Diocese
of Jamshedpur
Vol. 46
No. 9 Private Circulation
Only September– 2016
Vatican raises hope for Tribal Nun -
Mother Mary Bernadette, DSA to Sainthood
Mother Mary
Bernadette Prasad Kispotta, founder of the Congregation of ‘The Daughters of St
Anne, Ranchi’, became the first tribal woman to be declared Servant of God on 7th
August, 2016, paving the way to start the lengthy process for a possible
sainthood.
After the
Vatican in July issued a nihil obstat or 'nothing stands
in the way' certificate for a thorough probe into the life of Mother Mary
Bernadette, a decree issued by Cardinal Telesphore P. Toppo, named her a
Servant of God. "It is a rare honour for a tribal woman to be declared a
Servant of God. Today, she became the first tribal nun in India to start her
journey towards a possible sainthood. It is all God's mercy," Cardinal
Toppo stated on the day of naming her a ‘Servant of God’.
Born on June
16,1878, Mother Mary Bernadette Prasad Kispotta, along with three other Sisters
- Cecilia, Veronica and Mary - founded the Congregation of the Daughters of St
Anne on July 26, 1897. All her life as a nun, Mother Mary Bernadette worked
extensively for education and travelled across forested hinterland without
roads to reach and teach villagers. During the turn of the 20th century and the
early decades, when cholera struck large parts of Chhotanagpur, Sister Mary and
Sister Veronica died in the epidemic. Undeterred by tragedies and dangers,
Mother Mary Bernadette and her congregation went on with their work in the
region and started branching out across India.
On April
16,1961, Mother Mary Bernadette breathed her last at St Anne's Convent, Ranchi,
from TB.
Mother Mary
Bernadette's bravery came from her unshakable faith in Jesus. The Mother and
Sisters of the congregation defied all odds to spread faith and education in
the region. They are heroines of the Catholic church. Sister Linda Mary
Vaughan, Superior General, Daughters of St Anne, said they had moved a formal
petition last November to Cardinal Toppo for the initiation of the process to
declare their founder Mother Mary Bernadette a Saint.
Beginning
from four in 1897, today the Congregation of the Daughters of St Anne has 1,040
sisters spread over 142 convents in India and abroad. While
declaring Mother Mary Bernadette a ‘Servant of God’, Cardinal's Cardinal
Telesphore P. Toppo asked the faithful and people at large to submit documents,
photographs and other material evidence relating to Mother Mary Bernadette that
they may possess, to the church, which a tribunal to be formed by him would
examine and send its report to the Vatican.
Giving
details of the rigorous process, Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas, auxiliary to
Cardinal Toppo and secretary-general of Catholic Bishops Conference of India,
the highest policy making body of the Roman Catholic Church in India, stated after
the Cardinal received the petition, he formed a committee to go into the merits
of the case.
"All 9
Bishops of Jharkhand and the Andamans, two auxiliary Bishops to Cardinal Toppo
and one Bishop Emeritus were consulted in the process of declaring Mother Mary
Bernadette a ‘Servant of God’. All available documents and photographs,
including a memoir written by Mother Mary Bernadette, were examined. It was
unanimously concluded that Mother had led a holy life and that a recommendation
should be sent to the Vatican for the Congregation for the Causes of Saints of
the Holy See. The Vatican concurred Mother Mary Bernadette led a heroically
virtuous life and issued the nihil obstat in July. On
August 7, 2016 the Cardinal issued a decree naming the Mother a Servant of
God,"
Once the
tribunal sends its report to the Vatican, another long step-by-step process of
screening for canonisation will start, criteria for which includes two
posthumous miracles.
It is a
matter of great joy for us to have someone from among us to be elevated to the
status of ‘Servant of God’. And it indeed is our responsibility to pray for the
faster process of her canonisation.
+ Felix Toppo, S.J
Bishop of Jamshedpur
Meeting
of all Principal’s & H. M’s in the Diocese
On
20th August, all the principals, Head Masters and Head Mistress of
all the schools in our diocese came together at the Bishop’s House for a
meeting. The meeting was at the request of CBCI to have observations and
opinions about the ‘National Education Policy-2016 in all the dioceses, to be
coordinated and conveyed to the Government of India.
Fr.
David Vincent, the Secretary of Jamshedpur Diocesan Education Society, spoke in
details about the National Education Policy -2016 and its implications. Bishop
Felix spoke about the need for our schools to be identified as Christian
Schools by our way of imparting value education. He emphasized the need for
catechism classes in our schools. The members requested to coordinate and
organize the text book for the catechism classes for the whole diocese. The
meeting was concluded with a sumptuous meal.
St.
