Catholic Diocese
of Jamshedpur
Vol. 47
No. 12 Private Circulation Only December– 2017
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
First and foremost, I wish you all a blessed
and joyful Christmas. Christmas brings a message of love and peace not
only for Christians but also for the whole humanity. It is a story of an
infinite love of a Father for His children. God sent His only Son to the world
that the world may not perish due to sin and may Jesus, His Son, through his
life, death and resurrection pay the price of our sin. In order to understand this
unfathomable love of God we need to learn the purpose for the creation of
humanity.
God is love
and the source of all goodness. His heart is brimming with infinite love. It is
to share this divine love that God created man and bestowed in him the ability
to love and to be loved. God created man in His image and likeness that the he
may experience love and share that love with his Creator. He filled man with an
eternal soul and the ability to know and to understand the difference between
good and evil. He blessed him with intelligence and gave him the freedom to
choose. Anyone, with the use of his intellect and knowledge, acknowledges good
and peruses it will be fulfilling the eternal design God has planned for him:
to be with Him forever in heaven. And anyone who uses his abilities to peruse
evil and turn himself away from the love of God will suffer eternal
condemnation.
Of all visible creatures, only man is "able to know and love
his creator". He is "the only creature on earth that God has
willed for its own sake", and he alone is called to share, by
knowledge and love, in God's own life. It was for this end that he was created,
and this is the fundamental reason for his dignity (CCC356).
William Shakespeare said,
“All the world’s a
stage,
And all the men and women
merely players;
They have their exits and their
entrances; …
But the earth we live in, is
not merely a stage, it’s an altar; and our deeds are not acts, but sacrifices
on this sacred altar, the earth. Whenever man offers an offering pleasing to
God, he makes the altar more holy. Whenever the deeds of man corrupts the
offering, he defiles the altar, the earth. The changes that we see around, the
failing of eco-system, natural calamities unexpected disasters etc., are often
the result of tarnished earth by the acts of hatred and violence.
But God does not abandon his children.
Every Christmas is a reminder of that infinite love God has for us. We
know, Christmas is the celebration of God becoming man; God in His infinite
goodness and love send His only Son into the world. And He was born of a
virgin. Fulfilling His Father’s desire, Jesus came to the world with a specific
mission. His mission was: to teach the people of God, as a prophet and teacher,
the rudiments of Divine Love and strengthen them spiritually; to guide and
shepherd the flock of God; and to offer Himself as an atoning sacrifice for the
salvation of souls. Thus, the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth was
Jesus’ ultimate mission.
Jesus’s mission that began at the
manger, culminates on the cross. His resurrection is the testimony of the foundation
of the Kingdom of God. Jesus’ through
his birth, life, death and resurrection animates the Church with the Life of
God and we become the members of his body, the Church; Our faith is
strengthened, hope is rejuvenated, human love is united with the Divine and
peace permeates in our hearts. It is
thus, the mission of Christ is accomplished.
The world has changed with the change of times. There
are tensions between nations, wars have created chaos; internal and external
terrorism in our country have ruined our peace and harmony. Corruption has
permeated even into politics. The people who vowed to serve are often living a
luxurious life at the cost of the common man. Religious fanaticism and narrow
mentality slowly corrodes the very fabric of society. In the name of
development tribals and the vulnerable are exploited. In our state, Christians
and their identity is being tarnished. It is now, more than ever, the message
of Christmas is relevant: God loves everyone and wishes that man reciprocates
His love. It is only in love we can find peace. Let love remain supreme.
Incarnation is the explicit
expression of Divine Mercy. Let our celebrations be simple and noble. Let us
celebrate it with our fellow brethren who are less-privileged, share with them
the joy and happiness of Christmas. Let us pay more attention to the spiritual
dimension of Christmas, let us try to reciprocate the love God has for us. 1Jn.4:20
says, “We love because He loved us first. If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he
is a liar. For anyone who does not
love his brother, whom he has
seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen”. It is by
loving others we can love God and it is only then, we can really receive the
Lord in our hearts and be gracious recipients of His blessings. I wish all of
you a Happy and Joyous Christmas.
+ Felix Toppo, S.J
Bishop of Jamshedpur
The Annual Feast of
Our Lady of Khuntpani
The annual Feast of Khuntpani in remembrance of the 145rd
anniversary of the first
baptism of tribals in Chotanagpur was celebrated with grandeur on 8th
November 2017. From early morning
onwards faithful from far and wide began to fill the beautifully decked campus.
