November, 2012

  GOLDEN JUBILEE CONCLUDING MESSAGE OF BISHOP FELIX TOPPO, S.J.

“Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his faithful love lasts forever” (Ps 107:1). This same thanksgiving spiritual aspiration of the Psalmist is arising in our hearts like sweet smelling incense and ascending to heaven after the successful completion of the Golden Jubilee Concluding Functions.

The final mega common historic celebration of the Golden Jubilee with a Cardinal, many Archbishops, Bishops, Provincials of Religious Congregations, Priests of Jamshedpur Diocese and from other Dioceses, Religious Brothers and Sisters and thousands of the faithful from all corners of the Diocese, was impressive and joyful both spiritually and externally. Everyone deserves our gratitude. In a very special way I would like to thank the Church dignitaries: His Eminence Telesphore Cardinal P. Toppo of Ranchi, Archbishop William D’Souza of Patna, Archbishop Thomas D’Souza of Kolkata, Bishop Paul Lakra of Gumla, Bishop Kurien  Valiakandathil of Bhagalpur, Bishop Anjelus Kujur of Purnea, Bishop Victor Henry Thakur of Bettiah, Bishop Julius Marandi of Dumka and Bishop Elect Anand Jojo of Hazaribag. I am grateful to Fr. E. Abraham, the Director of XLRI and Fr. George Cheradayil, S.J., the Superior and Dean of XLRI for welcoming the Church Dignitaries with opened arms and graciously hosting them in XLRI.

Yesu Krist Mahotsav was a moment of intimacy and union with God the Father and with Jesus Christ our

(Welcome Dance)

              (Prayer Dance)

(People honored for their dedicated service in the diocese)

                                                                                                  (Praise and worship)

Savior through Faith Sharing, Honoring the Persons who made significant contribution in evangelization and faith-formation, Praise and Worship conducted by Fr. Binoy and Team, Benediction by H.E. Cardinal Telesphore P. Toppo and finally through Multi Media presentation of the diocese prepared by Mr. Dhruv Bonnerjee and his team and presented by Fr. Joseph Surin and his team. The credit of Yesu Krist Mahotsav goes to Fr. George Anthony, Sr. Sudha, SJT and their team. Eight thousand faithful coming from all corners of the Diocese, under a large white canopy and  a huge   shamiyana, experienced union of minds and hearts as belonging to “one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one God” (Eph. 4:5). People expressed their experiences of this moment in different words, like: wonderful, beautiful, prayerful, devotional, grace-filled, meaningful, well-attended, well-disciplined, unique, etc. Fr. Augustine Ezhakunnel and his team, responsible for the venue, stage, sound system, canopy and shamiyana did marvelous job. Three Cheers Fr. Augustine and your team!

The Holy Eucharistic, Celebrated by H. E. Telesphore Cardinal P. Toppo and concelebrated by eight Archbishops and Bishops and two hundred priests and participated by fourteen thousand faithful, was another solemn, unique and memorable spiritual occasion of praising and thanking God.

The choir party, led by Mr. Pradeep Pani and Mr. Vinod Topno, sang like angels melodiously, harmoniously and devotionally. Three cheers and thanks to them! Archbishop Thomas D’Souza gave an inspiring homily in which he combined masterfully the themes of love of God, The Fullness of Life (Jubilee theme), the evangelical endeavors of the early missionaries, and the history of the developing Church of Jamshedpur Diocese. Bravo Archbishop Thomas! Fr. Cyril Tigga, responsible for Liturgy, with his team, worked indefatigably, for many weeks like a busy bee. Fr. Cyril and Team: shabash and shukriaya to you!

The third event, Civic Function and Cultural Programme brought much jubilation to the people. The presence of His Excellency, Dr. Syed Ahmed, the Governor of Jharkhand made the occasion more ceremonial and acclaimed.

