August, 2013

                       BIJHAN MISSION CONGRESS, YESU MAHOTSAVA, 2013

To: All the Priests, Religious and Laity

Diocese of Jamshedpur

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

After the Indian Mission Congress in Mumbai in 2009, all the Regional Bishops Councils of India pledged to celebrate the similar Mission Congresses in their regions. BIJHAN Regional Bishops Council has decided to celebrate it on October 11 to 13, 2013 in Ranchi on Loyola Ground. The participants will arrive in Ranchi on October 10, evening and leave on Sunday, Oct. 13, after the Eucharistic Celebration and lunch.

The Mission Congress is "Yesu Mahotsava" (YM), celebration of Jesus. The theme of the forthcoming Mahotsava is: "Let Your Light Shine". The main purpose of the BIJHAN YM is to strengthen and deepen our love and faith in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior so as to give witness to him to our brothers and sisters who do not yet know him. We are in the "Year of Faith" and the forthcoming YM is a God-given opportunity to further enthuse ourselves to deepen our faith and give witness to Jesus Our Lord.

Fr. Cyril Tigga, Director of Divya Bharati, Chaibasa, is the YM coordinator for our Diocese. He has been attending the meetings of YM Central Organizing Committee (YMCOC) in Ranchi. According to the guidelines of the YMCOC of Ranchi, Jamshedpur Diocese is expected to send 200 participants, which will be comprised of 75% laity and 25% priests and religious. Fr. Cyril Tigga is working on getting the names of the participants. The participants of YM will be accommodated in different schools, hostels and institutions in Ranchi from Oct. 10^th evening till 13^th noon, 2013. There will be no registration fee.

For the Success of the YM after every Holy Mass the Prayer for the Year of Faith is to be said. Each parish is also expected to organize prayers meetings in preparation of YM. Each Diocese is preparing a flag with its logo and a flex with its mission history and its main apostolates as directed by the YMCOC.

To support this mega event financially, the YMCOC will provide with envelops for donations for each family, institution and religious house. Parish priests will be responsible for distributing and collecting of these envelops. The YMCOC has also requested to donate one Sunday Collection of all the parishes and Mass centers for this noble event. I request the parish priests to send the Sunday collections of August 18, 2013 to Fr. Eugene Ekka, the Diocesan Treasurer by August 31, 2013.

May Our Lord bless our Diocese through the prayers of Mother Mary and St. Joseph her Spouse!

Date: 22/07/2013                                                                                Yours in the Lord

                                                                                                         +Felix Toppo, S.J.

           Bishop of Jamshedpur

 A POLICY OF JAMSHEDPUR DIOCESAN EDUCATION SOCIETY

To:       The Principals of all Schools,                                                             

The diocese of Jamshedpur

Jamshedpur.

Dear Fathers and Sisters,

This comes to thank you sincerely for all your cooperation and support you have extended to various diocesan efforts in the field of education, especially in rural areas. Only God can adequately bless you for your unstinted support and generosity.

Now I am making a specially appeal to you. Already last year during various meetings of principals in preparation of Diocesan Golden Jubilee Celebrations, a suggestion was made that  every school in the diocese –English Medium  and Hindi medium –should contribute  to the  Jamshedpur Diocesan Education Society annually, a fixed sum of amount of fee per student in the school. It was suggested that Students in English medium Schools could contribute Rs. 100/ per child and students in Hindi medium school could contribute Rs. 50/ or whatever they can.  Subsequently, this issue of Annual contribution was taken for discussion at different Fora, like during meetings of Principals of all schools in the Diocese, during the Clergy meetings and during the Diocesan Consult.

While there was a broad consensus on this issue of Annual Contribution during all these meetings, some practical difficulties too had surfaced. It was also pointed out that some English medium schools are already supporting some Hindi medium schools. Some schools also give concessions to a number of poor students. However, it was agreed upon that schools run by both the diocese and the Religious should contribute to the diocesan efforts.

After taking into consideration various opinions and suggestions, I am evolving a diocesan policy in this matter. Every English Medium School annually contributes Rs; 100/ per student while, the Hindi Medium schools try to contribute Rs. 50/ per child. However in case the student is not able to contribute that amount, they can contribute Rs. 25/-annually.  This should be incorporated in the school fee-structure. If any English medium school is committed to support another Hindi medium school, it is requested that they contribute a substantial amount to the Diocese.

The Contributions could be made to The Jamshedpur Diocesan Education Society, Golmuri.

