Diocese of Jamshedpur
Vol. 47 No. 8 Private Circulation
Only August – 2017
VIRGIN
MARY: OUR LOVING MOTHER
On August 15 every
year with deep faith and devotion, we celebrate the great Feast of the
Assumption of Virgin Mary. Our Mother Church teaches us that Virgin Mary,
“having completed the course of her life, was assumed body and soul into
heavenly glory”. Mary is the Sublime Masterpiece of God the Father. She is
superbly beautiful in her perfect Love that the Angels never cease admiring the
Holiest of all Virgins. We need to honour the Woman adorned with the sun,
adorned with the Holy Spirit, thrice Holy and who fills the world and ranks as
Mother of God and Queen of Heaven. She, the Immaculate Conception, is the
Beloved Spouse of the Creator. She crushes the head of Satan. Jesus her Divine
Son, is the Heart of her Heart, Soul of her Soul and the Spirit of her Spirit.
The Hearts of Jesus and Mary are One. She is the Queen of Angels and all
creatures. Our loving Mother is the Co-Redemptress of our Redeemer whose Sacred
Heart, burning with Love, was offered to be pierced too for our sake.
This same Mother
Mary has appeared to many persons of different age in various times and places
to guide, teach, support us and to warn the Church and the humankind. I am
going to introduce three such apparitions of our times with messages which are
of prime importance for our redemption. These are apparitions of Virgin Mary at
Lourdes, Fatima and Garabandal.
1.
The Apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes
Beginning with her
first apparition of February 11, 1858, Mary appeared eighteen times to
Bernadette Soubirous, a girl of only fourteen years of age, When Bernadette
asked the Lady who she was, she received this reply, “I am the Immaculate
Conception”. Less than four years before, on December 8, 1854, Pius IX had
raised the teaching about the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady to be dogma of
faith. Through this dogma the Church teaches us that the Most Blessed Virgin
Mary was from the first moment of her conception, by the singular, grace and
privilege of Almighty God, and in view of merits of Christ Jesus the Saviour of
the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin, is revealed by
God and therefore, firmly and constantly to be believed by all the faithful.
(cf. The Christian Faith #708).
The Messages of
Lourdes can be summed up in the following four points: a. Heavenly
confirmation of the dogma of Immaculate Conception, b. Reparation for sins and
personal conversion, c. Importance of prayer and specially the Rosary.
2.
The Apparition of Our Lady of Fatima
Our Lady appeared
six times to Lucia Dos Santos, age 9, and her cousins, Frncisco and Jacinta
Marto, age 8 and 6 respectively at Cova da Iriva close to Fatima village in
Portugal. The Apparition of Mary was preceded by three apparitions of an Angel.
Our Lady appeared on May 13, 1917, June 13, 1917, July 13, 1917, August 19,
1917, September 13, 1917 and the last on October 13, 1917.
Miracle of the Sun
During the last
apparition the famous “Miracle of the Sun” took place at midday. The rain
stopped suddenly and there appeared exceptionally bright sun, but not dazzling.
The sun began to turn as if projecting in each direction bands of light of each
colour that lit and collared the clouds, the sky, the trees, and the crowd. It
stayed for some moments then it went back to its normal position, it stayed
still for a small while and then it happened again. Suddenly it looked as if it
stood out from the sky to fall headlong on the crowd that was looking terrorized;
they fell to their knees and begged mercy. Meanwhile the visionary children saw
a Lady dressed like the white of the sun with a blue cope, St. Joseph with the
Child Jesus that blessed the world. Then after this vision they saw the Lord
bless the world, standing next to our Lady of Sorrows. After these visions the
Lady of Mt Carmel finished the miracle. The people then became aware that there
clothes were completely dried.