                                         (Bishop Felix welcomes the Governor on his arrival)

The children from the city and the rural parishes presented dances, which were rhythmic, beautiful and superb. Loud applaud to the stage performers and Three Cheers to Mrs. Jayanti Dutt and the cultural committee!

There were a few short and sweet speeches with encouraging and appreciative messages. The Governor released the Jubilee Souvenir and gave the Golden Jubilee Scholarships to seven students out of 75 of them. He spoke in Urdu-mixed-Hindi with great passion and eloquence on Jesus Christ and his message of love and peace. He also spoke of the charitable works rendered by the Christians to all the people especially to the poor and the needy. Our deep-felt gratitude to the Governor!

                                                                    (Variety entertainments)

                        (Releasing of Souvenir)

                                              (Distribution of Golden Jubilee Scholarship)        

                                                                     (His Excellency Sayed Ahmad address the people)

Our special thanks to Mrs. Dilit Castleton and Mrs. Arpudam Mary for efficiently conducting the programmes during the Yesu Krist Mahotsav and the Holy Eucharist respectively. As the Master of Ceremonies Mr. Tony Castleton also did a marvelous job during the Civic Function and Cultural Programme. Thank you Masters of Ceremonies! Mr. Daryl Pereira and his team of security and volunteers were seen all over and monitored the traffic and ushered the participants in proper places. Thank you for your efficient job! Mr. James Davis and his team worked behind the curtain in receiving the guests and participants at the railway station, transporting them to the places of their accommodation and later transporting them back to the station. This was a Herculean job done to perfection with great love and sacrifice. One could see fourteen buses plying up and down in the city. Sr. Teresita Mary and Fr. Victor Misquith were very generous in accommodating at least four to five thousand participants coming form outside the city of Jamshedpur.

Fr. Halan Bodra and his staff accommodated all the priests and Sisters at the Catholic Charities. May the Lord bless their generosity! Under the Chairmanship of Mr. Ronnie D’Costa, Peter Bonnerjee with his expertise prepared an attractive Golden Jubilee Souvenir. They were able to raise a large sum of money with the Souvenir for the Jubilee expenses. Sincere thanks to you both! Fr. C.R. Prabhu and his Team worked for almost one year to get money for “Golden Jubilee Scholarship Fund”. The target sum is still to be realized, but the sum collected is sufficient to give scholarships to 75 students per year. Congratulations to the members of the “Golden Jubilee Scholarship Fund”. We thank also all those who made generous financial contribution for the realization of the Jubilee Concluding event. May the Lord reward you hundred fold!

We salute the Food Committee Chairman, Fr. David Vincent and his members. They cooked round the clock on both days. On the first day the food was cooked for 3000 people, but 4500 people came to eat. On the second day, as informed to the Food Committee food was cooked for 10,000 people, but almost 14,500 people turned up to eat. Smart fellows rushed early to eat. Many people did not cooperate with the security personnel and the volunteers. As a result about a thousand people did not get food on time as they had to leave to catch the train.  I apologize to those who did not get the lunch. Nevertheless, this incident teaches us that we are human beings and we make mistakes and often led by our deep rooted selfish attitudes.

One of the important features of this Golden Jubilee Concluding Functions was that the laity played a major role in successfully organizing and executing the entire event under the leadership of Fr. C.R. Prabhu, the Vicar General of the Diocese.  Fr. Prabhu, of course, was the prime mover and had innumerable meetings with core-committee members in order to organize, guide and to support them. Nevertheless, the laity’s contribution will be written in golden letters for the future generation to imitate them.

We, the people of Jamshedpur Diocese, have celebrated the Golden Jubilee of the Diocese.  We have expressed our deep felt gratitude to God for his blessings and graces and have endeavored to march towards “The Fullness of Life”. Let us now march towards the Diamond Jubilee with the same spirit of gratitude and zeal to sanctify ourselves and to evangelize others.

Let us sing with Mary, the Mother of Lord Jesus Christ, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour” (Lk 1:46-47).