Thanking you much in anticipation,

Sincerely Yours,

+ Felix Toppo, SJ                                                                    Fr. C. R. Prabhu

Bishop of Jamshedpur                                                             Secretary cum Director, JDES

         Diocese of Jamshedpur

 WE NEED SAINTS, ​ …, RELEVANT TO OUR TIMES

"We need saints without cassocks, without veils - we need saints with jeans and tennis shoes. We need saints that go to the movies that listen to music, that hang out with their friends. We need saints that place God in first place ahead of succeeding in any career. We need saints that look for time to pray every day and who know how to be in love with purity, chastity and all good things. We need saints - saints for the 21st century with a spirituality appropriate to our new time. We need saints that have a commitment to helping the poor and to make the needed social change.

We need saints to live in the world, to sanctify the world and to not be afraid of living in the world by their presence in it. We need saints that drink Coca-Cola, that eat hot dogs, that surf the internet and that listen to their iPods. We need saints that love the Eucharist, that are not afraid or embarrassed to eat a pizza or drink a beer with their friends. We need saints who love the movies, dance, sports, and theater. We need saints that are open sociable normal happy companions. We need saints who are in this world and who know how to enjoy the best in this world without being callous or mundane. We need saints."

- Pope Francis (World Youth Day 2013)

BUY HUMBLE BICYCLES, POPE ADVISES FUTURE PRIESTS, NUNS

Vatican City, Jul 9, 2013: “I think that bicycles are necessary because there’s a lot of work to do and you have to move around but get a humbler one!” Pope Francis told seminarians and novices on 7^th July in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall. “And, if you like that beautiful car, think about how many children are dying of hunger, just (think of) that!” he told the approximately 6,000 young adults.

Pope Francis met with the young seminarians and novices to mark the end of their four-day pilgrimage to Rome sponsored by the Vatican as part of the Year of Faith. “I’m telling you, truly, it hurts me when I see a priest or a sister with a brand new car. But you can’t (do that), you can’t!” he commented.

Pope Francis said to priests and religious, "It hurts me when I see a priest or nun with the latest-model car. You can’t do this. A car is necessary to do a lot of work, but, please, choose a more humble one. If you like the fancy one, just think about how many children are dying of hunger in the world."

SUNDERNAGAR: PRATIKSHA

On July 1^st the Regional Propaedeutic seminary was reopened with the Eucharistic Mass offered by the Bishop Aanad Jojo D.D., Bishop of Hazaribag who was the chief guest for the inaugural day of Pratiksha. This year the seminary is blessed with 45 candidates from different dioceses of this region. In his message to the young seminarians, he brought the theme of being aware of the Presence and the Power of God in one’s life through the active and personal profession of faith in a simple and humble manner. Frs. Eugune Ekka and Tobias Kujur concelebrated the Holy Mass along with Fr. Oscar, the Director and Fr. Casmir Vas. Fr. Director Oscar Beck welcomed and wished all the students to have a pleasant stay.

VIANNEY NIVAS

Thirteen (13) new candidates from six different diocese of India, arrived at Vianney Nivas, Nildungri, Jamshedpur in the beginning of July, 2013. They are all happy and doing well in their beginning stage of formation. Frs. Roque Cardoza and Herman Tigga are helping them out to learn and discern their vocation, for the great mission of Jamshedpur Diocese. The Diocese of Jamshedpur welcomes and wishes them ALL THE BEST.

JESU MARSAL, CHANDIL

The parishioners at Jesu Marsal Chandil, were pleased to welcome their new Parish Priest Fr. Raphael Montiero on 07^th July, 2013. He was installed as the Parish Priest of Chandil by Bishop Felix Toppo, S.J. during the beautiful liturgy. It was also an occasion to show gratitude from the part of parishioners to Frs. Valerian Lobo and Pradeep Marandi for their commitment in leading the parish community. As 14 boys and 10 girls received Holy Communion first time it added still a greater joy in the community.

FEAST OF SACRED HEART SISTERS

Priests and religious of Jamshedpur deanery gathered together to celebrate the Congregation’s feast of the Sisters of Sacred Heart of Jesus at Amar Jyoti Convent, Pardih. Sr. Dominica, SSH gave a warm welcome to all the guests. As it was the birthday of Sr. Neelam, SSH, the Candidates-in-Charge, the whole congregation joined and wished her a very happy birthday. Fr. Camille Hembrom, Parish Priest and dean of St. Joseph’s Cathedral Golmuri said grace over the meal.

FEAST OF OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL

Giving the life sketch of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Sr. Sylvie, A.C., the Principal of Carmel Junior College Sonari, welcomed the priests and religious who came to share the joy of the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the patroness of the Carmelite Order. She led the group into a short prayer through the intercession of Our Lady of Carmel. The same feast was celebrated on 21^st July in Secred Heart Convent community at Bistupur. Sr. Teresita Mary, A.C. welcomed the guests and Fr. C.R. Prabhu invoked the God’s blessing upon the A.C. Sister. All enjoyed the hospitality of A.C. Sisters at Carmel Junior College, Sonari.

