Catholic Diocese of Jamshedpur
Vol. 46 No. 7 Private Circulation Only July– 2016
THE
SAINTHOOD OF BL. MOTHER TERESA OF CALCUTTA
Blessed
Mother Teresa of Calcutta is going to be declared a ‘Saint’ by His Holiness
Pope Francis on 4th September, 2016. Her declaration of sainthood inspires
every one of us to look up to her as a role model of our Christian life. She
will be counted in the list of saints, who are remembered for their exemplary
life. We venerate them. We pray to God through them. In this manner, we become
a member in the company of angels and also develop a spiritual union with our neighbors.
It
was the wish of the Holy Father Francis that Bl. Mother Teresa be declared a
‘Saint’ in the Extraordinary Jubilee year of Mercy because of the similarities
in their religious beliefs and spiritualties. Just like Bl. Mother Teresa,
having been inspired by the love and mercy of God worked for the poor, the
exploited, the weak, the helpless and the unwanted; Pope Francis also
perpetually works to wipe away their sufferings. The heart of Pope Francis has
a deep compassion and sympathy for the pitiable. Hence, it is appropriate that
Bl. Mother Teresa be declared a ‘Saint’ in the Extraordinary Jubilee year of
Mercy.
On
the occasion of the Extraordinary Jubilee year of Mercy, the chosen theme for
the Canonization of Bl. Mother Teresa - ‘Bearer of God’s benevolent and
merciful love’ - is very appropriate.
On
10th September, 1946 she was inspired by God with a spiritual
calling. First and foremost, God spoke in her conscience saying, “I am thirsty.
I am thirsty for souls, you satisfy my hunger.” At that very moment He told her
to establish the congregation called the “Missionaries of Charity.”
She
understood the meaning of the “Missionaries of Charity” to be “the Bearers of
God’s Love.” God said to her, “You come and carry me to the poor and needy.”
That is why she used to say to her sisters “carry God’s love and light to the
houses of poor, especially to those who are in need of it. Wherever you go spread the love of the Sacred
Heart of Jesus.” She also used to say “Serve the Lord with gentleness and
mercifulness”. It was her firm belief
that Jesus loves all of us with motherly and tenderly love. She said that love
cannot remain static. Love forces us to do the work of “Service.”
The
work of the Sisters of Charity, in the tradition of the church, is called “the
Works of Mercy.” It could be both corporal and spiritual. Admonish the sinner,
instruct the ignorant, counsel the doubtful, comfort the sorrowful, bear the
wrongs patiently, forgive all injuries, and pray for the living and the dead
are Spiritual Works of Mercy. The Corporal Works of Mercy are feed
the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless,
visit the sick, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead.
The
day of declaring Bl. Mother Teresa a ‘Saint” is drawing near. Hence we must let
ourselves be inspired by her loving and merciful works. She did the simple
works in an extraordinary manner. We may not be able to do the kind of work she
did yet we can certainly do a few beautiful works for God in our own way. The
Catholic Church wants that Bl. Teresa be declared a ‘Saint’ in the
Extraordinary Jubilee year of Mercy as the representation of the face of the
Heavenly Father. The Catholic Church also wishes that following the words and
examples of Bl. Mother Teresa many would become generous and represent the face
of God in their own families and in their neighborhood. Just as she reflected
the tender and merciful face of God, let us also reflect the loving face of God
through our words and works.
A
public thanksgiving Eucharistic celebration is going to be held in honour of
Bl. Mother Teresa on 2nd October 2016. Besides Hon’ble persons of the country, many
Bishops are also expected to be present for the event.
+
Felix Toppo, S.J
Bishop of Jamshedpur
“When the family is no longer seen as sacred, it falls into
crisis” Pope Francis
In a joint
declaration, Pope Francis and Catholicos
Karekin II expressed their shared belief that, when the family is no longer
seen as sacred, it falls into crisis.
“The
secularization of large sectors of society, its alienation from the spiritual
and divine, leads inevitably to a desacralized and materialistic vision of man
and the human family,” the June 26 declaration said. “In this respect we are
concerned about the crisis of the family in many countries.” “The Armenian
Apostolic Church and the Catholic Church share the same vision of the family,
based on marriage, an act of freely given and faithful love between man and
woman.”
