N0.04/08 July-August 2008

from the provincial’s desk…

God’s abundant blessings…

This will be the first Newsletter of the new academic year 2008-9 and should be full of inspiring news about the progress of our Province, especially coming from those who have taken up new posts.  All these are signs of growth among us and something to be grateful for as the Good Lord continues to bless us in different ways.

Peter Fero continues to excel as before and has netted in around 20 candidates with the help of Jackie and several others.  Arul attends various seminars getting himself acquainted with the ways things happen in the world of the sick there in Houston.  Raj has been having a rich experience visiting different parts of the US and shares some of his moving experiences in his musings. Nathan nears the completion of his studies in the US and will be taking up pastoral ministry for a while: we look forward to having him back a new and well- equipped SSS who will make a sizeable difference in the Province.  Bosco moves along creditably with his studies while maintaining effective contacts with other SSS in that area. 

While all this is certainly a pressing reason for gratitude, we continue to deepen our commitment to the Lord to follow in the footsteps of our founder – as we prepare for the celebration of his feast on August 2nd.

It would be wonderful if this preparation could lead us, as a Province, to focus on one aspect of Fr. Eymard’s legacy to us. He certainly had a way of picking up what God was saying to him through the circumstances of his life. He seemed to have been a great listener and never ventured forth without first checking and double-checking whether what he had in mind was really what the Lord wanted.  As a Province, we have three projects that need to come under such a search:  Sivagangai – the Bishop will contact us once he has got the proposal approved by the priests’ senate of his diocese; Pune where the formalities are almost finalized – the great step here is to obtain at least a nod from the General Team, and finally the Hong Kong possibility, which may take quite some time yet. As we prepare for his

feast, could we all petition Fr. Eymard to guide us, step by step, in these ventures so that whatever we finally undertake will be for the spread of the Lord’s Eucharistic kingdom in India. We cannot forget the actual political and economic situation the country is facing – all of which makes our life and work more invigorating but also demanding.

Closer home, we have the growth of our own communities: first at Velappan Chavady and the burgeoning Karunalayam project. With a full-time enthusiastic Director it will be up and moving pretty smartly but needs at least the prayerful support of all. The formation section will undoubtedly be drawn into some new ventures as they support Karunalayam.  Sesu and team are giving Mannurpet several deeper challenges to becoming a truly Eucharistic community where all live and work in Christ-like love.  Kamarajapuram is shining with its new Primary School building nearing completion and hopefully. Having the addition of Xavier with the oils of ordination still fresh on his hands, and Metha with his winning smile, Fr. Johnson will be able to tackle his never-ending challenges effectively one by one.

Bismarque has emerged as a person to be reckoned with regarding environmental issues in Goa, thus opening up new avenues for future SSS work in India. The Aspirants House at Alto Santa Cruz Goa is another project nearing completion and we look forward to the joy of benefiting from the place when we all make our Province retreat there in January 2009.  

Peter & Dominic are as mobile as ever and will share some of their newer enterprises at Tembipada. Jegaraj and the new team have come to grips with the increased numbers at Agashi – that certainly makes the formation programme more alive and interesting. We look forward to many more SSS collaborating at this level.  With the Anglicans moving out of Colaba, the search is on for more relevant and engaging SSS ministry.  Sekar and team at Goregaon too are extending the range of ministries in ever new ways – the students put into practical life what they learn in the classroom.  Eymard Cottage is the only place that might seem dormant – but with its two every-busy arms one at Dharavi and the other at Agra, the community hopes to move into some active ministry in the surrounding area – they have organized a session once a month for the neighbours and friends – the first one in June was really inspirational. Our website has been given a face-lift with the new Director, J.A. Punithan and it would be wonderful if all could help him with new materials and above all creative ideas to make that site attractive and useful to spread knowledge and love of the Eucharist.

We look forward to celebrating the feast of St. Eymard with great joy, gratitude and togetherness. May it be for all of us an occasion of deep inner spiritual and apostolic renewal.