ST. JOHN MARY VIANNEY, DHOWATAND

The Mega Ploy Clinic jointly conducted with the help of Indian Medical Association (IMA), Dhanbad Branch, at our School, on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanthi Day (2^nd October, 2012), from 10:00 am to 12 noon, went off well. We thank Dr. S.K. Karan, Dr. (Mrs.) Sangeeta Karan, Dr. U.L. Vishwakarma, Dr. Anand Ranjan, Dr. (Major) Chandan Kumar, Dr. Mrs. Nupur Chandan, Dr. Nilesh Kumar, Dr. A.K. Singh, Dr. Anand Modi, Dr. B.K. Dubey, Dr. B.K. Sinha and Dr. A.K. Singh, IMA, Jharkhand, who so willingly and generously availed of their time and energy at the Clinic. About 250 people benefited by it. Dr. B.K. Dubey, a part-time Eye Specialist of Nirmala was deputed by Fr. Bipin Pani. We thank Fr. Bipin Pani for his help and support. (Fr. Vijay Bhat)

SISTERS OF ST. JOSEPH OF THE APPARITION, MOSABONI

This was the voice of people for Srs. Roselima Lakra and Satyawati Ekka of Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition, Mosaboni on 7^th October, 2012 as they pronounced their final commitment in the society during the solemn Eucharist Celebration presided over by Rt. Rev. Bishop Felix Toppo, S.J. The liturgy was coloured with beautiful dances and devotional singing. The day was witnessed by a large number of people. At the end of Mass all their well wishers gave them hugs wishing them God’s blessings. 

ST. JOSEPH’S CHUCH, ANANDPUR

                                                                             

 

St. Joseph’s Church Charbandia had a very unique way of celebration to mark the Golden Jubilee of the Diocese as well as the inaugural of the Year of Faith on 14^th October, 2012.   Rt. Rev. Felix Toppo, hoisted the flag and released the pigeons to begin the celebration of the parish.

The Solemn Eucharist celebration was colored by beautiful singing and dances. A large crowd participated in the Eucharistic celebration to thank the Lord for the 50 years of long journey of faith. To mark the day variety cultural programme was staged by different units of the parish. At the end of the programme all the parish family shared and enjoyed the delicious meal together. Congratulations to Parish Priest Frs. Raphael Monterio, Elvius Dungdung, Pascal Minj, St. Ann’s Sisters and the laity. 

ST. JOSEPH’S CATHEDRAL, GOLMURI

On 14^th October, the parishioners celebrated “Naya Khani”, the feast of first crop together with the inauguration of “The Year of Faith” at 7.30 am with solemn Eucharistic Celebration led by 6 priests in the presence of a huge congregation. After the Mass, all had tea and snacks and proceeded for the cultural programme at St. Joseph’s Welfare Centre hall. The stage performers scintillated traditional dances of Jharkhand. Fr. Camille Hembrom thanked all for the lively presentation and participation.

On Sunday the 14^th October, from 7.00am to 1.30pm St. Joseph’s Welfare Centre under the guidance of Fr. Henry Sequeira conducted a free heart, kidney and diabetes medical check up camp at Sacred Heart Convent School, Bistupur. The 4 doctors and specialists from BNH hospital examined near about 100 patients and had the blood check up, ECG and ECO tests also. (Br. Jacob, DDS)

KUMADUBI, TALDANGA

WELL DONE! It feels good to announce that Loyola School, Taldanga has crossed yet another milestone. The month concluded with the HINDI ELOCUTION. Students from class 6 to 12 participated. The judges who came from neighboring schools and colleges praised the performance.

The mood of the festivity was set when the Mahalaya(skit) was enacted during Assembly on 15^th Oct. School is now closed for the Puja vacation.

The Report Cards were distributed on the 6^th of Oct. This year computerized report cards have been introduced. Parents were highly impressed.

