CNACD
The Christian Network
Against Caste Discrimination
ALL ARE EQUAL IN THE EYES OF GOD
Meet The Team
CHAIR OF CNACD
FR. GERARD MITCHELL S.J.
Fr. Gerard is Chair of the CNACD.
He is also Parish Priest of St Aloysius Catholic Church in Glasgow. Before this, he served the Southall community in London as parish priest of St Anselm’s Catholic Church from 2009 until 2021.
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He was one of the founders of Faith in Action, Merton Homelessness Project and continued his work with street homelessness in Southall.
He was joint chair of Faith Forum for London and a member of the board of Responsibility for Heathrow Airport
Multi-Faith Chaplaincy.
CNACD MEMBER
EUGENE CULAS
Eugene is currently Director of Voice of Dalit International. (VODI)
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He originally worked with the Marianad Community Development Project, for the fishing community under Trivandrum Social Service Society, the first Diocesan Social Service Society in India and the first Fishermen Cooperative in South Asia which became the model for the State Government to enact “Kerala Fishermen Welfare Societies Act 1981”.
He is the founding Coordinator of Programme for Community Organisation (PCO), which provided intelligent mass-based institutional backing to the Kerala fishermen movement which paved the way for the enactment of “Kerala Marine Regulation Act 1981”.
He is the Founder of the South Indian Fishermen Federation (SIFFS), Coastal Education and Cultural Trust (CECT), Trivandrum and Fathimapuram Housing Project and was the Executive Director of Trivandrum District Fishermen Federation (TDFF). He also initiated the Sea Street-Kudappaduva Fishermen Federation, Nigambo, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
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Eugene was also one of the 8 Founding Members of Voluntary Action Network India (VANI), Life Member of National Centre for Advocacy Studies (NCAS), and founder and associate of a number of local people’s Organisations and NGOs in India. In 1998-99 he studied Dr Ambedkar and his thoughts, while staying with a Dalit family in Trivandrum and realised the extent of caste-based poverty in the global development scenario.
In July 1999 he moved to the UK where he co-founded VODI as an international platform to work for Dalits, the “historically broken people”, who constitute one third of the global poor.
CNACD MEMBER
SISTER MANJU DEVARAPALLI
Sr Manju is the first national secretary of the National Dalit Christian Watch (NDCW).
She was born into a faith-filled Dalit Catholic family
She is a lawyer and a social worker by profession.
Sister Devarapalli was awarded the ‘Best Social Worker Award’ from District Magistrate, West Godavari in 2011 and ‘Archbishop Oscar Romero Brilliant Star Award’ in recognition of her exceptional work among the Dalits by Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, Office for Dalits and Backward Classes. The All India Christian Federation also conferred the ‘Bharat Ratna Mother Theresa Award’ on her in 2021.
Her continuous commitment to and witness of Gospel valued ensured that in 2022 she was also awarded the Best Humanitarian International Award by HCHRP ( Human Care Human Right Protection Cell).
CNACD MEMBER
IRENE CULAS
Irene is the Founder Chair of VODI
Her visits to Indian poor Dalit villages and her association with social activists, inspired her to found Voice of Dalit International in 1999, in The U.K.
She trained as a Civic Champion in 2001, under The Millennium Commission and she continues to be the moving spirit of VODI.
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CNACD MEMBER
FR SAGILI PRAVEEN KUMAR
M.A. Eng. Lit., M.A., B.Ed., BPh., BTh.​
Fr. Praveen Kumar Sagili's dedication to uplifting poor Dalit Catholic youth and rural youth (SC/ST) who face barriers to education due to poverty is truly commendable. Over his six years as the Regional Youth Secretary of the Indian Catholic Youth Movement (ICYM) in the Telugu Region, he has made significant strides in promoting social justice and empowerment within the Catholic youth community.
One of Fr. Praveen Kumar Sagili's notable achievements is his efforts to provide opportunities for Dalit youth to take on leadership roles within various national and regional youth movements, including ICYM-TCYM, YCS/YSM, MIJARC, YCW, Jesus Youth, Y4C, and others. By promoting their involvement in these organizations, he is not only amplifying their voices but also ensuring their representation in decision-making processes and activities that affect them.