Wishing you all a fresh surge of Eucharistic energy,

Fr. Erasto Fernandez, sss
  [Provincial Superior]

from the Editor’s desk…
Tomorrow will be too late…
A farm boy accidentally overturned a wagonload of corn. A farmer, who lived nearby, heard the noise and yelled to the boy, 'Hey, Willis, forget your troubles and come in for a visit. I'll help you pick the wagon up later.'

'That's mighty nice of you,' Willis answered, 'but Pa wouldn't like me to.'

'Aw, come on, boy,' the farmer insisted.

'Well, OK' the boy finally agreed,
'but Pa won't like it.'

After a hearty dinner, Willis thanked his host. 'I feel a lot better now, but I know Pa is going to be real upset.'

'Don't be foolish,' the neighbor said with a smile; 'by the way, where is he?'

'Under the wagon,' replied the boy.

The easy way to remain happy is to remain constantly light like St.Peter Julian, pure thoughts are light and waste thoughts are heavy. Therefore, let us keep our intellect busy with pure thoughts and we will become light and continue to dance in happiness.

This is to be done today and not tommorrow, because tommorrow will be too late said St.Peter Julian Eymard, our Founder and sometimes tomorrow may not come.

It is nice of you all sss brethren that you are sharing your experiences and views. May the good Lord bless us abundantly as we are going to celebrate the Feast of our Founder St.Peter Julian Eymard on the 2nd August.

“Wish you all a very Happy Feast and spirit filled Celebration.”

Fr.Rosario Pushparaj sss
Editor of SSS India

from the diary of ministry

International Family Day
International day of Families was celebrated on the 15th May throughout the world. The Tamil Nadu Catholic Bishop's Conference has set up a Family Commission in all the Dioceses to help the married couples in their family problems. As the result, the Chennai Arch diocese in which most of our SSS religious undertake a number of ministries has a commission with an executive secretary. This commission involves in preparing the young people for marriage, counselling the married partners if they have any problems and helping the parents to sort out their issues with their children. Frs.Sesu sss and Benzi sss are part of resource teams who conducted the programmes for the married couples in the Archdiocese.

These are the following issues that we often come across as we do ministry to the married couples namely Life-style related problems, decline in economic co-operation, psychological problems, migration related problems and parenting-related problems. It is often sad to note young people who are married few years back, coming forward to apply divorces for silly and simple reasons. It is reported that 20 - 30 million Indians are in need of some form of mental health care. In the next five years India needs at least one lakh counselors, but currently we have less than 5,000 trained counselors in the country. The problems are enormous but the helpers are few. Unless and until the partners are coming forward to commit themselves to the betterment of the family at times at the cost of their own self-sacrifices, the situation may not improve. But the encountering factor is that most of these married couples feel the need of getting some sort of professional help. If this spirit remains in them in the coming years then there will be a lot of cooperation, peace and understanding in the families as years roll by.

Fr.Sesu sss
 Parish Priest, Church of Our Lady of Help, Mannurpet, Chennai.