The
Main Messages of Our Lady given at Fatima
a)
Penance
In the Gospels the
word penance means a conversion of one’s
life, a turning away from sin, and a turning back to God. Our Lady insisted at
Fatima: “Men must amend their lives, and
ask pardon for their sins.....They must no longer offend Our Lord, Who is
already so much offended.” Fatima message is a call for men to give up
sinful practices which grieve God and draw down his chastisements on the world,
and to make reparation for them. Our Lady told the children to make sacrifices
for sinners; for many souls go to hell because there is no one to make
sacrifices for them.
b)
Prayer
Besides a call to
penance, Fatima is in a special way a call for the Rosary. In each of the six
apparitions Our Lady asked for daily Rosary, and especially as an instrument of
world peace. After repeatedly asking for the daily Rosary, and identifying
herself as “The Lady of the Rosary”, the Blessed Mother terminated the final
apparition by showing the children three separate tableaux symbolizing the
entire message of the Rosary. The first was the vision of the Holy Family –
representing the joyful mysteries; the second a vision of Our Lady of Sorrows –
representing the sorrowful mysteries; and the third is a vision of Our Lady of
Mount Carmel – representing the glorious mysteries.
c)
Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
In the second
apparition on June 13, Our Lady let the children know that “Jesus wishes to establish throughout the
world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. I promise salvation to those who embrace
it.” Our Lady asked to make Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
3.
The Apparition of Our Lady of Garabandal
Garabandal is a
small village in the Santander Province in northern Spain, where Our Lady
appeared to four girls – Conchita Gonzales, Maria Dolores (Mari-Loli) Mazon,
Jacinta Gonzalez and Maria Cruz Gonzales. Maria was 12 years of age and others
were eleven, and all were from poor families. From 1961 to 1965 Our Lady
appeared to these girls, sometimes together, sometimes alone, innumerable
times. During the apparitions the girls went into ecstasies. Powerful beams of
strong light were focused on them, yet their eyes did not even flicker, blink
or show any signs of discomfort. The flame did not burn them. On July 18, 1962
the Miracle of the Host took place. An Angel with a golden chalice gave
Conchita on her tongue the holy Host. People saw the host, but did not see the
angel.
Four Main Messages
of Garabandal
Three great
supernatural events were prophesied at Garabandal.
a)
The Warning
The first is a
worldwide Warning from God to be seen and then felt interiorly by everyone on
earth. At that moment, we will see the wrong we have done and the good we
failed to do. The Warning will be sent to correct the conscience of the world
and prepare it for the great miracle.
b)
The Miracle
The Miracle will
take place at the grove of pine trees on a bluff overlooking the village of
Garabandal It will occur on a Thursday evening at 8.30 on or between the eighth
and the sixteenth of March, April or May. (Visionary Conchita knows the date
and will announce it eight days in advance.) It will be on the feast day of a
martyr of the Eucharist and coincide with an event in the Church. All the
persons present either in the village or surrounding mountains will see it. The
sick who are present will be cured, sinners converted and the incredulous will
believe. As a result of the Miracle, Russia will be converted.
c)
The “Sign”
After the Miracle,
a permanent visible supernatural sign will remain at the pines in Garabandal
until the end of time as a proof of Our Lady’s tremendous love for all her
children. The Sign that will remain, will be able to be seen, photographed and
televised, but it will not be able to be touched. It will appear clearly that
it is something not of this world, but of God.
d)
The Chastisement
If the world still
does not change after the Miracle, then God will send the Chastisement. Dear
brothers and sisters, as we celebrate the glorious feast of the Assumption of
Our Lady, let us also remember that she as our Mother who loves us immensely.
She appears to the visionaries to guide us in the path of holiness, to teach us
God’s will for our salvation and to warn us against the sin committed against
God and imminent punishment if we do not repent. I invite all of you to reflect
and meditate on God’s love, to pray to Our Lady of Rosary and to love the
Immaculate Hearts of Jesus and Mary. This will make our Feast spiritually
meaningful and fruitful.
Your
Friend and Servant
+Felix Toppo, S.J.
St. John Mary Vianney, A Model for
Priests
St. John Mary Vianney, the saint of
Ars, is a man of God, a man of prayer and a man for others. There are now a
plethora of tasks, activities and movements in which priests are expected to
immerse themselves. But the challenges and demands made on priests today should
not frighten or confuse them. The new emphasis and requisites only tend to
integrate priests with their people, whereas the older theologies highlighted
their separateness. They have not only to celebrate the sacred mysteries but
also try in their life to epitomise the Word they preach and the sacrifice they
make present. To bring about such metamorphosis in priestly life, it demands a
profound and radical self-giving. Here St. John Mary Vianney comes to our rescue.
