The Dignity of Priesthood
Dear Brothers and Sisters in
Christ Jesus,
God in His infinite Wisdom,
beyond the comprehension of man, made man - a priest, His representative, alter christus, on earth. Senses cannot
grasp this marvel; it is in faith that we understand the true meaning of alter christus. Hence, the answer to the
question, ‘Who is Jesus?’ is the understanding of the person of Jesus in our personal
experiences: He is the Son of God, He is the eternal High Priest, the Eternal
Truth, the anointed of God, the sovereign Ruler of the world and King of Kings.
In his public life, He not
only gave sight to the blind but also cured his spiritual blindness; while
curing the deaf, he also gave him the words of eternal life. He made the
cripple walk that they may walk towards the righteousness of God. He cleansed
the lepers that they may experience the purity of heart. For Jesus, the conversion
of a sinner is much grater than raising a dead to life. He sowed the seeds of
brotherly love and compassion to the poor and the rich alike. He summarized the
whole Torah and gave them the
commandment of love.
Jesus assumed the Kingship after
his resurrection from the dead. His kingship is His Cross. He is the ultimate
Judge; He will judge us after our demise. And on the Last Judgement Day the
whole human race will face the justice of the Lord. On that day, there will be
no room for contrition or forgiveness of sins. Jesus, the judge will separate the
sheep from the goats, the good from the bad. The good ones will behold the glory
of the Lord and enter into His Kingdom and the bad ones will inherit the
eternal hell that has been prepared for them.
Jesus, through his suffering,
crucifixion, death and resurrection gained for us the eternal salvation. However,
humans as frail we are fall into temptation and commit sins. Hence, there is a
continual requirement for contrition and forgiveness of sins. Jesus instituted the
Holy Priesthood that He may continue his works of divine mercy and forgive the
sins of the humans. It is the divine mandate of the priests to dispense the
forgiveness of God through the sacrament of Reconciliation.
The greatest work that has
been entrusted to a priest is celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Eucharist, in
which the Offeror and the offering becomes one is the ultimate expression of
Divine Love. In the Eucharist, the bread and wine is transubstantiated into the
Body and Blood of Christ through the hands of a priest. The Eucharist in itself
is a miracle unfathomable to the human senses. Every priest is to celebrate
this great mystery with unblemished and a contrite heart. He needs to be
fortified with the faith in the Trinity, instilled with the gifts of faith,
hope and charity and guided by the Spirit. He is to understand the divine
mystery of God becoming man – to the extent of being a creature, to be with us
till the end of the world, in the form of the Eucharist. Humility and sincerity
are the pillars on which a priest can raise himself to the altar of the Lord.
It is not easy to be a
priest. A priest is in the world, with all the troubles and difficulties surrounding
it; war, homicide, hatredness and malice. He cannot keep himself away from all
the issues of the world. Instead, it is his duty to intercede for the people to
the Lord on their behalf. At the same time, it is true, that there exists
troubles in the Church because of our human frailties and spiritual immaturity.
Sometimes the worldly malic and sins creep into the lives of priests and hinter
them to carry out his divine mandate; this can lead the people of God astray. Hence,
it is the duty of every faithful to pray for Priests. They are the dispensers
of God’s grace amongst us. We must pray that every priest, being aware of his frailties,
trust in the Lord who called him, and lead a life rooted in the Gospel values
preached by Christ. Every priest must reinvent himself, and love God and love
the people that has been entrusted to him. The Gospels are his light that
eradicate the darkness of life and illumines the path to eternal life. We must
pray that every priest remembers his call and reinstate the friendship with Jesus
in every day of his life. Let us remember the letter to the Hebrews, 5:1-3, “Every
high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the
people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for
sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going
astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. This is why he has
to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people”.
Your Friend in
Christ,
+Felix Toppo, S.J
Gharwapasi of Father Camille Bulcke
A different kind
of ‘gharwapasi’ (homecoming) was witnessed in Jharkhand in the month of March,
which had support from all sections and was opposed by none. The remains of
renowned Hindi and Sanskrit scholar, Father Camille Bulcke was finally brought
from Delhi’s Nicholson cemetery and reburied on the premises of Ranchi’s St.
