DIOCESE OF JAMSHEDPUR
Vol. 45 No. 9 Private Circulation Only September-2015
On
September 8 every year we celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed
Virgin Mary. This Feast commemorates the birth of her who was to be the Mother
of the Saviour because the Blessed Virgin Mary occupies a unique place in the salvation
history. Our Lord reserved for her the highest mission ever entrusted to any creature.
About her glory the book of Revelation says, “A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman, robed with the sun, standing
on the moon, and on the head a crown of twelve stars” (Rev.12:1). Yet Mary
was humble and says, “My soul proclaims
the greatness of the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour; because he
has looked upon the low state of his handmaid. Yes, from now onwards all
generations will call me blessed” (Lk.1:46-49) In these words we hear an
echo her great fiat: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord: let
it be done to me according to your word” (Lk. 1:38).
The
virtue of humility of Mary derives from the very nature of God. Humility is a
virtue that belongs essentially to Christ, not only as man, but more especially
as God. For the sake of his love for the human beings, God can lower and
humiliate Himself. “He humbled Himself,
He emptied Himself” (Phil.2:7-8). In the mystery of Incarnation we see
immense humility poured out from heaven. Nothing could be more sublime than the
words of St. John’s Gospel, “In the
beginning was the Word” (Jn. 1:1) and no abasement can be deeper than that
which follows, “And the word was made
flesh” (Jn1:14). Jesus Christ calls us all into His school to learn, not to
work miracles, nor to astonish the world by marvellous enterprises, but to be
humble of heart. “Learn of Me, because I
am meek and humble of heart” (Matt. 11:29). Jesus totally submits himself
to the Father, as he says, “My food is to
do the will of him who sent me” (Jn.4:34). During his agony in Gethsemane
He prayed, “Father, if you are willing
take this cup from me, Nevertheless, let your will be done, not mine”
(Lk.22:42). From womb to tomb, Jesus revealed himself to us through his
humility as the conqueror of the world, of sin, death and hell.
The
Blessed Virgin Mary in all things lived the wisdom of Saint John the Baptist: “He must increase, but I must decrease”
(John 3:30). Today let us ask Our Lady of Humility to teach us this same wisdom
and to show us how to live it every day. We need to accept God’s daily will for
ourselves, instead of responding with impatience, anger, fear, refusal,
dejection, sarcasm, mockery, or such life responses.
Holy
Spirit through the mouth of Prophet Isaiah says, “Look, you are less than nothingness, and what you do is less than
nothing” (Isa.41:24). Jesus Himself has said, “Without me you can do nothing”. “Humility is an abomination of the proud” (Sir.13:20).
St
Augustine tells us that “Humility is the
foundation of all the virtues:
therefore, in a soul where it does not exist there can be no true
virtue, but the mere appearance only”. He further says, “No one reaches the Kingdom of Heaven except
through humility”. St. Thomas of Villanova says, “Humility is the mother of many virtues. From it springs obedience, holy
fear, reverence, patience, mildness, and peace; for, whoever is humble easily
obeys all, fears to offend any, maintains peace with all, shows himself affable
to all, is submissive to all, does not offend or displease any, and does not
feel the insults which may be inflicted upon him. He lives happy and contented
and in great peace”. St Theresa of Avila warns us saying “Whoever is not very humble, can never draw
profit from contemplation, in which any little amount of insufficient humility,
though it may seem nothing, works the greatest harm”. St. Bernard has said,
“Humility is necessary not only for the
acquisition of virtues, but even for salvation. For the gate of Heaven, as
Christ Himself testifies, is so narrow that it admits only little ones”.
Each
of us, priests, religious and laity should remind oneself and say, “Remember that you are dust and to dust you
shall return”. “True self-knowledge
makes you aware of your own worthlessness and you will not take any pleasure in
the praises of others” (Imitation of Christ. Bk 1, Ch.2. no.1). Let us humble ourselves with St. John the
Baptist and say, “He must increase: but I must decrease” (Jn. 3:30).
Your
beloved Pastor,
Bishop Felix Toppo, S.J.