FEAST OF ST. JOSEPH’S OF CLUNY, TELCO

Sisters of St. Joseph’s of Cluny rejoiced as they celebrated the feast of their patron saint on 15^th July, 2013. They invited all the priests and religious as well as teachers and some important people of the town to join in the celebration. All the invited guest join the thanksgiving Eucharist celebration presided by Bishop Felix Toppo, S.J. and preached by Fr. C. R. Prabhu. Special prayers were offered for the Sisters of St. Joseph’s of Cluny. At the end of the Mass all shared the fellowship meal served by the Sisters at Telco Club hall.

FR. ROBERT FIGHTS WITH A COBRA

It was surprising. As Fr. Robert Toppo entered in his bathroom a few days ago, he founds a cobra raising its hood around the bucket. He ran to call his parishioners who managed to kill the hoofing cobra.

Another braking news from Sindri is that Fr. Robert has given fullstop to smoking forever. Congratulations to Fr. Robert!

HEARTY CONDOLENCE TO FR. JOHN CRASTA

Fr. John Crasta lost his mother Mrs. Lily Crasta on 14^th July, 2013 due to heart attack. She was 71 years old. Hearing the news Fr. John Crasta rushed to Mangalore to give the last tribute to his great mother. At this difficult moment let us remember Fr. John Crasta and his family in our prayer. May her soul rest in peace!

Fr. Pascal Minj took shelter in Mercy Hospital for a week as he had to undergo a big unexpected wound in his right knee. He is completely cured and getting ready to take his new appointment as assistant parish priest at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Telco.

UPASANA, MANGO

We have been blessed by the presence of Fr.Bene Minj and Pradeep who joined our Community this month as they continue to stay in Upasana and work in the neighbouring St.Joseph’s Community College. They are also generously helping the Community with various Liturgical assignments. On the 10-11 of July, we also had  Jamshedpur Diocesan Priests’ Recollection in which 30 Priests participated, including Frs.Cyril Tigga and Sushil Jojo . It was facilitated by Fr. Peter Francis,SJ who took his valuable time out of his busy schedule in XLRI and spiritually nourished the Pastors with his reflections and the Recollection ended with the Liturgy by Fr.James Quadros. This was followed by the Diocesan and Jesuit Regents’ Recollection on the 13-14 July , in which 13 Regents took part. It was facilitated  by George Anthony who briefed them about their role and purpose in this first immersion of their Apostolic Life.

-George Anthony

SALESIANS IN ILLOO –JHARGO

Frs. Valerius Tirkey, PP and Edward APP along with Srs. Celine and Flora have taken control of the Church Campus in Illoo-Jhargo.  The Catholic Community of the area under the guidance of Fr. John Ottaplakal has finally succeeded in taking the Catechist and his family out of the house meant for the priests in the Church Campus. The Church Committee also cleaned up the house. The Fathers and sisters are busy now cleaning up / clearing the campus of unwieldy bushes – a home for many snakes. They already killed two cobras and a krait.  There are many more. They have noticed two snakes in their house. In the meantime, the Fathers are visiting the families in Illoo-Jhargo and Kodeng.  Most of the Catholics now attend the regular Sunday Services. Fr. Prabhu paid them a surprise visit and encouraged them.  Well begun! Congratulations to Fr. Valerius and his team.

WEEK-END RETREAT FOR COUPLES FOR CHRIST IN CKP

Fr. Richard Miranda and his team organized a special week-end retreat on 27 -28 July for Couples for Christ.  Over 50 couples participated in this prayer-experience.  Fr. Sebastian VC, Sundernagar, Fr. Denny V.C from Bareilly along with Mr. Ashok conducted this retreat. Fr. Prabhu joined this group for the Concluding Eucharist and the fellowship meals. The people have asked for more such spiritual renewals.

ST. XAVIER’S ENGLISH SCHOOL, CHAKRADHARPUR

As the cool breeze blows and the splashes of rain drops fall, we the members of Xavier family would like to share the news of the month and that is as follows. The month began with our school conducting extra coaching classes for the weaker students so that they may be able to compete with the others. The school teams are also busy practicing Kho-Kho, Football and basket ball as the inter house competitions are fast approaching. We had our 4^th set of the Intra class competitions on 6^th July. The LKG & UKG had Drawing and colouring , Std. I and II had Recitation, Std. III to X had the Quiz competition. The winners were very happy to see their names up on the school notice board. Right now, the students are all occupied with their First Terminal Examinations.  As 4^th August is celebrated as St. John Mary Vianney’s feast day, the feast of all the pastors, so we the members of Xavier family wish all the pastors A very Happy feast and following up soon our school will begin its preparation  for the Independence day of our country which is on the 15^th of August, we wish all the citizens of our country A very happy Independence day in advance.