Xavier’s English School, Chaibasa
Investiture Ceremony of St. Xavier’s
English School, Chaibasa was held on 29th July, 2016. It was an
important event where our new school council was appointed. The new school
council consists of Asim Chandra Hessa (Head Boy), Richa Naik (Head Girl),
Sikander Pariah & Shreya Gupta (Sports Captains) and Nikhil Tiriya &
Nikita Kumari (Inter-college Captains). Candidates were selected by teachers on
the basis of student's overall performance. The first open house was held on
August 6. The parents of the students had one-on-one meeting with the
respective class teachers. A patriotic dance & song competition was
organized for Std V to XII. The best performances were showcased on the
Independence Day. The Independence Day was celebrated with great enthusiasm and
respect on August 15. Sr. Kusum, Provincial, UMI, was the Guest of Honour and
Sr. Vandana, Vicar General, UMI, was the Chief Guest. They also participated in
tree plantation in the children's park. Later, both the respected Guests
inaugurated the Smart Boards in the new building. Our school participated in
the annual patriotic programme in Pillai Hall on August 15.
Catholic Charities, Sundharnagar
Monthly Recollection: And He said to them, “Come
away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” Mk 6:31. It was the good opportunity for the regents to take break from their
busy schedule to attend in the monthly recollection. 7 regents from the
different parishes of our diocese came for the monthly recollection which was
arranged at Catholic Charities from 20th evening to 21st
afternoon. Fr. Prabhu the resource person was more than happy to see all the
seven regents of the diocese as he found them energetic and full of life. Apart
from his inspiring and thought provoking talks, he met them one by one and made
them aware of the need of the good and committed priests in the diocese. All
appreciated the talks of Fr. Prabhu very much and went back to their respective
parishes refreshed. A big thanks to Fr. Prabhu and Catholic Charities family
for organizing it.
Gaun Gan Raj Majhi Pargana Sammelan:
Due to lack of knowledge about the rights
and entitlements, a person or a community can be oppressed and suppressed by
the others. The tribals have been victims of this kind since a long time. They
have so many rights but they do not know and understand them. As a result, they
are not able to make use of them. Keeping this idea and thought in mind the
local tribals who belong to the Gaun Gan Raj Parishad had organized one-day
seminar at Catholic Charities on 20th of August. They also had intense discussion about Gramsabha as it is not functioning well
in many villages and it has control of Political leaders. Mr. K.C. Mardi the
local leader and well-wisher of the tribals from Karandih was the resource
person and organizer. He, in his speech, emphasized the need of knowing the
rights and entitlements and the importance of Gramsabha.
The Annual General Body Meeting of Samekit
Jan Vikas Kendra & Catholic Charities Jamshedpur : The Annual General
Body meeting of Catholic Charities & Samekit Jan Vikas Kendra, Jamshedpur
was held on August 11th, 2016 in the office of CCJ, Sundernagar at
5: 00 pm. All members, excepting two, were present for the meeting. The
President, Dr. Felix Toppo, SJ chaired the meeting. He invited the CCJ team to
lead the house in prayers. After singing of a Bhajan and a short reading from
the Bible, the Chairperson extended a warm welcome to all the Members,
especially Sr. Mridula AC on the Governing Board; new Staff members, namely,
Fr. Birendra Tete Asst. Director, Sr. Marie Zelie AC (Finance), Sr. Tessy SSH (
Vikas Bharati) Sr. Eliani HC( Women’s Desk) Mr. Simon Zarika ( Accountant). He
also thanked those who have left CCJ & SJVK during the year, we put their
services on records- namely Sr. Thomasina, Sr. Deepti, Ms. Prabha Dahanga and
Mr. Alphonse Xaxa.
The Chair-person then requested that the
minutes of the last AGB of CCJ & SJVK be read. Fr. Birender Tete read the
minutes; after some clarifications, Fr. George Proposed the minutes be approved
and Mr. Ronald D’ Costa seconded it. The minutes were confirmed by the House.
The Director then was asked to present the
Annual report. For a change, the report was presented through a Documentary
film for 10 minutes. All watched & heard in rapt silence. The Documentary
contained all the work that is being done in the diocese. The House appreciated the report and
congratulated the Staff and the Director.
Fr. Prabhu then presented the Annual
Audited statement of accounts. After
some clarifications the financial report was approved and confirmed. The
Director shared information on various development programs that are going on
in the diocese. He also spoke of the efforts that are being made to tap the CSR
funds from the Corporate Sector. The Chairperson congratulated the Director and
all the Staff for their great work and encouraged them to move ahead in spite
of the difficulties and problems. With some refreshments for all, the meeting
came to a close.
St.