News from Mission Appeal personnel.
I am writing after a month since I left India. By the time you all read this, the ordination of Xavier of Mariapuram should have been over. I felt I missed something. Vazhthukkal (Greetings) to Xavier. 
Fr. Tom Wiese and Mrs. Nancy Mac Robert1   who normally coordinates the work with Fr. Tom were there at the Airport to receive me. The travel was though safe yet very tedious as one is bound to sit for a long time. Of course the passengers are free to move around but without a company even to talk around is a yelling experience. For some passengers, the apples of their eyes could not be seen, with  eyes half  closed  were moving ghost, so also my sensation- should it  be called  a jet-lag, I don’t know. 
I took two full days to open my eyes fully. How those two full days passed on is still and yet to be recalled.  Thanks to Tom that he gave all the instructions in writings. Has they been given orally, I could be still sitting with the net to get things explained to me one by one. 
The community is hospitable and warm. The members (three: two priests and one brother) were gracious enough to explain the things without much fuss. Now I am almost with the rhythm of the local set up, not for settling down over here of course. 
There are a few Indian families in this parish. So far all seem to be very charming and polished.  Hope they will be the same till I leave the place. Not been to any of their houses except to a Kerala family, that even after a long persuasion… few days for breakfast and mainly to make use of their email facilities. 
There are thirteen appeals allotted to me, (only four in Galveston-Houston {GH} Arch Diocese. Why Galveston –Houston Diocese, its history is something like Madras – Mylapore Arch Diocese). I am little  uncomfortable though, to go for appeal as the  country is facing lots of crisis – disasters, oil rice heap, a drive for fund raising for the Presidential Candidates and huge unemployment issues.   
The other appeals are very far from each parish. I am to go a way up to Santa Rosa in California State. As I am writing this note, I am in a chill place in Utah State, a State above New Mexico, which I have already been to. The appeal was at our parish in Albuquerque in Santa Fe Arch Diocese, a Spanish colony but with fully Mexican appearance. Next three appeals are over here, in Salt Lake Diocese. I travel back to Houston and will do one appeal over there before I leave for Baltimore and Cleveland via New York and New Jersey: not for appeal but … July and Aug. will be spent in California, i.e., Fresno and Santa Rosa Dioceses. I will pass through Las Angeles. Not sure of getting chance to see a city of great movies and places of celebrities. And with another two appeals in GH, I return to Agashi via Colaba. 
Fr.B.A.Raj sss
Houston – USA

The Three Main Striking Factors at Mannurpet Parish

The Blessed Sacrament Fathers are maintaining this parish for eight years. There are 750 families in this parish. This parish community consists of three SSS religious. This parish is situated about five kilometers away from another SSS community by name Velappanchavady. The parish feast is celebrated in the month of August every year. There are many movements in our parish and we would like to share about the three main groups such as BCC, Women Self Help Group and evening free tuition.

Basic Christian Community: (BCC)

Three are thirteen BCCs in our parish. Mostly the meetings are held on Sundays some times it will be on other week days also. The meeting helps the particular community to come together for prayer service to plan liturgical programs of the parish and to discuss certain issues of that area. It creates family atmosphere among the community members and it is done with the presence of a priest. Some times BCC members visit orphanages to provide cloths and eatable items and they also spend some time with them.

Women’s Self Help Groups (WSHG)

This is functioning for past two years in our parish.  There are fifteen WSHGs. As per the rules they have to conduct two meetings every month. The main purpose is to get financial helps from various organizations and to be self sufficient. The beneficiaries are mostly the vulnerable groups of the society such as women, poor and marginalized. It always works along with BCCs. In our parish this WSHGs are very active and they are able to solve certain issues which they were facing down the years. Because of this program they under take various financial initiatives.

Evening Free Tuition:

 We have this program going on ever since we have under taken the parish.  This is mainly for poor students who are around our parish. There are from all religions. We provide them study material with the help of Vincent De Paul. At times we pay their school fees also. The tuition begins at 5.30 p.m. and ends at 8.00 p.m. Fr.Julian, Bro.Bharathi and a teacher are in charge for this tuition. Every Saturday, the students are invited for games and they are provided some snacks and tea. This project is looked after by the community and the main purpose is to improve their studies and teach them good discipline for their life. Parents appreciate this program and we also fell encouraged to continue. Totally there are 45 students including boys and girls. Some time the youth girls volunteer to teach the students. As the result of this program the camps is filled with students in the evening hours who are active, energetic and at times noisy. All the same it is an interesting and enriching experience for the fathers and brothers who work in this parish.
  
Bro.Bharathi,SSS.
Regent,Church of our Lady of Help Mannurpet.