ST. XAVIER’S ENGLISH SCHOOL, CHAIBASA

We believe in change and we are ever ready to upgrade ourselves in accordance with the current demands in the educational field so that our students get the best of everything. We have been using digi boards since last two years and now all our class rooms are equipped with smart Boards for making our teaching & learning more effective, advanced and student friendly.

We have many gifted students in our school. We had some competitions to bring out the best in them and to discover the hidden talents in others. We had picture pasting, fancy dress competition and memory test for the students of std I & II. Choral recitation, pot painting and memory tests were conducted for the students of std III & IV. We had stone painting, cartoon making and talent search competitions for std V & VI. There were spelling contest, mental agility test and talent search competitions for the students of VII &VIII. The students of std IX & X had caption contest and newspaper designing. The students have done very well in these competitions. Through these competitions we provide them with ample opportunities to pick up new skills and polish their existing skills so that they can excel in everything they do.

We celebrated the foundation Day of our school on 22nd July. Mr. Dhananjay Deogam graced the ceremony as our chief Guest and Fr. Edwin Coelho, the Parish Priest of Chaibasa was our guest of Honour. The foundation that was laid on 21st July twenty years ago, has blossomed into a sprawling edifice, equipped with all the modern facilities, a big campus, a basket ball court, Volley ball court, a playground, a children’s park etc. The school is now seen as one of the best schools of Chaibasa on which the parents have the faith that their children will have a holistic development irrespective of caste, creed, religion or economic status. We offered a special prayer to God for his continued benefaction in our school.

It was followed by a cultural program in which the students traced the life of Fr. Cyril Fernandes, the founder of our school. They also showed how his decision of founding an English School saved the people from their sorry state and meaningless existence. Our chief guest also recounted in his speech, the humble beginning of our school and how this school has made a difference in the lives of tribal people living here. It was a wonderful celebration.

ST. ALBERT’S COLLEGE RANCHI (SAC)

The Congregation for Catholic Education, Rome, has recognized the services of four faculty members of SAC. It has raised three of them as ‘Professors’ and one of the as ‘Lecturer’. These are:

Professor:        Dr. Selva Raj, Department of Philsophy, Dean of Philosophy and Vice President of the Faculty (Philosophy Professor)

                        Dr. Suman Kumar Ekka, President of the Faculty (systematic Professor)

                        Dr. Jai Prakash Kujur, Scripture Professor

Lecturer:          Dr. John Crasta, Moral Theology (Theology Faculty)

We congratulate them. This is one of the best recognition; a teacher can get in an institution. This is matter of pride for Jamshedpur diocese that we have two persons of higher rank in the kitty.

We had a good academic beginning. on 9th of July, the academic Year was declared open by His Excellency Charles Soreng S.J. who was the chief celebrant on the Eucharistic celebration concelebrated with all the staff. I delivered the Schola Brevis on the day. My paper was based on my Dissertation Paper entitled, "Lokasangraha, the Welfare of the Worlds". It was a well accepted and applauded paper.

Annual Meeting with the Board of Bishops of BIJHAN took place on 25th of July. Most of the Bishops were present on the occasion. They met all students and staff and assessed the growth of the seminary and formation.

The Centenary preparations are in full swing. On 20th of August, the Faculty of Theology Ranchi (SAC) has organized a Centenary Symposium on the theme of Mission and Theologizing in Indian Context. Arch Bishop Thomas Menamparambil and Dr. Felix Wilfred will be the chief resource persons who will present their papers on the topic. The symposium is organized in collaboration with the Regional Theological Center of Ranchi Jesuits.

Our seminarians in SAC, both philosophers and theologians are doing well. In both sections they are involved in various activities of the seminary besides the seminary studies.

(Fr. Raju Crasta)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

August: 01 James Surin

      04 Amatus Kujur

      05 Cornelius Tigga

      08 John Crasta

      08 Norbert Kindo

      13 Casmir Vas

      23 Johny P.D.

      28 Augustine Topno

July, 2013

JSR SEMINARIANS’ ANNUAL GET-TOGETHER, 2013

Annual Get-Together of Jamshedpur Seminarians was organized at Catholic Charities, Sundernagar from 5^th–10^th June, 2013. 30 seminarians studying in different seminaries arrived on 5^th of June 2013 for the same. Journey by buses, trains made the brothers tired but meeting their friends after long time brought happiness, joys and freshness in their faces.