Mary’s English School, Bistupur
The Inauguration of the Multipurpose Building: The inauguration of the multipurpose
building of St. Mary’s English High School, finally culminated in the hands of
Mr. T.V. Narendran, MD, Tata Steel Ltd., and his Lordship, Honorable Bishop
Felix Toppo. The Chief Guest of the evening, Mr. T.V. Narendran, addressed the
gathering by mentioning the achievements of St. Mary’s English High School and
its illustrious past. He reminded the audience that St. Mary’s is one of the
oldest schools in the city and has striven hard to secure this position. This
multipurpose building is a wonderful achievement along this path. This building
will pave the way for opportunities to students for self-expression and thus
character formation. I hope that every school and its students can avail of the
chance for making use of this auditorium.
Honorable
Rev. Bishop, Felix Toppo, as the guest of honor, honoured us by blessing the
multipurpose building with a Bible reading in the background. In his message,
his Lordship said that the multipurpose building is a feather in the cap of St.
Mary’s English High School, and a new chapter in the history of the
institution. It is a matter of pride and definitely an achievement that the
inconspicuous and humble beginnings of the school at Bengal Club premises would
culminate into such a prestigious institution with an excellent infrastructure.
He said that we owe our obligation to Tata Steel, Jusco, parents and
well-wishers who have played a dominant role in fulfilling our dream. We
nurture the hope that your love and cooperation will always be with us.
The
dream of the multipurpose building/auditorium was envisioned by Ex. Principal,
Late Fr. Gerald Martin D’Souza and Principal Fr. David Vincent played an
important role to accomplish the task. It is the result of Fr. David’s untiring
endeavor that we are proud to possess this magnificent building.
Ex
Principal, Fr. David Vincent and Principal Fr. Puthumairaj have expressed their
obligation for everyone’s cooperation. Together with a colorful cultural
programme the history of the school was also exhibited through an audio visual
display. The toppers of Class 12 and Class 10 were honoured and awarded by the
Chief Guest and the guest of honour. The programme ended with the school anthem
and the National Anthem.
Felicity
an inter school competition is a much awaited event every year. It was held on 6th
of August. Our chief guest for the occasion was Fr. C. R. Prabhu.in his speech
he mentioned that Felicity is a good platform for the children to be recognized
and show their inner talents, participation is more important than winning. The
teachers along with the help of the co-coordinator planned every detail with
precision and organized a plethora of events for the students from various
schools of the city. Several competitions pertaining to analytical skills,
writing skills and entertainment were organized. It was heartening to see the
team spirit, unity, innovation, enthusiasm and high energy levels that
prevailed on the campus. As expected all their hard work paid rich dividends
and Felicity was a grand success. Congrats to all! On August 15th
St. Mary’s English school paid a glorious tribute to India’s martyrs and
freedom fighters through dance and music invoking a feeling of pride and
patriotism for our country.
Vianney Day at the Bishop’s House
The
Feast of St. John Mary Vianney was celebrated on 4th of August at
the Bishop’s House. The Priests, Brothers & Sisters, residing in &
around the city were invited for the Feast. All assembled in the Cathedral at
6:30 pm for a talk and benediction. Fr. James Kalappura, S.J, the Guide, spoke
on the “Duties and Joy of being a Parish Priest”. He highlighted very
beautifully the importance of this Sacred Call. 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 at St. Joseph’s
Welfare Centre Hall. Thanks to Fr. David and Community for the good celebration
of Vianney Feast.
Monica Day at St. Paul’s Church, Maluka
The
Feast of St. Monica as the Mother's Day was celebrated with religious gaiety
and grandeur on 27 and 28 of August. On Saturday, 27th August, Fr.
Michael Deogam, the resource person gave the mothers a spiritual input citing
the life and example of St. Monica and he culminated the day with Adoration and
confession. There were about 67 women who participated in it. The following day
the mothers each holding a candle were led to the altar by a beautiful dance by
the children for a solemn Mass in which there were special prayers for them and
their families. Later, there was a talk on health awareness by Sr. Rajana
followed by various games conducted by the Bethany Sisters and a singing
competition. Fr. Michael in his final note exhorted the mothers to imitate St.
Monica and become a model of faith for their families. The program concluded with
an agape. The day was doubly blessed with the visit of FRS. Henry, Pradeep and
Rafael who came as magi with gifts for the children and sponsored them a meal.
A sincere thanks to Fr. Manoj, Sisters and all those who made the day for our
mothers. (Fr. Dileep Marandi)
St. Joseph’s Cathedral
Parish, Golmuri
The sad demise of Mr.