St. Vianney, a heroic model and a
persuasive teacher of the practice of piety, virtue and penance, is seen always
as a model for priests. Pope John XXIII in his Encyclical, Sacerdotii
Nostri Primordia says, Vianney is “wonderful in his pastoral zeal, in
his devotion to prayer and in the ardor of his penance to the honors of the
saints of heaven, now, one hundred years after his death, offers him with
maternal joy to all the clergy as an outstanding model of priestly asceticism,
of piety, especially in the form of devotion to the Eucharist, and, finally, of
pastoral zeal.” Therefore, he is a model of clerics. “a priest who was
outstanding in a unique way in voluntary affliction of his body; his only
motives were the love of God and the desire for the salvation of the souls of
his neighbors, and this led him to abstain almost completely from food and from
sleep, to carry out the harshest kinds of penances, and to deny himself with
great strength of soul.” Pope further says that it is very difficult in present
scenario to be like him. This task brings us challenge before us.
Over enthusiastic biographers held
that Ars was a den of iniquity and a cesspool of immorality. But it may not
have been so notoriously immoral. However, to the average citizens, God was not
important and the church played no active role in their lives. On the eve of
Vianney’s departure for Ars, Fr. Courbon, the Vicar General told him, “There is
no love of God in that parish. Go and put some love into it.” And he did just
that by his prayer and penance. His bargain with God was, “Grant me the
conversion of my parish. I consent to suffer whatever you want for the rest of
my life.” Like a true prophet he called his people to repentance; through
him, the spirit of penance spread through the land like fire over dry stubble.
He was there up to fifteen hours a day reconciling sinners. He penetrated the
impenetrable hearts, converted the most corrupted souls, won favour with God
and man through his self-giving and simplicity of life, too simple a life, in
fact, to express in human words. For instance, his daily meal consisted of a
bowl of boiled potatoes and he rested only for 3 hours.
It is said that we are living in the
age of “the lonely crowd” in “concrete jungles,” an age in which the separation
and gulf among the hearts and minds of people often find tragic expressions. As
an ambassador of Christ the priest must appeal to all people to be reconciled
with God and with one another. To those who are lost in the loneliness and
isolation of sin he must effectively speak Christ’s word of forgiveness. A
priest is a man who builds bridges (pontifex) and breaks down barriers.
In fact, the priest himself must be a bridge i.e., a genuine living link
between God and people through prayer and selfless service. “Oh! How great is
the Priesthood! It can be properly understood only in Heaven... if one were to
understand it on this earth one would die, not of fright but of love!” (Pope
Benedict XVI in his General Audience on 4th August 2009).
St. Vianney’s very life is a reminder
that the aim of all revolution must be reconciliation. If like their patron,
priests make the Eucharist the centre of their life and allow it to mold and
shape them, they too can attain the power of total giving of self which is
needed to live up to the image and profile of a pastoral priest. Then every
priest can become a real pontifex, who brings reconciliation in the
world. Thus, the simple, gentle and pacific Vianney becomes a challenging
Vianney for all priests.
“Dear St. John Vianney, because of
your love of God you showed great charity towards your neighbour. You could not
preach on the Love of God without burning tears of love. During your last
years, it seemed as though you could not talk about anything else or live for
anything else, but for love. You sacrificed yourself to your neighbour by
consoling, absolving and sanctifying them to the limits of your strength. Your
charity inspires me to greater love of God, a love which is shown more by acts
than by words. Help me to love my neighbour generously as Christ loves them. St
John Vianney, Patron of Priests, pray for us and for all priests. Amen.” (Fr.
Raju Felix Crasta)
Nuncio’s
Visit to Ranchi
His Excellency, Archbishop Giambattista Diquattro, Apostolic
Nuncio to India and Nepal reached Ranchi on 26th July, 2017. He was
welcomed in a traditional manner at the airport. On the same day, he had a
meeting with all the Major Superiors of different congregations in Ranchi. In the same evening there was a public
reception arranged at St. Albert’s College Auditorium, Ranchi. As the Chairman
of JHAAN Regional Bishops’ Conference, Rt. Rev. Felix Toppo, S.J, welcomed his Excellency,
Archbishop Giambattista Diquattro, to Chota Nagpur and gave him a brief introduction
about the Church in Jharkhand. His Eminence Telesphore Cardinal P. Toppo
felicitated him by giving him a shawl and a memento of Birsa Munda
.