A long queue of girls dancing to the melodious tune of mandar led the
celebrants Most Rev. Felix Toppo, S.J. Bishop of Jamshedpur and over five dozen
Priests to the altar after the traditional rituals were performed at the SmritiPathar.
Bishop Felix Toppo, S.J, who resided over the Solemn Eucharistic celebration spoke
to the crowd about Mother Mary and her deep devotion to her son Jesus. Fr.
Camille Hembrom later translated his homily into Ho for the convenience of many
faithful. The choir from Jhinkpani and Maluka parishes with their hymns led by Rev.
Frs. Dileep Marandi and Michael Jojo and the occasional commentary in Hindi and
Ho languages by Rev. Fr. Bipin Barla made the liturgy more meaningful and
prayerful.
Hearty congratulations to Frs. Junas Purty, Halan Bodra and
the local community who made wonderful arrangements for the Khuntpani Feast.
(Fr. Valerian Lobo)
Nature Took Care of Us; now it’s our Time
To Pay Back
The
earth is not going to be green forever. The longer that we take care of it, the
longer it will last. Taking small steps such as recycling, saving energy and plantations
etc., will help the mother Earth to survive for a much longer time. The more we can teach the conservation
and value of Mother Earth to others the more we are helping to save the environment. Since we only have one planet to live on, we need to start
to invest in the environment and save it for all of our generations to come.
Keeping in mind the above objectives, the Catholic
Charities, Sundernagar organized a “GO GREEN EXHIBITION” at Basic School in
Anandpur block. A teacher and two students each of 25 schools of Anandpur block
brought their models to exhibit which were based on various environmental
themes. Honourable Mrs. Jobha Manjhi MLA
of Manoharpur was the chief guest who in her speech highlighted the importance of protecting and
preserving the environment and also briefed the gathering about the various
projects being implemented to save the mother earth by the government. Prior to
that Rev. Fr. C.R. Prabhu welcomed all and spoke about the objectives of the
programme. On this occasion Mr. Manoj Tiwari the BDO of Anandpur block, BEEO,
Fr. Camille Hembrom and Fr. Alex Dodrai encouraged and congratulated the
teachers and students for their good works. There were about 200 people present
for the programme. All the schools were given a memento and a certificate.
After the programme five Ashoka plants were planted by the Chief Guest and
others in the premise of the Basic school. Fr. Alwin, Fr. Birendra, Sr. Luisa,
Sr. Eliani and many staff of the Catholic Charities were also present for the
same. (Fr. Birendra Tete )
Krus
Vir Convention, Dhanbad
On 19th November,
2017, Krus vir convention for Dhanbad deanery parishes was organised at Nirmal
School, Govindpur. As per the schedule, children from different parishes
gathered at the school campus with great enthusiasm. The krus vir children from
Nirmal School led the opening prayer and welcomed everyone with prayer dance.
The theme of the convention was “Krus vir –Parivar ka Anand” and Fr. Bipin Pani
explained the theme through examples and stories. Quiz was another occasion to
witness the enthusiasm and preparation of the children. Gomoh parish was the
winner at the end. After lunch, children staged drama, dances and sang songs.
At the end we had a “dhum-dham” Eucharistic Celebration presided over by Fr.
Alex Sj. All the winners as well as the participants received gifts before they
left for their respective destination. A big thanks to Frs. Bipin Pani, James
Surin, Pascal Toppo, sisters and the dedicated staff of Nirmala School and
hospital.
Catechetical Training programme at Divya Bharati, Chaibasa
On 22nd and 23rd Nov.
2017 a two-day ongoing training programme for the catechists was
organised at Divya Bharati, Diocesan pastoral Centre, Chaibasa. The theme of
the seminar was “The importance of family and how to accompany them in their
journey”. The input sessions were based on Amoris Latetia – The joy of love.
The various aspects and effects of Anti conversion bill too was discussed on
second day. It was felt that many more catechists need to be encouraged to
attend the ongoing formation.
St. Paul’s Church, Maluka
The solemnity of Our Lord
Jesus Christ, King of the Universe was celebrated at St. Paul's Church, Maluka
with great joy. The faithful gathered at the entrance of the school gate. The
Holy Eucharist was a carried in procession. People welcomed the King of kings
in loud music and hymns. They recited rosaries and shouted "Jesus, Our
King". The procession proceeded towards the church. After few minutes of
adoration and we had a solemn Eucharistic celebration.