Sacred Heart
School, Adra:
Sacred Heart School, Adra had organized
an Inter School literary and cultural competition on 25th July
2015 at our premises. This mega event with the motto “Strive to excel” was
conducted at three different venues within the campus viz. Jubilee Hall, Bio. Lab
and K.G. Block, which saw the participation of seven schools with 210
participants, covering six events i.e. quiz, debate, declamation, drawing, solo
and group dance. The participants represented, besides the host school, St. Xavier’s
School, Purulia, St. Xavier’s School C.K.P., Holy Cross School, Chandankiyari,
Kendriya Vidhyalaya, S. E. Rly. Boys’ School, S. E .Rly. Girls’ School, Adra.
The atmosphere and excitement was really
electrifying as the participants competed with enthusiasm and they came out
with the best of their ability. In its first attempt, Sacred Heart School made
it to be a keenly contested competition where the students were exposed to a
variety of experiences.
In declamation, the famous speech of Charlie
Chaplin was brought to life vividly by the participants. The judges included
the noted Professor from J. K. College Purulia, Dr. Ashok Agarwal, Mrs. Ruma
Guha Neogi, A. G. Church School Purulia, Fr. Saleth, Fr. Edward Saldanha, Sr.
Kevin H.C. Bokaro, Mr. Moumita Das and Mr. Ramesh Rao. The peak of the
programme was the group dance on patriotic theme which kept the audience on
their toes throughout the day.
In spite of nail biting moments of the day,
Sacred Heart School had the privilege to hold the “ Champions Trophy” on its
own stage in its first ever such attempt. Three cheers to SHS, Adra.
Green India – Green SAC Abhiyan :
Following the clarion call from our beloved Pope and his
encyclical, Laudato Si, we, the Albertine Family are serious about
the protection of our mother earth. Government of India has similar plans too.
Dainik Bhaskar Newspaper group has initiated a plantation drive called, “ek
ped, ek zindagi” and encourages people to plant at least one sapling
in their lifetime. The Dainik Bhaskar requested us to be part of their abhiyan and
therefore, a programme was arranged to have a massive plantation drive in the
Seminary campus.
Accordingly, on 11th of August 2015 a
massive plantation programme was organized. The Bhaskar team provided us one
hundred various tree saplings. Earlier, the brothers had already planted 200
various tree saplings in the campus. The saplings plated so far are: Mahugani,
Teak, Mango, Guava, Jamun, Champa, Sesam, Karam, Saal and many other
ornamental plants. Dainik Bhaskar associate editor- Mr. Vinod and Marketing
director - Mr. Anish and Fr. Raju Felix Crasta, the Prefect of Philosophy were
people behind this drive. Mr. Anish exhorted the brothers the need for the
green and clean campus. Fr. Rector, Minister, Staff and students were present on
the occasion. (Fr. Raju. F. Crasta)
On 4th
of August, the Feast of St. John Mary Vianney was celebrated with a lot of
fervor and enthusiasm. On that day a big number of parishioners came for the
mass and prayed for the Priests. Soon after the mass, there was short programme
by St. Joseph Convent School Children, Parish Youth and Sisters. Fr. Robert
Toppo, the Parish Priest spoke on the life of Vianney and gave the message. At
the end, all had a delicious cake. On the 5th of August, Fr.
Cornelius Tigga celebrated his birthday. The celebration began with the
Eucharistic clebration at 5.30 pm; many people came for the mass and prayed for
Fr. Cornelius. At the end all shared the birthday cake. (Dn. Baldeo Hembrom)
St. Mary’s English High School, Bistupur:
Academics
are of central significance in the school, but it is the extracurricular
activities of the students that make them attractive and talented. The school
had organized two Inter School Events. FELICITY and CYBORG; several competitions
pertaining to analytical skills, writing skills and entertainments were
organized. It was heartening to see the team spirit, unity, innovation,
enthusiasm and high energy levels that prevailed in the campus. As expected all
their hard work paid rich dividends and FELICITY and CYBORG were grand success.