The joint
declaration was signed by the Pope and Catholicos Karekin II on Jun 26, the
final day of Pope Francis' three-day visit to Armenia. Addressed issues such as
persecution and discrimination, while acknowledging the positive steps toward
unity between the Church of Rome and the Armenian Apostolic Church.
The joint
declaration addressed the role of secularism in feeding the crisis in the
family as witnessed worldwide. “The secularization of large sectors of society,
its alienation from the spiritual and divine, leads inevitably to a
desacralized and materialistic vision of man and the human family. In this
respect we are concerned about the crisis of the family in many countries,” the
letter reads.
Pope
Francis' June 24-26 to Armenia was organized following the invitation of
Karekin II, the nation's civil authorities, and the Catholic Church. Armenia
has an ancient Christian legacy, being the first nation to adopt Christianity
Pope at Audience: Not Just
How Much I Pray, But How I Pray
It is not
enough to ask ourselves how
much we pray; we must also
ask ourselves how we pray. This was the invitation
made by Pope Francis at a general audience on 1st June, 2016 when he
reflected on the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican.
The
passage, found in Luke 18:9-14, is Jesus’ lesson on “the
right attitude with which to pray and to invoke the Father’s mercy,” the Pope
explained. Duration of prayer isn’t the only question, Francis said, but also “how
our heart is: it is important to examine [our hearts] to evaluate our
thoughts, our feelings, and to extirpate arrogance and hypocrisy.”
The Holy
Father said that prayer should be a “putting ourselves before God as we are”
and admitted that in order to pray, we have to “rediscover the way to our
heart, to recover the value of intimacy and silence, because it is there that
God meets us and speaks to us.”
“The
Pharisee prays to God, but in truth he looks at himself. He prays to himself!
Instead of having the Lord before his eyes, he has a mirror,” the Pope said.
“His attitude and his words are far from the way of acting and of speaking of
God, who loves all men and does not scorn sinners.” In contrast, the Publican
prayed a very brief prayer, but his “gestures of penance and his few and simple
words attest to his awareness of his miserable condition. He acts humbly,
certain only of being a sinner in need of mercy.”
The Pope
warned that “arrogance compromises every good action, empties prayer, distances
one from God and from others.” “If God favours humility,” he said, “it is not
to humiliate us: rather humility is the necessary condition to be raised by
Him, so as to experience the mercy that comes to fill our emptiness.”
Diocesan News
58
Children received First Holy Communion at Prabhu Marsal Church, Goilkera
God
humbled Himself to contain himself in a small piece of bread that He can be
with us forever as He had promised before going back to His Father’s Abode. It
was a blissful experience for 58 children of our parish to taste and see how
good the Lord is for the first time in their lives on 12th June,
2016. The children were well prepared for the day and the credit goes to the
village catechists. The final preparations went on for three full days in the
parish itself.
Fr.
Halan Bodra, the Dean of Chaibasa deanery was the main celebrant for the solemn
Holy Eucharist. Fr. Halan, in his homily, reminded the children of the
importance of the Holy Eucharist. After the Holy Eucharist, the parishioners
felicitated the new communicants and wished them all the best in their faith
journey. Congratulations to all who helped in making this day a memorable one.
(Fr. Prince Dhibash)
The
Feast of St. Antony of Padaua
June 12, 2015 was
blessed with showers of blessings as the feast of St. Antony was magnificently
celebrated at Cathedral parish in Golmuri. The saint has a special place in the
heart of commoners, as he performs miracles in the life of the people. The devotees
took out a grand procession with the statue of St. Antony from Vallankanni
grotto to the Cathedral. Rev. Fr. Maria Charles presided over the Mass and a
wonderful sermon. The church bedecked with colourful flowers added beauty to
the celebration. People showed their gratitude and piety to the saint by
offering thanks giving Mass for all the favours received from God through the
saint. The choir brought forth a prayerful atmosphere during the celebration.
The feast was celebrated in various parishes across Jamshedpur with lots of
enthusiasm and excitement. The feast remained a memorable one as usual.
