, providing vital hospital assistance, coordinating the shared distribution of life-saving oxygen cylinders, and offering dignified, prayerful burial support for grieving families.
💡 The Turning Point: A Visionary Council
As the pandemic waned, the natural protocol was to dismantle these temporary crisis teams. However, during a pivotal Pastoral Council meeting, a profound question was raised: Why should compassion have an expiry date? Emergencies don't end with a pandemic. The council decided to transform this temporary spirit of service into a permanent, structured ministry designed to serve the whole person in times of sudden disaster. The Samaritans of Mandya was born.
⏳ The Samaritan Timeline
2022
Setting the Foundation
The diocese officially commits to building a permanent, diocese-wide emergency support system. To ensure this lifeline is highly accessible, swift, and cost-effective, a digital approach is chosen. The Diocese's IT Mission is handed the monumental responsibility to propose, design, and engineer a customized technological solution.
2023
Testing & Refinement
The very first version of the Samaritans of Mandya (SoM) mobile app is developed and released. The IT and ministry teams travel through various Forane churches, demonstrating the app's potential. Vital feedback from local priests and community leaders is gathered, meticulously analyzed, and directly incorporated into the app to maximize its on-ground effectiveness.
2024
The Official Launch
In July 2024, the Samaritans of Mandya App is officially launched for the diocese at St. Mary's Church, Ramamurthy Nagar. A dedicated team of technical experts and passionate volunteers begins an intensive parish-by-parish rollout, conducting training sessions around Sunday Masses to set up local response teams and help families activate the app on their phones.
2026
A Movement in Full Motion
What began as a humble dream has erupted into a powerful, multi-state movement of faith in action. Active in 46 parishes, the platform now protects nearly 10,000 active members and is backed by a formidable, highly trained force of 2,000+ selfless volunteers standing ready to respond to any emergency in seconds.
2026
Samaritan Vibes Newsletter
The ministry launches Samaritan Vibes, its quarterly newsletter.
2026
A Dedicated Web Portal
A dedicated web portal is launched, with information on nearby SoM Units, nearby hospitals and nearby volunteers, along with testimonials from people who have benefited from this ministry.
Leadership
The ministry is guided by the Diocese of Mandya, coordinated across parishes by dedicated clergy and lay volunteers. Full leadership profiles will be published here soon.