Our students had also brought laurels to the school by taking part in other
activities. One of the leading news papers had organized a RAKHI competition in
the school itself. The best ones are sent to the border for the soldiers to
show our love and brotherhood to the Jawans
who serve our country. Thanks to Fr. David Vincent for encouraging such
activity in the school.
“Where the mind is without fear and the head
held high,-into that heaven my Father let my country awake”. Taking
this wonderful composition of Raindra Nath Tagore as our inspiration and to
ignite the spirit of patriotism in the young minds we celebrated our
Independence Day with great zeal and love for the country. August 10th
to 14th we celebrated a patriotic week
in which the teachers prepared the morning assemblies very creatively. On
August 15, our national flag was unfurled by DR. Avinash from ESI hospital. All
of us together saluted the national flag by singing National anthem.
We
congratulate Fr. David, Fr. Linus, Sisters, Teachers, students and staff for
their hard work and commitment in achieving the International British Council Award (2015-2018) (Sr. Mariam)
Feast of M. C. sisters, Baradwari:
The
feast of M.C. Sisters was celebrated on Aug. 20th, Saturday. Bishop
Felix Toppo, S.J. was the main celebrant; many priests & religious, in and
around the city, along with many friends & well-wishers came to share the
joy of M.C. Sisters. The angelic choir by the Jesu Bhavan brothers & the
community spread an aroma of heavenly joy in the atmosphere. In the mass Bishop
expressed his gratefulness to the M. C. Sisters for the wonderful service they
render to the poorest of the poor. The M.C. Sisters renewed their vows at the
Eucharistic celebration. A cultural programme by the inmates followed the
Eucharist and a sumptuous meal was served to all present.
Certificate Day at St. Joseph’s
Welfare Centre, Golmuri:
On
August 24, St. Joseph’s Welfare Centre celebrated the Certificate Day, Bishop
Felix Toppo, S. J. was the Chief Guest. The Certificates were distributed to
the students who successfully completed their training programmes. The
certificates were given for courses in computer, Forklift & Stitching.
Congratulations to all the students. The other students put up a beautiful
cultural programme for the Function. Varieties of talents were displayed on the
stage. We thank all the teachers who worked hard to make it a memorable Day.
Marriage Preparatory Course:
St.
Joseph’s Cathedral organized a three days’ Marriage Preparatory Course. It was
arranged for those who are planning to get married during Christmas or New Year
Season. There were 36 participants who benefitted from this course. Dr. Francis
Xavier. Bara, Mr. Ronel Rakesh, Mr. Peter Bonerjee, Fr. Tobias, Fr. Jilson, Fr.
Camille & Fr. Pradeep gave them inputs for their happy & successful
life.
St. Xavier’s
English School, Chakradharpur: The results for the
1st term examinations were declared on the 1st Aug, in spite
of the heavy downpour parents along with their children thronged to the school
to collect their report cards.
On
the 8th the teachers had a seminar on English Language Teaching. The
training was conducted by Mrs. Reshmi Sensharma from Kolkata who is a clinical
psychologist and trainer with many corporates. The seminar was a good
experience for teachers, who had not experienced such sessions before, and gave
others insights on their teaching methods so as to how to improve them.