ST. MARY'S ENGLISH HIGH SCHOOL, BISTUPUR

St. Mary’s English High School had its small beginning in 1943.  Initially, this school was run by ardent lay Catholics supported by the Church.  However, in 1980 the management of the school was handed over to the Bishop of Jamshedpur under the Diocesan Corporation.  Over the years the school (Time) has added many new chapters and facilities to improve the quality of education. (to the history of this school). With the passage of time and constant demand for admissions it has become mandatory for the institution to grow according to the demands and needs of the students. The CBSE Board too ensures that basic facilities must be provided for the overall growth of the students.

In this context an acute shortage of a multipurpose auditorium for the high school students has been experienced for the last many years.  The present Principal, Fr. David Vincent in one of the press releases informed the parents that there is a plan to put up an auditorium, a few classrooms and a bigger library (e-library) as well as a reading room for the institution.  The estimate for the new facilities is of about 6 crores in order to construct this multipurpose building.

Tata Steel played a crucial role in the construction of the present building (class rooms) in the year 1991 and we received immense cooperation in this regard.  Gradually as the strength of the school increased, Tata Steel handed over the JME School building to St. Mary’s in the year 2000, presently, it is known as St. Mary’s English High School, Junior Block. It is known that under - privileged children, poor children and children of the TATA STEEL workers get preference in admission.

Towards the construction of the multipurpose building, Tata Steel, whose corporate social responsibilities as an Industry is well known and very much appreciated has agreed to give TWO crores. The first installment of Rs.65 Lakhs has already been handed over to us. The rest of the finance will be made available by our well wishers, the parents and the Diocesan Corporation. School Principal Fr. David Vincent and the Administration  has expressed their gratitude towards Tata Steel for its noble gesture and has also expressed their hope that the school might be able to lean on Tata Steel for such projects in future too. The school has also extended its obligation towards JUSCO, and Tata Workers Union together with Tata Steel. (Fr. David Vincent)

KRUS VIR RALLY, CKP

Under the able leadership of Sr. Michael Xess, OUS and team Krus Vir Rally was held at Carmel School Chakradharpur from 22-24 October, 2012. 750 Krus Vir Children, from Chaibasa deanery along with 40 animators, actively took part in the Rally. With various activities like Bible quiz, drama and action songs based on Bible passages, they reflected on the theme: Krus Vir, Message of Christ and Messenger. It was a wonderful opportunity for the children to grow and be strengthened in their faith. Bishop Felix Toppo, S.J. spend few hours with the Krus Vir Children on 23^rd October, 2012 and encouraged the children with his inspiring message to become the Message and Messenger of Christ. Fr. Sanjay Kujur, C.Ss.R. was present all three days to take care the spiritual needs of the Krus Vir children. Congratulations to Sr. Michael and Team! Thanks to Carmel School for making available the place and faculties to realize the Krus Vir Rally of Chaibasa Deanery!

THOSE WHO HAVE GONE TO HEAVEN: R I P

Fr. Gualbert Furtado died of lung cancer on September 24, 2012 at Bangalore.  Gualbert was a popular figure in Jamshedpur.  His month’s Mind Mass was celebrated in the Cathedral on Sunday 23^rd. Bishop Felix Toppo, S.J. was the Main celebrant of the Eucharistic celebration. Several other priests joined and concelebrated in the Holy Mass. Around hundred faithful too attended this Mass and prayed for the departed soul of Fr. Gualbert. The seminarians from Pratiksha led the choir of Month’s Mind Mass with very meaningful and devotional hymn.

Fr. Cyrinus Topno, S.J.: The untimely death of Fr. Cyrinus Topno, S.J. on 10^th October, 2012 due to his brain hambrage has shocked us much. He was a member of Jamshedpur Jesuit Society who was the Director of Cendret, Bhubneshwar. His funeral was held at Jesu Bhavan on 12^th October, 2012, attended by large crowd.