The
variety of programmes by the brothers and by hostellers of St. Anne’s were remarkable.
In his message, Nuncio stated that the Holy Spirit is at work in India and the
whole world’s attention is in India.
On
27th July, nuncio met with the board of bishops and seminary staff
at St. Albert’s Ranchi. He also made it a point to meet every bishop of JHAAN
Region personally and spend time with them, discussing various matters. On 28th
July, he departed for Delhi.
Family
Commission Meeting
On 18th &
19th July 2017 all the diocesan directors of JHAN gathered at the
Diocesan Pastoral Centre, Khunti at the invitation of Regional Secretary for
Family Commission, Fr. Luis Joseph of Dumka diocese to reflect and discuss on
Amoris Laetitia, the Joy of Love. The family which begins with the sacrament of
Marriage is vital for the survival and existence of human family. God's
presence could be experienced only in and through family. So, the Church has
the utmost responsibility to take care of every family, especially the Catholic
families. Hence, the marriage preparation must be taken very seriously so that
the couple begin their marital life with great joy. During the deliberation, it
was suggested that proper syllabus on marriage could be prepared so that those
who prepare the couples could do justice to the subject.
Chaibasa
Denery Krus Vir Animators Meet
On 29th July 2017 Krus
Vir animators of Chaibasa deanery gathered at Divya Bharati, diocesan pastoral
centre, Chaibasa to plan for the forthcoming Krus vir mahosavo. After the
prayer, the animators bid farewell to Fr. Dileep Marandi who served as the
coordinator for krus vir for three years with full zeal and enthusiasm, despite
his other responsibilities in the parish. They also welcomed Fr. Valerian Lobo
as the new coordinator for the Krus vir. After evaluating and briefing about
the various activities done at different centres, it was decided that this year
we will have Krus vir Rally for the children from 26th to 28th September, 2017
at Chaibasa.
After having a sumptuous
meal, all the 25 animators went back to their places. A special word of thanks
to all the Parish Priests, Headmasters, Headmistresses and Principals for
taking keen interest in forming our Catholic Children in Faith.
One
day Football Tournament at Pursudih
30th May, 2017 St. Robert
Church campus witnessed a grand foot tournament organised by Catholic Youth of
Jamshedpur Deanery. Fr. David Vincent, the Vicar General inaugurated the event.
There were 15 teams from different parishes. The final match was between Mango
A & B teams. This was also an
occasion to thank Fr. Dileep Marandi, the outgoing Diocesan Youth Coordinator
for his service for the past three years. The newly appointed Diocesan Youth
director, Fr. Valerian Lobo was also welcomed by the Diocesan and deanery
committee members. The whole event was well organised with the help of the
Parish Priest, the Principal and the various organizations of the parish. Big
thanks to all for the grand success.
Diocesan
Catholic Mahila Sangh
On 30th July, 2017, the
diocesan Catholic Mahila Sangh committee had a meeting with Fr. Valerian Lobo,
the newly appointed Diocesan Spiritual Director for women at St. Mary's Church.
After getting to know each other and coming to know the difficulties, it was
felt that there is an urgent need to revive the Mahila Sangh in every parish.
Hence, it was decided that according the convenience, we will organise renewal
programmes at the parish, deanery and the diocesan level.
St.
Xavier's English School , Chaibasa
'Fresher's Party' was
organized for the students of Std – XI by the students of Std XII in the
school. Our principal introduced Sr. Geeta, the Superior to all of us. She will
be joining us in the month of August 2017. We celebrated the success of our
students for their excellent performance in ISC/ CISCE. “Investiture Ceremony”
was held on 28.06.17. The newly appointed members were presented to the
principal by the discipline in-charge Mr. Surojit Das. Rahul Kumar was sworn as
the head boy and Smriti Bajpayee as head
girl of the school.