Congratulations to all who worked hard for the wonderful and meaningful
celebration. Fr. Maria Charles
The Parish Feast, The Sacred Heart Church, Adra
The Sacred
Heart Church, Adra celebrated the Parish feast and the Golden Sacerdotal
Jubilee of Fr. C. R. Prabhu on 26th June, 2016. The days programme began
with Solemn Mass. The children of St Vincent Ashram Hostel danced the
concelebrants to the Church. At the entrance of the Church, the Mahila Sangh
welcomed the Priests by traditional welcome with Arathi. Then the School
Children of Sacred Heart, Adra with a well-rehearsed dance led the Priests to
the Alter for the Eucharistic celebration. The choir made the liturgy memorable
one with their hymns, the entire congregation joined in singing.
Soon after the Mass, parishioners had their breakfast followed by a
cultural programme in the hall. The parish priest welcomed Fr. Linus Kindo,
Asst. Parish Priest and the Principal of the school. Fr. Prabhu in his speech
recalled his nostalgic memories of yester years when Fr. Raphael d'Sa was the
Parish Priest of Adra. Fr. A. Alphonse presented a golden ring to Fr. Prabhu as
a memento of the parish to remember 50 golden years of Priesthood. This was
followed by lunch for all the parishioners. (Fr. Edwin Coelho)
Bloom
Where You Are Planted-St. Francis De Sales.
For
M.S.F.S, it’s an opportunity to serve the people of Seraikella with this little
formal institution, St. Francis De Sales School, Seraikella. Our founder Fr.
Peter Mary Mermier says that The Heart of
Education is the Education of the Heart. We the MSFS, pay attention in
creating all-round developed young boys and girls not mere literates. In view
of this there were many activities and competitions (curricular and co-
curricular, celebration of festivals and special days) conducted in our school
to bring awareness of the importance of self and others, respect and appreciation
for the local and the world community.
As
we all know that the Annual Parents’ Day is one of the most important events in
the history of the school. One such was arranged on 20th December
2015 on the theme Sare Jahan Se Achchha.
The enthusiastic participation of my vibrant students still remains before my
eyes. The witness of enormous number of parents and guests (Fathers, Sisters
and Brothers) gave a push to the school on the positive realm. The presence of
Shri Chandra Sekhar IAS (DC, Seraikella) and Rev. Fr. David Vincent (VG,
Jamshedpur Diocese) is indelible in the heart of the school.
Today, Examination is used as a yardstick
for measuring the capacity of the students and result on the other hand
presents the progress and regress of the school. This year the school attained
100% result and the new academic year (2016-17) has successfully begun. Still we have many plans to realize for the
development of our school for helping the people of Seraikella to walk towards
new avenues for better citizenship and best world. I end by quoting my Heavenly
Patron St. Francis De Sales, “Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections.”
(Fr.
Anthony Amaladoss.Msfs)
Silver
Jubilee Celebrations of Sr. Jansy UMI, Chaibasa
The Chief Celebrant of the thanksgiving
Mass was Rev. Fr. David Vincent, the Vicar General. Fr. C. R. Prabhu in his
introduction congratulated Sr. Jansy and said, that it is only a mile stone in
the series of many. Fr. Edwin Coelho through his sermon explained the need to
be grateful and to hold on to the roots. The celestial choir by the students
and the active participation of the people made the Eucharistic Celebration a
heavenly experience.
Eucharistic celebration was followed by a small
felicitation programme, where Sr. Jansy and her family members were honoured. A
sumptuous meal was served to all present. Congratulations to the Parish Priest,
Fr. Halan and all the sisters for the success of this programme.
Village Chapel Blessing at Sorbai, Maluka
It was a remarkable day for the villagers of Sorbai in
Maluka parish as they witnessed the blessing of their new village chapel at
Sorbai. It was a dream come true. Fr. Camille Hembrom was the main celebrant of
the solemn Eucharistic Celebration. The villagers had gathered for the mass in
a very good number; the active participation of the people at Sorbai indeed is
praise worthy.
Two eldest women in the village opened the door of the
Chapel, the door of Mercy, and everyone entered the chapel with a small prayer.
The village-chapel stands as the witness of their Christian faith and
dedication to the Mother Church. Congratulations to Fr. Junas Purty and Manoj
Tigga.
Catholic
Charities, Sundarnagar
·
Sr. Thomasina SCJM, who has been working
in Catholic Charities for quite some time - for the third time, in Catholic
Charities, is being transferred by her Provincial. In her place, Sr. Marie Zelie AC of Apostolic Carmel, Northern
Province has already joined us.