After the supper at 8.00 P.M. Fr. Linus Kindo the newly appointed Prefect Coordinator of the seminarians welcomed and gave them a warm welcome and introduced the purpose of get-together, wishing them to profit from it and have a good fun. Each day of the get-together was dedicated to different topics.

 Day One: 1) Various Ministries in the Social Field, 2) Motivations Towards Priesthood, 3) Alcoholism: Fr. Halan Bodra, the director of Catholic Charities gave brief history about the Catholic Charity, Seva Kutir and Vikas Bharti. He also mentioned briefly the places and areas where Catholic Charities is carrying out its mission.

“If you want to educate the society then you must educate the women”, said, Sr. Veronica, SCSC. With her vast experience working with village women, she mainly spoke about SHG (Self Help Group) and Cooperative Bank (Didi Bank). She said that the women have come out from the nutshell. They have learnt to live in a better way. They have enough finance to support their family. She added that this institute is spreading the message of Christ, Kingdom values through health ministry, women upliftment programmes, SHG etc.

Fr. Halan Bodra, speaking to the seminarians on the topic, “Motivations towards priesthood” quoted the words of  Chantal Petitclerc, “If you have a strong commitment to your goals and dreams, if you wake up every day with a passionate spirit to do your job, everything is possible”. Fr. Halan through his life story inspired the seminarians to march forward in their vocation. He insisted on prayers and meditation to be firm in the spiritual life. He said, “No one expects you to save the world, just do the best you can”.

Sr. Mary Clement, a Franciscan nun who came from USA as a guest spoke to the seminarians on Alcoholism. She said that Alcoholism is a physical, mental, emotional, spiritual disease. It affects our whole body and self. One of the most prevalent reasons for drinking is loneliness. She presented many present examples of this disease and asked the seminarians to be cautious. She stressed to have a good prayer life and to seek friendship with others.

Day Two: 1) Expectation of people from a Priest & How to cope up with studies 2) Personal Identity and collaboration among diocesan and Jesuits 3) Psycho Sexual Development: On the second day of seminarians get-together, Fr. Raju Crasta shared with the seminarians the topic “Expectation of people from a Priest & How to cope up with studies”. He put before them some questions which really challenge them in their formation as, a) What people say about priest today? b) Good relationship with the people. c) Spiritual assistance to faithful d) He said that people expect from a priest to be,  i) Spiritual person ii) Human person iii) Slave to God not to the world iv) Good conduct v) Intellectual updating etc. He also spoke and advised how to cope up and improve their study method so that they are able to learn more and more. 

Fr. Somy Mathew, S.J. the Director of Inigo Nivas was another resource person of the day. He started the session asking the most basic question, “Who are you?” The answer given was – I am generous, hospital, helpful etc. In his sharing he said that when we know ourselves, understand ourselves, accept ourselves then only can accept others. Be comfortable, it will be easy to be comfortable with others. Be in touch with the best – you can give the best to people. The mission of diocesan and Jesuits are one – Give Christ to people.

Sr. Dominica, SSH, spent some time with the seminarians sharing on the childhood development. She spoke the different stages of life of a child, his/her physical, psychological, mental development.

Day Three: 1) Personal experiences, convictions as Silver Jubilarians (25 years), 2) Fraternity: Fr. Leo John D’Souza, one of the Sivler Jubilarians shared his rich experiences of 25 years of priestly life. He said that 25 years of time was not as “the bed of roses”. He went through various ups and downs in life but God has been good and gracious to him. He also spoke on the topic of celibacy and emphasized more on difficulties and obstacles as, lust, pleasure, loneliness, barren life etc.

Fr. Roque Cardoza, dealt with the topic, “Fraternity”. He spoke that we are called to carry out the work and mission of Jesus together. For this we ought to be united and develop, grow and foster the sense of belongingness. The topic and the sharing was much liked by the seminarians.

Day Four: 1) Priestly Formation, 2) Policies of formation in the diocese of JSR, 3) Sharing of seminarians: Enumerating the various crisis and challenges in the life of priest Fr. Linus Kindo, explained to the seminarians the four Dimensions of Priestly formation as given in the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis; a) Human formation b) Spiritual formation c) Intellectual formation and d) Pastoral formation. To form a true priestly identity he suggested to work hard to develop the personality on the basis of four dimension of priestly formation. He said mind is healer as well as killer. Tune it for positive thinking.

The opportunity was given to all the Brothers to share their formation experiences in different seminaries. All of them had many good things to share which they have profited during the period of their formation in seminary.