Xavier’s College located on Camille Bulcke Path, named after him. He came to
India from Belgium in 1935 to spread the teachings of Christ and not only found
a spiritual inspiration in Goswami Tulsidas but became one of the best
exponents of Ramkatha (the story of Ram).
In a state where religious conversion has always been a highly sensitive
and contentious issue and anti-conversion laws have been introduced by the
government; where conflict simmers between Christian and Sarna Adivasis, between Hindus and Muslims, between
Christians and Hindus and between Christians and Muslims, people of all
religions attended the ceremonial reburial of Father Bulcke’s remains to mark
his final resting place in his karmbhoomi, Jharkhand, 35 years
after his death.
The reburial of his skeletal remains was announced as part of the Adivasi tradition of hadgadi, where the remains
of the ancestors are carried as a blessing and reburied, as tribes move from
one village to another. Baba Bulcke’s ‘gharwapasi’ has restored a great sense
of pride to various communities but will his teachings and scholarly works also
inspire a new thinking among the youth in Jharkhand and beyond. It is befitting that the plaque installed
along with his mortal remains and a beautifully sculpted bust, is engraved with
the following doha from Tulsi’s Ramcharitmanas.
Parhit saris dharam nahin bhai
Par peera sam nahin adhmai.
There is no better dharma (religious duty)
than benevolence; nothing more sinful than malevolence towards others.
Notification
on the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the
Church
Following the inscription of the Obligatory Memorial
of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother
of the Church into the Roman
Calendar, which must already be celebrated by everyone this year on
the Monday after Pentecost, it seemed opportune to offer the following directions.
The rubric found in the Roman Missal after the formularies for the Mass of Pentecost,
“Where the Monday
or Tuesday
after Pentecost are days on which the faithful are obliged or accustomed to attend Mass, the Mass of Pentecost Sunday may
be repeated, or a Mass of the Holy
Spirit, may be said” (Missale Romanum, p. 448), is still valid because it does not derogate precedence between
liturgical days whose celebration are solely regulated by the Table of Liturgical
Days (cf. Universal Norms on the Liturgical Year and the Calendar, n. 59). Likewise, precedence is regulated by the norms on Votive Masses:
“Votive Masses are in principle forbidden on the days
on which there occurs an Obligatory Memorial, on a weekday of Advent up to and including
16 December, on a
weekday of Christmas Time from 2 January, or on a
weekday of Easter Time after the Octave of Easter. However, for pastoral reasons, as determined by the rector of the church or the Priest Celebrant himself, an appropriately corresponding Votive Mass may
be used in a celebration of
Mass with the people”
(Missale
Romanum, p.1156; cf. General Instruction of the
Roman Missal, n. 376).
Nevertheless, all else being
equal, the Obligatory
Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Mother of the Church is to be preferred. The texts of the Memorial were attached to the
Decree
along with indications for the readings, which are to be held as proper because they illuminate the
mystery of Spiritual Motherhood. In a future edition of the Ordo lectionum Missæ the rubric at n. 572 bis will expressly
indicate that the readings are proper and, even though it is a Memorial, are to
be adopted in place of
the
readings of the day, (cf. Lectionary,
General Introduction, n. 83).
In the case where this Memorial coincides with another
Memorial the principles of the
Universal Norms on the Liturgical Year and Calendar are to be followed (cf. Table of
Liturgical Days, n. 60). Given that the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church is linked
to Pentecost, as the Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary is similarly linked to the celebration of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, then, in the case where
it coincides with another Memorial of a Saint or Blessed, and following
the liturgical tradition of pre-eminence amongst persons,
the Memorial of the Blessed
Virgin
Mary
is to prevail.
From
the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 24 March, 2018
Chrism Mass - 2018
Diocese of
Jamshedpur left no stones unturned to make Chrism Mass – 2018 a memorable one.
The Chrism Mass was held on 22nd March, 2018 at St. Joseph’s
Cathedral, Golmuri. The day began with a Pastoral Clergy Meeting, chaired by
Rev. Bishop Felix Toppo, S.J. He explained in detail about the current
socio-political situation in Jharkhand and their influences in our ministry.