Provincial of Sacred
Heart province Sr. Kusum visited our school on 06.07.17. The students of Std XI
conducted the morning assembly for welcoming her. She spoke few inspirational
words to the students. Teachers had a short meeting with Sr. Kusum in presence
of our principal Sr. Sheetal. She congratulated the principal and the teachers
for the excellent board results. Sr. Kusum spoke to the teachers and focused on
creating enthusiasm among the students to explore themselves. Meeting was
followed by the fellowship meal given by Sr. Kusum.
Please Note:
Divya Jyoti Renewal
Centre is organizing EPHETHA (The Youth
Fest- 2017) in the Renewal Centre. The programme aims at the spiritual
empowering of the youth through psycho-spiritual and charismatic interventions.
Kindly encourage and bless the youth of your parish to participate in this
event.
Venue: Divya Jyoti Renewal Centre (Patel Bagan,
Sundernagar)
Time:
August 12 to 15 (Registration begins 12th 1pm and the Retreat ends
at 15th 1pm).
Registration
Fee: 300/- per person.
Number
of Participants: Between 5 to 10 from each Parish.
Things
to Bring: Bible, Notebook & Pen, Bed sheets and
Toilet articles.
There is a
SCC Training Programme for the Parish Priests and the SCC team of the
Jamshedpur Diocese and Province. From each parish 5 members, including the
Parish Priest can participate in the Seminar. Fr. Vijay Thomas, National
Secretary of CBCI for NST and SCC will be the resource person.
Venue: Upasana, Mango, Jamshedpur
Time:
27 Evening - 30 Noon. (August,2017 )
For more
details please contact Fr. Anil Dang, S.J, Director, Divya Bharati, Chaibasa,
997389150
Bible Quiz: 52
Mt. 17-1-9
1. Whom did Jesus take when he went up to
the mountain?
2. On the mountain in front of his
disciples what happened to Jesus?
3. Fill
in the blanks: “His face shone like the
_______ and his clothes became bright as
______
4. “Master, it is good that we are here.”
– who said to whom?
5. How many and for whom Peter wanted to
make tents?
6. What did the voice from the cloud say?
7. “Stand up, do not be afraid” who said
to whom? – Choose the right answer.
1. Peter said to John, 2. Jesus said to his
disciples
3. John said to Jesus 4. Angel said to the
disciples.
8. What did Jesus command his disciples
when he came down from the mountain?
9. Fill in the blanks St. John Mary
Vianney is patron saint of ________
10. Which day in a week is dedicated to our
Blessed Mother ?
You are
requested to send the answers latest by the first week of September to the following address.
Director
Divya Bharati
Pastoral Centre
Near Mudhra
Hospital,
Chaibasa,
Jharkhand – 833201
BIRTHDAY BABIES
|
Date
|
Name
|
|
01
|
James
Surin
|
|
04
|
Amatus
Kujur
|
|
05
|
Cornelius
Tigga
|
|
08
|
John
Crasta
|
|
20
|
Alfred
Balmuchu
|
|
23
|
Johny
P.D
|
|
28
|
Augustine
Topno
|
BISHOP'S ENGAGEMENTS
|
AUGUST 2017
|
||||
|
06
|
Sun
|
06.30 pm
|
Feast of St. Dominic.
Holy Eucharist
|
Jadugora
|
|
10
|
Thur
|
09.30 pm
|
Meeting with the Parish Priests & Mission
Station In-Charges
|
Golmuri
|
|
15
|
Tue
|
10.00 am
|
Mass and Cultural Program St. Mary’s Church
|
Bistupur
|
|
18
|
Fri
|
05.00 pm
|
GB & AGB of CC and SJVK
|
Sundernagar
|
|
19
|
Sat
|
05.00 pm
|
GB Meeting of DSWC
|
Govindpur
|
|
20
|
Sun
|
06.30 am
|
Fifty Years of the Service of the Samaritan Sisters
|
Govindpur
|
|
26
|
Sat
|
09.30 am
|
Meeting of the Junior
priests
|
Golmuri
|
|
31
|
Thur
|
PM
|
To Delhi
|
|
Contribution for the Diocesan News
Letter
Your
great work or the success story of your parish or institution may be an
inspiration to others. It may help someone to restructure his/her priorities.
Therefore, may we request you to send the news and stories of success /
failures, pastoral activities for the “News Letter”. So that everybody could
benefit from it. (You may send them to Fr. Jilson T.L - pajsrbishop@gmail.com)