Day Five: 1) Tata Motors Visitation 2) General Evaluation of Whole Programme: This was the last day of the Seminarians Get-Together. They had the opportunities to visit Tata Motors in the afternoon. It was quite exciting for some as it was the first visit. Brothers enjoyed seeing the various sections of Tata motors.

There was a general evaluation of the whole programme after supper at 8.30 PM. Most of the seminarians shared their positive experiences as well as some of the drawbacks as too long sessions, 5 days get-together is too long, some topics were boring, etc. They also suggested for the next year that the place could be changed in different parts of the diocese, relevant topics could be dealt etc. Some of the topics suggested for next year are alcoholism, personality development, psycho-sexual development, marriage and celibacy etc.

At the end of the evaluation Fr. Linus Kindo, thanked all the seminarians for actively taking part in the get-together and making effort to learn many good things from the programme.

Fr. Linus Kindo

Coordinator of the Seminarians

INSTALLATION OF THE NEW PARISH PRIEST AND FEAST OF ST. ANTHONY

The faithful of Maoubhandar, gathered in large numbers to welcome their new parish priest Fr. Elias Tirkey and his new assistant for Banki Mission. Fr. Sunil Xaxa on Thursday 13^th June on the feast of St. Anthony, the Patron Saint of the Parish. A colorful procession in honour of St. Anthony was taken on the main road of Moubhandar. Fr. C. R. Prabhu the Vicar General installed the new parish priest in the presence of Clarientian Provincial delegate Fr. Lord Winner and Fr. Augustus 9 other concelebrating priests. After the Mass, there was a Swagut program and a fellowship meal.

FIRST COMMUNION IN HOLONG-ULI

Holong-Uli is the name of the village far inside Saranda jungle, under the pastoral care of Kiriburu Parish where 25 catholic families are eking out an existence. The village people organized a big celebration. During the Eucharistic celebration Fr. C.R. Prabhu gave First Communion to 28 boys and girls, well prepared by Fr. Peter Ekka. Assistant Pastor of Kiriburu. During the Swagat, people remembered. Congratulations to Fr. Suresh Xaxa and Fr. Peter Ekka for beautifully preparing this community for this great event. Holong-Uli is a part of the proposed Chotanagra Parish.

PILAR FATHERS COME TO SIADIH

The Diocese is happy to welcome two Pilar Fathers, Fr. Lino Fernandes (Parish Priest) and Fr. Roque Furtado along with their Provincial Delegate Fr. Paul Fernandes. They arrived on 14^th June, 2013 at Bishop’s House. Fr. C. R. Prabhu took them to Siadih on 15^th. They were warmly welcomed by Fr. Cornelius Tigga and his team. During the Sunday Mass, Fr. C. R. Prabhu installed Fr. Lino Fernandes as the Parish Priest and Fr. Roque as the Assistant Parish Priest. The parishioners organized a beautiful, warm swagut and cultural programme, lasting 90 minutes. The Catholic Officer-in-Charge of Local Thana along with 4 other policemen, also catholics joined in these celebrations. Sr. Archana FC the Pastoral Sisters also was given a formal farewell and the new Pastoral Sister Sr. Sunita Kandulna was warmly welcomed. Congratulation to Fr. Cornelius and FC Sisters for organizing this beautiful day!

ST. ANTONY’S CHURCH, DHANBAD

Fr. Raju Felix Crasta arrived at Dhanbad Parish for summer ministry in the beginning of May. He assisted the parish in house blessings, area masses and convent masses. Newly ordained priest, Fr. Nestor Soreng arrived Dhanbad Parish on 11^th June. He had a grand ceremonial welcome by the parish priest. He delivered his first Sermon on the following Sunday which was marked as the feast of St. Antony of Padua, the patron of the Parish. Fr. Amatus Kujur was the main celebrant on the occasion. Mass was held in the Parish Hall. Large number of faithful attended the festal Mass. After the Mass, grand breakfast was given to all. In the afternoon, neighbouring communities were invited for a fellowship meal. All the new-comers in the communities were welcomed by the dean with a bouquet of flower.   Both the convents, AC and MC in Dhanbad have new members. In the AC convent, Srs. Elsy, Luvina, Eulalia, Veenaare replaced by Sr. Sharal, Priyal, Jyothi and Eena. In the MC community, Sr. Maria Augusta has arrived as new superior and Sr. Angelique as her assistant. Fr. Raju Felix Crasta, conducted a half-day seminar on ‘motivation’ for all the high school children of St. Antony School on 19^th of June. He motivated the children to excel in the academic as well as social life. On 22^ndof June, a day of Orientation to the teachers was conducted. Sr. Norbertine AC was the resource person who insisted on ‘positive approach to life.’ Fr. C.R. Prabhu had a surprise visit to Dhanbad on 19^th of June. He enquired about the good health of the school and parish. Sr. Renu AC, acting Headmistress of the school took him for a guided tour around the campus and made his fifteen minutes stay in the campus.