Agra-waited

June 30, 2008 the long awaited day arrived and I stepped off the train at Agra Cantt only about ten minutes behind schedule – in itself, a very good beginning!  Fr. Rector and a seminarian formed the welcoming committee at the platform and after a hurried dumping og baggage in the room, off we went to meet the Archbishop over dinner.  The next few days were days of waiting as all the students hadn’t yet arrived, some held up because of floods in the eastern part of the country and others because of All-India bandhs.

Finally classes began on the 4th followed by an official welcome and introduction at the Parish Eucharist on Sunday, 6th. The rains came in right earnest on Saturday night cooling the place off considerably.  The official opening with the Eucharist of the Holy Spirit was on Thursday 10th and by now we are well into our annual academic programme.

The St. Lawrence of Brindisi Minor Seminary houses candidates (for Agra Archdiocese only) from different parts of the country. They do a year of English and Spirituality (very much like our Anglicans) followed by two years of ‘plus two’.  From here they graduate to the Philosophate in Agra itself where they study Philosophy together with the Graduation studies preparing them for the major Seminary at Allahabad.  This year at St. Lawrence we have 5 students from Kotar TN, 1 from Kerala, 2 from Bangalore, 1 from Andhra, 3 from Jharkhand, 2 from Chattisgarh, and 1 from Orissa.  These youngsters are recruited by Vocation Promoters in the parishes and finally selected after the required formalities are completed – very similar to our own vocation promotion programmes.  In general, the students are keen, intelligent and enthusiastic – but one can imagine the confusion that prevails in the first few months when the students don’t know much English and there is no real common language, not even Hindi – we are here truly a mini Tower of Babel, but there is one common uniting factor : the love of Christ which we believe will transform us all as the months go by.

The Staff consists of Fr. Rector, two Sp. Directors including myself and another young priest, himself a product of St. Lawrence. The Parish Priest also helps with classes while the Seminary Staff helps in pastoral work. The students in the 2-3 years prepare for their Std XII exams and so they study regular subjects like Civics, History and so on.  There are also two Sisters and three lay persons who teach different subjects part time.  The routine is very much like in any other seminary and the atmosphere is very cordial and fraternal.  There are several religious communities in the parish (the Seminary is built in the Church compound) and we celebrate Eucharist for them by rotation. Sunday Eucharist is always in the Parish Church for all.

I have begun a regular routine for improving my Hindi and hopefully should be able to manage a Parish Eucharist on my own within three months.  Several diocesan programmes are also in the making in which involvement is required.  In general, the schedule here is not heavy by any standards and yet is engaging enough to keep one usefully occupied through the day.  There is, of course, plenty of time, for personal reading and study – and also for external ministry, which will take some time in building up.  Climate-wise, it is hotter and more humid than in Bombay; winters can see the mercury drop to 3° C at times.  There are fewer Catholics – maximum Sunday attendance is about 75-100 persons, many of whom are defence personnel and so a floating population.

Once we work out the official contract with the Archbishop which we hope will be completed before the end of July, we could move gradually towards the fulfillment of our dream for this place – some SSS involvement in the Spirituality Centre, a possible parish within the city or if not, on the frontiers of the diocese at Noida, a fast-developing and ‘ever-in-the-news’ kind of place where English is the common language. Noida is overflowing with migrants who have come there for work or business, and is very much like any parish in Bombay with people more interested in making a living than in religious matters. It offers plenty of scope for creative pastoral ministry.  By the time this happens, we will have had to prepare at least one more for ministry in this place, with a working knowledge of Hindi.  Any volunteers who are ready and willing to be pioneers?

So far, the beginnings are good, but, of course, we cannot forget that ‘a new broom always sweeps clean’; the promise of an engaging future is bright and encouraging and so we look forward to more reports in the future.

Fr.Erasto Fernandez, sss
Spiritual Director,Agra.