Fr. Praveen Kumar Sagili's work not only addresses the immediate needs of marginalized youth but also aims to create long-term systemic change by empowering them with leadership skills and opportunities for personal and professional growth. Through his advocacy and support, he is helping to break the cycle of poverty and discrimination that many Dalit Catholic and rural youth face, enabling them to pursue brighter futures and become agents of positive change in their communities.
His commitment to social justice and inclusion serves as an inspiring example for others within the Catholic youth movement and beyond.
CNACD MEMBER
RICHARD ZIPFEL
Richard grew up in the USA. He was Jesuit educated and in early adulthood was a Secondary School Teacher for three years and then, for five years was involved in the Catholic Worker Movement, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Movement against the war in Vietnam.
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In 1972, he came to the UK and for six years worked for the Student Christian Movement (SCM).
For thirty years, he served as policy adviser on ‘race and community relations’ for the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW).
Since retirement, he has served as a Trustee of the Catholic Association for Racial Justice (CARJ)
CNACD MEMBER
TERESA HORRIGAN P.B.V.M.
Sr. Teresa Horrigan, a sister of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. (PBVM), is originally from Ireland and now lives in England.
She lived in Pakistan from
1959 - 2006 and worked in education and served in many pastoral situations.
All these experiences helped her develop a keen sense for Justice and peace and the need to care for the oppressed.
When she joined the Presentation English Province in 2006, she became a member of the Christian network against Caste discrimination.She is very happy to be part of it and work, pray and network for Dalits, Tribals and other oppressed peoples in the world.
CNACD MEMBER
V.J. GEORGE
V.J. George is a Dalit activist from India. His involvement with Dalit development work began in his student days. Mr. George was the District Committee member of Kerala Harijan Students Federation (KHSF).
He then worked with the Kerala Harijan Federation (KHF) as an activist. Mr. George took up applied research of issues relating to tribals and Dalits and he, again became active, working for marginalised communities.
In 1994, he began working with traditional fishermen as the Project Officer of Trivandrum District Fishermen Federation, (TDFF). This involvement with traditional fishermen community continues. He is currently the Chief Executive of the Coastal Educational and Cultural Trust (CECT), an organisation working for traditional fishermen in South India.
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When Voice of Dalit International started in 1999, Mr. George was one of the founding trustees. Later, he returned to India at the invitation of the Minister for Welfare of Dalits in Kerala, to be his secretary. After his tenure in government, Mr. George took up the Dalit Christian issue-the struggle of Dalit Christians for constitutional rights as Dalits, otherwise called ‘Scheduled Castes’ in India. Together with other Dalit Christian activists, he formed the National Council of Dalit Christians (NCDC) and as the President and National Convener of the NCDC, helps to bring national visibility for the Dalit Christian reservation issue and the plight of Dalit Christians in the mainline churches as well as civil society.
CNACD MEMBER
YOGI SUTTON
Yogi is a retired teacher and former member of the Labour Party in South Africa working against the then apartheid regime, volunteering as secretary to Stephen Biko.
She is the current Chair and founder member of CARJ (The Catholic Association for Racial Justice) in England and Wales, having been
re-elected in 2013, after serving for two previous periods as Chair.
She is a founder member of The Women@thewell project in Kings Cross, London, and volunteers at the Justice and Peace Commission in the Southwark Diocese.
She is a member of the Campaigns Committee for CAFOD and a catechist in both Corpus Christi, Brixton, and Holy Rosary, Stockwell. and is a member of the parish Finance and Buildings Committees.
Yogi serves as Deputy President South, Deputy National President and National President of the National Board of Catholic Women, an advisory body to the Bishops’ Conference for England and Wales.
She is also a qualified Canon Lawyer and a voluntary advocate in the Southwark Metropolitan Tribunal. She was chosen as ‘Catholic Woman of the Year’ and was the first black woman to receive the Campion Medal during the Jesuit 500th anniversary celebrations in Britain. A South African of Indian descent, married to an Irishman, Yogi has two adult children and two lovely grandchildren.