Heavy rains in the beginning of June forced us to keep vigil at night as there was no dry place to rest inside the room due to roof seepage. At regular intervals water was pumped out from the rooms. Immediate action was taken to stop leakage and the cracks were temporarily filled with tar. Now the parish priest is gearing ahead for the construction of new presbytery, as the present one is of 93 years old.

CURIA: GOLMURI

Bishop Felix Toppo, S.J. suffered the Bell’s Palsy attack 21^st June, 2013 as he started his air journey from New York. Bell's palsy is a form of facial paralysis resulting from a dysfunction of the cranial nerve VII (the facial nerve) causing an inability to control facial muscles on the affected side. It is named after Scottish anatomist Charles Bell, who first described it, Bell's palsy is the most common acute mononeuropathy (disease involving only one nerve) and is the most common cause of acute facial nerve paralysis.

He was hospitalized in Mercy Hospital for two days. With the intensive care of Mercy Sisters and Physio-Therapist Dr. S.K. Bose he is recovering fast. Thanks for your prayers !

Hearty Welcome to Fr. Tobias Kujur and Bipin K. Barla to Bishop’s House Golmuri! Bishop’s House is blessed with a full time minister in the person of Fr. Bipin Kishore Barla as well as Fr. Tobias Kujur as the Diocesan-In-Charge for Legal Cell and Land Properties. We welcome and wish them very best in their new undertakings.

CATECHETICAL SEMINAR FOR VILLAGE KIDS

A Catechetical Seminar for the village Catholics children studying in class 4^th to +2 was organized at St. Xavier’s Parish Chaibasa. It was from 2^nd June to 9^th June, both days inclusive. A total number of 80 kids were divided into 3 groups according their age. The theme of the seminary was “My Faith”. The catechists and lay leaders of the parish conducted sessions to these groups of children. They had lessons of Biblical heroes/leaders, Bible quiz, lesions on the contents of faith, etc. in the evening the children danced to the drumb beat and enjoyed their catechetical seminar.

CHAIBASA DEANERY YOUTH SEMINAR

A Deanery level youth Seminar was organized at St. Xavier’s Church, Chaibasa from 9^th to 12^th June, 2013. Youth from 10 parishes from Deanery took part in it. The total number of participants was 180 in all.

For the inaugural function Chief guest was Miss Annie, Rinku Kujur, the BDO of Chaibasa Sadar and the Guest of honour was Miss Sunila Xalxo, Co., Chaibasa Sadar. In her speech, Miss Annie Rinku Kujur spoke about her faith in God. Her faith in Jesus in times of ups and down in life has brought her to this position in life. She urged the youth to cultivate a relationship to Jesus and remain strong in faith. Fr. Edwin in his welcome speech spoke about the growth of faith in Kolhan-Porhat for the last 40 years and recalled a few events that challenged the priests to reach out to people even in remote areas. He urged them in the year of faith, to know their faith and be proud to be a catholic.

Fr. Dilip Marandi, the new Diocesan Youth coordinator was introduced to the group. Fr. Sanjay Kujur, CSSR, Fr.Ranjit, S.J., Sr. Lalita DSA were the moderators. The Chaibasa youth made all the arrangements for the programme.

ST. XAVIER’S ENGLISH SCHOOL, CHAKRADHARPUR

It is said practice makes you perfect. There was two days DG class training on 14^th and 15^th of June which was compulsory for the teachers so that they could learn the different techniques of using the DG board. Teachers were trained by Mr. Rakesh who had come from Delhi. The school reopened on the 17^th of June, parents and students were very happy and full of Enthusiasm. Digital classes have begun, the students are very happy to see something new which is audible and visual. It is the talk of the town as St. Xavier’s English School is the only school in Chakradharpur which has the Digital Boards Facilities. Time changes, seasons also change. We are very happy that our school is also changing its methods of teaching. The teachers are also excited to teach on the Digital Boards which are very helpful in every way and the credit goes to Fr. Vernon D’Souza who is very encouraging and has helped us to come up to this level and it goes this way from the teachers to students and parents. A big thank you Fr. Vernon. Two of our talented students Akanksha Kejriwal and Tazeen Arifa will be representing our school in the Frank Anthony Memorial all India debate competition 2013 which will held in Kerala Public School, Mango, Jamshedpur. We wish all the participants “All the Best”. Our school had Inter class Football Tournament on 22^nd June 2013. Class VIII are the winners of this year’s inter class football championship. Following up on the 29^th of June 2013, we will be having our 2^nd set of intra class competitions.