Fr. I. P. Sartho,
the resource person, helped the priests to analyze the challenges that priest face
today and the expectations of the people of God. The talk was very interactive
in nature and informative. In the afternoon, Fr. I. P. Sartho led everyone
present to a prayerful recollection. The
clergy and the religious made the best use of the recollection, benediction and
reconciliation in the afternoon.
The Holy Eucharist
with the blessing of the Holy Oils was celebrated at 5.30 pm. In the Holy
Eucharist, Bishop felicitated and prayed for the Jubilarians who are
celebrating the Silver Jubilee of their Sacerdotal Ordination. Rt. Rev. Bishop
Felix Toppo was also felicitated at this function as he is celebrating his
Golden Jubilee in the religious life.
There were more
than 120 priests for the Eucharistic celebration; the cathedral was full with
the religious and laity. Congratulations to everyone who made Chrism Mass -2018
a memorable one.
Community College,
Mango, Jamshedpur
The community
college, Mango, Jamshedpur held its 9th convocation day on 17th
March, 2018 in the college premises. Most Rev. Bishop Felix Toppo, S.J was the Chief
Guest for the function and Mr. Ratan Prakash (Asst. Divisional Manager, Tata
Hitachi) was the Guest of Honor. The Sisters from PDDM Congregation, Sr. M.
Cidia Awoki, PDDM, Sr. M. Refugio Saldate, PDDM, General Councilor too graced
the occasion. The parents of the students and well-wishers of the college too
were present for the function. The students of the 10th batch
presented a well-arranged programme. The principal Sr. Tessy PDDM in her annual
report spelled out various programs held in the college during the year. The students
are trained as heath assistants. Along with this program, the students are also
taught a) life coping skills, b) interpersonal relationship and communication skills,
c) basic computer skills, d) conversational English, e) Yoga-meditation Skills.
Two students of 9th
batch shared their life story which brought tears in the eyes of the audience. A
hope of better tomorrow was seen in their eyes. They thanked the sisters and
the instructors for motivating them and finding placement for all 21 students. Congratulations
to Srs. Tessy, Reshma and Zita for training these students and finding
placements for them. (Fr. Edwin Coelho)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
APRIL
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Date
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Name
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03
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Richard Miranda
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12
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Leo John D’Souza
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16
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Sahaya Thason
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19
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Paulus Bodra
|
24
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Pascal Minj
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29
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Sushil Dungdung
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BISHOP'S ENGAGEMENTS
APRIL 2018
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||||
01
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EASTER
SUNDAY
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02
|
Mon
|
09.30 am
|
Meeting with the Superiors of Communities and Principals and
Secretaries of Schools
|
Golmuri
|
03
|
Tue
|
06.00 pm
|
Farewell
Function of the Seminarians at Pratiksha
|
Neeldungri
|
07
|
Sat
|
09.30 am
|
Finance
Meeting with the Auditors
|
Golmuri
|
08
|
Sun
|
07.30 am
|
Confirmation
|
Rengra
|
06.00 pm
|
Silver
Jubilee of Sr. Premlata, A.C. Park View
|
Bistupur
|
||
14
|
Sat
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09.00 am
|
Youth
Programme by Mahila Sangh. Cath. Charities
|
Sundernagar
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09.30 am
|
JDES GB
Meeting
|
Golmuri
|
||
15
|
Sun
|
07.00 am
|
Confirmation
|
Basahatu
|
16
|
Mon
|
A.M.
|
Sr.
Emelda Soreng, Provincial, DSA, Gumla
|
Ranchi
|
PM
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To
Bangalore
|
|||
17
|
Tue
|
A.M.
|
Board
Meeting of CBCI CARD
|
Bangalore
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P.M.
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To Delhi
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|||
18-19
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Wed..
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AM-PM
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Hindi
Regional Bishops’ Meeting in Goldakkhana
|
Delhi
|
19
|
Thur
|
PM
|
Return to
Ranchi, JSR
|
|
21
|
Sat
|
06.00 pm
|
Golden
Jubilee, Sr. Marie Zelie, A.C.
|
Sonari
|
22
|
Sun
|
07.30 am
|
Confirmation
St. Paul Miki Church
|
Bordor
|
29
|
Sun
|
09.00 pm
|
Seminar
of Principals
|
Golmuri
|