St. Paul’s Church, Maluka
celebrated Bible Sunday on November 12 this year to remind and encourage our
parishioners to read and reflect on the Bible, the treasury of the Church's
teachings and a major source of inspiration and comfort for all who
believe. It was indeed a great joy that all our parishioners actively
participated with full enthusiasm. They delivered the Word of God through Biblical
poster and Biblical acts. The main objective of these activities was to
inspire or encourage our parishioners and their families to read Bible; reflect
more deeply on the meaning behind God's Words and learn how they can be applied
in their daily lives. The complete Bible was delivered in a
nutshell. The Faithful benefited a lot from this exhibition. After the
exhibition, the Holy Bible was carried in procession with full reverence and
placed on the specially prepared Lector by the main celebrant Fr. David
Vincent. He exhorted in his homily the real value of the living Word of God and
how a person can carry in one’s own life and reach it to others. After the
mass, Tea and snacks were served to the all parishioners. Congrats to all who
worked hard to make it successful.
St.
Joseph’s cathedral, Golmuri
A grand First Holy Communion Day
was celebrated at St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Golmuri on 19th November,
2016. The ceremony began with the solemn Eucharistic celebration.
St. Joseph’s schoolchildren escorted the First Holy Communicants and the
priests with entrance dance to the altar. Rt. Rev. Bishop Felix Toppo, S.J
presided over the Holy Eucharist and Fr. Hilarius Kongari S.J. preached the
homily. The preacher beautifully explained the salvation history; God’s love is
higher than the ocean. God’s love is unconditional and he forgives the sins of
people unconditionally. He exhorted the children to be at the state of grace to
receive the Lord, not just on the First Holy Communion, but for the rest of
their life.
The choir
created divine atmosphere with meaningful hymns and melodies music. 36 children
received Jesus in their hearts in the form of bread and wine and their joy knew
no bounds. Soon after the Mass, there was prize distribution ceremony for the
bible competition held at Golmuri, Mercy Chapel and Gyandeep. The names of
winners of quiz, slogan, essay and poem were called out and Bishop Felix Toppo,
S.J and Fr. Hilarius Kongari, S.J gave away the prizes to the winners. A good
number of the faithful turned up for the celebration. Thanks and
congratulations to Fr. David Vincent, P.P., other priests, sisters,
well-wishers and teachers. (Fr. Manoj Tigga)
Birthday Wishes - December
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03
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Fr
Junas Bhengra
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04
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Fr
Ajay Tiru
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BISHOP’S
ENGAGEMENTS
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DECEMBER 2017
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02
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Sat
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05.00 pm
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Closing of
Diamond Jubilee St. Joseph’s School
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Golmuri
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03
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Sun
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07.30 am
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Golden
Jubilee. St. Xavier’s Church
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Chaibasa
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06.00 pm
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St.
Xavier’s School, Annual Day
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Saraikela
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05
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Tue
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09.00 am
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Diocesan
Consult/ JDC GB Meeting
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Golmuri
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06
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Wed
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05.30 pm
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Diaconate
ordination of Br. Mukesh Kerketta
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Golmuri
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09
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Sat
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10.30 am
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Mass.
Golden Jubilee of Sr. Alma, M.C.
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Dhanbad
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10
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Sun
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07.00 am
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Parish
Golden Jubilee
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Mosaboni
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06.00 pm
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Golden
Jubilee of Sr. Cabrini, SSH at Provincialate
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Pardih
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12
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Tue
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P.M.
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Feast of
Our Lady of Guadalupe. Mass
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Telco
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15
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Fri
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P.M.
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Silver
Jubilee of St. Xavier’s English School
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Chaibasa
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16
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Sat
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09.30 am
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Christmas
Milan
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Golmuri
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17
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Sun
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10.30 am
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Jubilee
Mass in the Parish
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Sini
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23
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Sat
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10.30 am
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Christmas
Milan at Catholic Charities
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Sundernagar
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05.30 pm
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Christmas
Milan at Cheshire Home
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Sundernagar
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Catholic Diocese of Jamshedpur wishes
you a Blessed Christmas
&
a Joyous New Year 2018
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