The
school celebrated the country’s 69th Independence day with great fervor. The
Chief Guest for the occasion was Mr. Krishna Singh Dugtal commandant of the
CRPF. On this day the second issue of the School Magazine “SOPHIZOMAI” was
inaugurated by the Chief Guest. The
children performed many patriotic theme based programmes. A sizeable number of
parents also attended the function. (Theodosius Salvadore)
Vianney Day at the Bishop’s House:
The
Feast of St. John Mary Vianney was celebrated on 8th of August at
the Bishop’s House. It was kept on a weekend to help many to join for the
celebration. The Priests, Brothers & Sisters, residing in & around the
city were invited for the Feast. All assembled in the Cathedral at 4 pm for a
recollection. Fr. K.M. Joseph, the Guide, spoke on the “Consecrated Life”. He
highlighted very beautifully the importance of this Sacred Call. He presented
to us the gospel of St. John, which narrates about call & cost of
discipleship. The sacrament of Reconciliation made the day more meaningful. All
in one voice appreciated the unique way of this festive celebration. Later all
joined us for the festive Meal. Thanks to Fr. David and Community for the good
celebration of Vianney Feast. (Fr. Pradeep Marandi)
BIRTHDAY
BABIES – September
Date
|
Name
|
07
|
Emmanuel Horo
|
09
|
A. Alphonse
|
11
|
C.R. Prabhu
|
17
|
Nestor Soreng
|
19
|
Vijay Bhat
|
21
|
Edward Saldanha
|
22
|
Benedict Minj
|
27
|
Paschal Toppo
|
30
|
Bipin Kishore Barla
|
BISHOP’S
ENGAGEMENTS
SEPTEMBER 2015
|
||||
02
|
[\\\
Wed
|
09.30
am
|
Diocesan
Clergy Meeting
|
Golmuri
|
02.00
pm
|
JDC
Governing Board Meeting
|
Golmuri
|
||
03
|
Thurs
|
am-pm
|
RBC,
CRI, Maj.Sups& CDPI Joint Meeting at SDC
|
Ranchi
|
04
|
Fri
|
am
|
RBC,
CRI, Maj.Sups& CDPI Joint Meeting at SDC
|
Ranchi
|
05
|
Sat
|
05.00
pm
|
Mass
at St. Mary’s Bistupur for Catholic Students
|
Bistupur
|
13
|
Sun
|
07.00
am
|
Confirmation and Pastoral
Visitation
|
Noamundi
|
20
|
Sun
|
Erection
of a New Parish
|
Jadugora
|
|
27
|
Sun
|
07.00
am
|
Confirmation and Pastoral
Visitation
|
Dhobatand
|
|
|
“Come away by yourself to a secluded place and rest a while.” (Mk 6:31)
Since priests are “leaders of God’s
people and particularly prone to activism, overwork and sometimes a feeling of
being alone in the mission, extra effort - and sometimes heroic effort- is
needed to dedicate time to spiritual renewal and continuing education. We are
blessed to have an opportunity to be with the Lord and to be ‘with oneself’,
keeping aside all the works and worries.
The Annual retreat for the priests has
been scheduled to be held from 18th to 23rd of October
2015 at Vikas Bharati, Sundarnagar, JSR. Fr. Peter Francis (XLRI) will be guiding the
Retreat.
Every priest in the diocese is exhorted
to make the arrangements and attend the retreat. It is the Church, the people
of God that benefits when the priests have the chance for renewal and
continuing formation.
Up-Coming
Programmes – Upasana
C/O Jesu
Bhavan Mango, Jamshedpur
Sl. No.
|
Programme
|
Pro. Director
|
Duration
|
Seats Available
|
1
|
Clergy Retreat
|
Fr. C. R. Prabhu
|
Sept. 06 pm -11 pm, 2015
|
34
|
2
|
Clergy Retreat
|
Fr. Fabian Bhuinyan, S.J
|
Sept. 20 pm – 25 pm, 2015
|
34
|
3
|
Religious Retreat
(Consecrate Life)
|
Fr. Fabian Bhuinyan, S.J
|
Sept. 30 pm- Oct 24 pm, 2015
|
15
|
4
|
Religious Srs. + Frs
Retreat (Consecrate Life)
|
Fr. Emil Coelho, S.J
|
Oct. 16 pm – 24 pm, 2015
|
20
|
5
|
Gestalt Therapy
|
Dr. Dick McHugh, S.J
|
Dec. 28, ’15 – Jan 4, ‘16
|
34
|
6
|
NLP -
Basic
|
Dr. Dick McHugh, S.J
|
Jan. 08- 18, 2016
|
34
|
7
|
NLP – Advance
|
Dr. Dick McHugh, S.J
|
Jan. 22- Feb. 01, ‘16
|
34
|
8
|
Health
|
Dr. Dick McHugh, S.J
|
Feb. 05-
09, 2016
|
34
|
9
|
Tools of the Spirit
|
Dr. Dick McHugh, S.J
|
Feb. 12 – 16, 2016
|
34
|
Contact : Fr. Fabian Bhuinyan, S.J
07091120815/ upasanaretreathouse@gmail.com
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