Henry Sarkey : It
was an inconsolable day for the staff of St. Joseph’s welfare centre to know
that Mr. Henry Sarkey left us for his heavenly reward on 7th of
August, 2016. He joined the center in 1972 and worked as the office
administrator for forty-four years. We are deeply indebted to him for his
tremendous service to the Church and center. He was a well-known figure in the
Church. He was very gentle and had a dynamic personality. A huge number of
people were present at the Cathedral Church to pray for him and to show their
solidarity with the family members on his funeral. Fr. David Vincent celebrated
Holy Eucharist and prayed for him. Fr. Prabhu preached. Later a requiem mass
was held on 27th of August by His Grace Most Rev. Felix Toppo
condoled with the family members and assured of his prayer. We pray for the
departed soul of Mr. Henry Sarkey. May God grand him eternal rest!
The Feast of St. Monica:
The Feast of St. Monica was celebrated very grandly in the Cathedral parish.
The parish priest, Fr. Camille Hembrom offered the Feast Day Mass and prayed
for all the mothers in the parish. A seminar was arranged after the Mass in
which hundred women participated. Mrs. Madhuri and Mrs. Priscilla along with
Fr. Camille Hembrom were resource persons of the day. They inspired everyone to
be a good and responsible mothers in the family. The participants were given
breakfast and lunch from the parish.
The Marriage Preparatory
Class: The Marriage Preparatory Class was held
from 26th August to 30th August at the Joseph’s welfare
Centre. Twenty-three participants attended the programme. The five days
programme was conducted by ten resource persons touching various aspects of
life. At the end of the programme, every couple was given a joint project work
regarding what they would do to make their married life a successful one in the
future. The participants found the course a rare opportunity to make their
married life a meaningful one. At the completion of the course all the
participants were given certificate from the parish. We thank Fr. Camille
Hembrom for his good work.
Hearty Condolence
Mrs.
Magdale (90) beloved Mother of Fr. Junas Bhengra passed away on 19th
August, 2016 at her house in Okara, Kharanjtoli. Her burial was held on the
same day in her village. Most. Rev. Felix Toppo, S.J, presided over the requiem
mass. We extend our heartfelt condolences and prayers. May her soul Rest In
Peace.
BIRTHDAY
WISHES – SEPTEMBER
|
Date
|
Name
|
|
05
|
Jeyraj
Ignatious
|
|
07
|
Emmanuel
Horo
|
|
09
|
A.
Alphose
|
|
11
|
C.R.
Prabhu
|
|
13
|
Tobias
Kujur
|
|
17
|
Nestor
Soreng
|
BISHOP’S ENGAGEMENTS
|
SEPTEMBER
2016
|
||||
|
01
|
Thur
|
10.00
am
|
Meeting
with Bps. V. Barwa and B. Kandulna
|
Khunti
|
|
03
|
Sat
|
05.00
pm
|
Mass
at St. Mary’s School
|
Bistupur
|
|
06
|
Tue
|
09.30
am
|
Meeting
of the Senate of Priests (Council of Priests)
|
Golmuri
|
|
08
|
Thurs
|
05.30
pm
|
Feast
of Our Lady, Mass
|
Adra
|
|
10
|
Sat
|
09.30
am
|
Principals/HMs
of all the Diocesan Schools
|
Golmuri
|
|
11
|
Sun
|
|
Jubilee
of Sr. Lucius, SCJM
|
Baridih
|
|
14
|
Wed
|
06.30
am
|
Mass
at Holy Cross Convent
|
Pramathnagar
|
|
15-16
|
|
AM-PM
|
RBC/CRI/CDPI
Meeting
|
Ranchi
|
|
17
|
Sat
|
09.00
am
|
Meeting
with AC Superior General
|
Golmuri
|
|
20
|
Tue
|
AM
|
To
Bangalore
|
|
|
21-23
|
|
AM-PM
|
Standing
Committee Meeting (21-23)
|
Bangalore
|
|
24
|
Sat
|
PM
|
Return
to Jamshedpur
|
|
|
26
|
Mon
|
05.30
pm
|
DSWC
Governing Board Meeting, Govindpur
|
Dhanbad
|
|
27
|
Tue
|
09.30
am
|
Blessing
of Damian Vocational Training Centre
|
Govindpur
|
|
05.30
pm
|
Meeting,
Golden Jubilee Scholarship Fund Committee.
|
Golmuri
|
||
|
28
|
Wed
|
05.30
pm
|
Jubilee
of Sr. Cecilia, Jeevan Jyoti
|
Telco
|
|
29
|
Thur
|
10.30
am
|
Thanksgiving
Mass for the Canonization of St. Teresa of Kolkata at MC Convent
|
Chaibasa
|