ST. XAVIER’S ENGLISH SCHOOL, CHAIBASA

On 28^th April, our school cricket team won the Gyan Chand Jain Inter School Tournament. Whole school was ecstatic because this was the third time we won this tournament in succession. The final match was against Padmawati Jain Saraswati Shishu Vidya Mandir, Chaibasa. Our cricketers played wonderfully and their strategy and team spirit led them to victory. Ankit Ojha was awarded with the titles “Man of the Series” and “Best Batsman of the Tournament”. Sumit Kumar Gond was honoured with the titles “Man of the Match” and “Best Bowler of the Tournament”. Due to their outstanding performance in the field, three students of Std X i.e. Ankit Ojha, Sumit Kumar Gond and Rishav Yadav have been selected for Inter District Tournament (under 16). Shubham Kumar Sao of Std IX has also been selected for Inter District Tournament (under 14).

Our School has bagged 5 gold medals, 3 silver medals and 3 bronze medals in the 6^th SOF Mathematics Olympiad. We got 4 gold medals in India International Olympiad of Mathematics, organized by Erudite Olympiad Foundation, New Delhi. Some of our students had also participated in the exams conducted by International Olympiad of Science and our school got 5 gold medals, 4 silver medals and 3 bronze medals. We are very happy with the way our students are taking up challenges and achieving success. We encourage them to take part in such competitive exams because such exams give them an incentive to study more and exercise their brain.

It was a moment of immense joy for us to be a part of the celebration of Fr. Cyril Fernandes’ Silver Jubilee which was celebrated in our school on 15^th of May. It was a momentous occasion and many people were invited. We had some guests from the United States. Many fathers and sisters were also present on the occasion. Our students enacted a play titled “A Catalyst of Change”. The play was an attempt to vaguely sketch the life of Fr. Cyril and the noble work that he did for the people of Chaibasa. When a drop of water falls into the ocean, it creates ripples, which gradually forms currents and travel far and wide in all directions. Fr. Cyril is such a catalyst who triggers a chain reaction in the lives of people which has far reaching consequences. The play was enacted very well and the audience was fascinated by their performance. There were some touching scenes which made the audience reflect for a while. Overall it was a wonderful celebration and we had a great time.

Our infrastructure, science and computer labs, library and many other things have been upgraded considerably and we are now well equipped to cater the ISC students. On 21^st of June, Dr. John M. Chacko, the Chairman and Managing Director of Laurels School International, Indore, visited our school for inspection. He made his rounds, met the students and the staff and was very impressed by everything that he saw. It’s a matter of great joy for us to inform you that our school has got affiliation for ISC classes.

Results: We are extremely delighted to inform you that we have got 100% result in the ICSE Board Exams, 2013. 76 students from our school had appeared for the exams and 50 students got distinction, 24 students got 1^st class and 2 students got 2^nd class. There are 4 students who have scored more than 90%. The first three toppers of our school are: - Vaishali Gupta (93.6%), Monika Tamsoy (92.6%) and Purba Daripa (92.4%). Our hearts are brimming with joy and praise to see their progress and we are awaiting the day when Xavierites will hold a torch high enough to be seen around the world.

ST. MARY’S ENGLISH HIGH SCHOOL

The result of STD 12^th and 10^th of CBSE was declared in the month of May, As compared to last year this year’s result was good. Congratulation to Fr. David Vincent the Principal of the school and also the teachers who tirelessly worked hard and prepared the students to face the exam.

On 10th June after a long summer vacation the school re-opened. On 17th of June the entire St. Mary’s Family gave a Warm welcome to Fr. David Vincent as he came back to the school after a long break.

On 20^th of June the School bid farewell to Fr. Gerald Martin D’souza. The Management staff and the students acknowledged and appreciated his long service to the school as a Principal and Administrator.

On 23^rd June the school hosted Inter-School Cultural competition “EXIBIO-2013” . There were 12 schools that participated in this event. St. Mary’s dedicated this noted event “EXIBIO” to the Victims of Uttarakhand flood tragedy which has left us all silent.  The school will hand over the money collected through the sponsors to the “PRIME MINISTER’S RELIEF FUND” Uttarakhand. Thanks to Fr. David Vincent the Principal for taking the initiative to spread the awareness, among the students as well as the teachers.

The Principal, and Vice Principal and teachers are also motivating the students to donate generously in cash or kind for the flood victims of uttarakhand.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY- JULY

13	Eugene Ekka
19	David Vincent
22	Cyril Fernandes
24	John Ottaplakal
25	Jerome Pereira James Quadros
26	Linus Kindo
30	Joy Paul K.