·
The Provincial, Sr. Marie Therese, of
Sisters of the Sacred Heart, Jharkhand Province (Amar Jyoti, Pardih) has given
us the services of Sr. Tessy SSH to be in charge of Vikas Bharti. Sr. Tessy has already joined us on 10th
April and is looking after Vikas
Bharati.
·
Sr. Deepti HC who has been taking care of
our “Women’s Desk” is being transferred for health reasons and she is being
replaced by Sr. Eliani Topno HC. Sr. Eliani has joined us on 18th
April and she is being guided in her job by Sr. Deepti.
·
Fr. Alwin C.V. the Asst. Director has been
accepted for a 6 months course in leadership in Development by Cody Institute,
Canada. If all goes well, he has to join Coady Institute in the first week of
July.
Catholic Charities warmly welcomes the new
Sisters in its mission and thanks profusely Sr. Thomasina, and Sr. Deepti for
their selfless service and great contribution. (Fr. C. R. Prabhu)
St,
Mary, s English High School, Bistupur
For
every institution their academic performance is the touch stone. Considering
this criterion, we can proudly say that despite our admission policies favoring
the marginalized in the society, the academic performance of our students has
been consistently commendable. The credit goes to the hardworking and the
dedicated staff members. Congratulation to our principal Fr. David Vincent. The
investiture ceremony was held on 23rd of June. This solemn occasion
marked the embracing of the next batch of leaders on a year of long mission to
safeguard and protect the sanctity of the school by enforcing rules and
regulations and to be a shining example to all students. The ceremony began
with procession of leaders led by the school SPL holding aloft the resplendent
school flag followed by a prayer service. The swearing in ceremony followed
with the oath of office being administered by the school SPL. The leaders had
been bestowed with the motto, ’LOVE AND SERVICE’ string boldly leaves foot
prints on the sands of time.
We
bid a fond farewell to Fr. Chonas, our
School Manager and Fr. Linus our Vice Principal. Beauty, wit, charm and
intellect; both the Fathers are an embodiment of all these qualities and much
more. They have the innate ability to get along with all age groups and can
keep any audience in splits of laughter with their humor. St. Mary’s family
greatly appreciates Fr. Linus for his patience in replying to the numerous
queries relating to admission, exams, results; marks cards, etc. Father has
always showed great concern towards all those around him. He embodies a rare
blend of sincerity, simplicity and commitment to perfection. Dear fathers we
assure you our prayers and all the best for your future mission. (Sr. Mariam)
Date
|
Name
|
07
|
Fr.
Manoj Tigga
|
10
|
Fr.
Ranjit Kullu
|
13
|
Fr. Eugene Ekka
|
19
|
Fr. David Vincent
|
22
|
Fr. Cyril Fernades
|
24
|
Fr. John Ottaplakal
|
25
|
Fr. Jerome Pereira
Fr. James
Quadros
|
26
|
Fr. Linus Kindo
|
30
|
Fr. Joy Paul K.
|
BISHOP’S
ENGAGEMENTS- JULY,
2016
JULY 2016
|
||||
01
|
Fri
|
10.00 am
|
Conference. SIGN. SDC.
|
Ranchi
|
03.00 pm
|
Meeting with the Doctors
|
Mandar
|
||
02
|
Sat
|
05.30 pm
|
Mass. handing over/ taking over of PP
Office
|
Telco
|
08
|
Fri
|
PM
|
To Ranchi
|
|
09
|
Sat
|
06.30 am
|
Inaugural Mass at SAC
|
Ranchi
|
09.00 am
|
Academic Inaugural Session of SAC
|
Ranchi
|
||
08.00 pm
|
Regents Recollection
|
|||
10
|
Sun
|
AM
|
Regents Recollection
|
|
12
|
Tue
|
PM
|
Welcoming new priests at Catholic
Charities
Mass, Felicitation and Dinner
|
Sundernagar
|
13
|
Wed
|
10.00 am
|
Inauguration and Blessing of New School
of SABS
|
Noamundi
|
15
|
Fri
|
10.00 am
|
Mass. Feast of Cluny Sisters
|
Telco
|
16
|
Sat
|
06.30 am
|
Mass at Carmel Convent, Park View
|
Bistupur
|
18-22
|
Caritas India Meeting
|
Bangalore
|
||
26-29
|
JHAAN RBC Meeting/SIGN/SAC/Commissions
|
Ranchi
|
||