Year of St.Paul 
To commemorate the 2000th anniversary of he conversion of St. Paul, Pope Benedict XVI has declared this the “Year of St. Paul”. The celebration began on June 29th and ends on that date next year. St. Paul life and writing has had a deep influence in the life of our founder.  His wow of Persona based on the Gal. 2, 20: “… and it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me...” can tell us how much SPJ was touched by the words of St. Paul.1 Our founder had strength for his vocation in these powerful words of St. Paul. 
The Church could use another St. Paul. After Jesus, no one influence Christianity more than he did. To be sure, his culturally conditioned ideas about women keeping quiet in church, (1.Cor. 14, 35), would get him kicked off most parish councils today, still his mission methods remain progressive even by today’s standard. I am trying to reflect on the life and work of St. Paul in line with his missionary zeal and commitment. 
Travelling all around Asia Minor, Turkey, Greece, and Syria and as far away as Italy, Paul stayed in one area only long enough to convert people and attract a viable community of believers. Rather than impose a one-church-fits –all model based upon how things were done in Jerusalem or in Rome, he encouraged new ministries and structures customized to the needs of the local community and the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  He comes across to me as the first missionary who invited and was open to dialogue. For him dialogue, an essential ingredient for “inculturation”, between ‘institution’ and ‘charism’ is always untroubled, but such tension is the necessary price of progress. A saint always on the move could never be able to accept stagnation in the Church of his days. Is not a spirit of reconciliation between stability and movement, the overall view of the whole body, the Church and the particular intervention of a charism relevant today?

 

We find this energy (a metaphysical one), in many of letters to his communities and these words continue to inspire us today more than ever. 
Using inculturation, Paul noticed how Athenians worshiped many gods and love to debate theology. Rather than condemning them as idolaters, a term he reserved for Christians who backslide, Paul commended them for their Altar to an Unknown God (Acts 17, 23) and proclaimed that they honored the loving, forgiving god revealed by Jesus. 
A good Dialogue involves healthy confrontation. But had it not been for his bold confrontation with St. Peter in Antioch (Gal.2, 11), the Church over there may have remained nothing but a small sect of Judaism, if it survived at all. Peter sided with a group who insisted Gentiles had to convert to Judaism before being baptized into Christianity and he showed partiality towards Jewish converts. For Paul, this was nonsense. 
His conviction towards dynamic approach seems to stem or has deep roots not only from his revelation of Jesus but from the realization on the futility of scrupulosity of following Jewish laws rules and regulations minutely, 613 in all. He declared that salvation would not merely come by following such rules but rather from faith in Jesus Christ.2 He argued with Peter that if following rules leads to salvation, Christ died for nothing.  Lucky for us, so to say, Peter was no match for the trained scholar, and Paul’s argument prevailed!   
Paul was convinced that salvation was available to all, Jews and gentiles.  This radical notion earned him growing hostility from the Jewish community, even as it attracted more gentiles to the Church. Where did he get this dangerous idea? Is not from the refine blend of his learning which seemed to have got crystallized during his long “retreat” after his encounter with the Risen Lord in a blinding light?  He and Christianity forever changed. He marveled at the fact  that Christ  died for us “while  we were still sinners” (Rom, 5,8),and it was while  he was in the act of sinning, that is, seeking the destruction of the Church that God called his to new life in Christ. Grace, the unmerited favour of God available through Christ, became his Gospel. In a dialoqueical process for inculturation personal conviction of ones experience is that matters and merely our intellectual formation. No surprise, most of our dialogues end up in great fiasco.  His conversion experience also formed Paul’s concept of the people of God as the Body of Christ. Struck blind by the heavenly light, Paul asked who it was and a voice replied, “I am Jesus whom you persecute.” In our mission, the “Body of Christ” has to be sustained and fully respected. To harm Christian therefore for Paul is to harm the Christ himself. He developed this concept in his letter to the Romans, Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians. And, where is the Body of Christ today for me?  
To those in today’s Church preoccupied with rules and rubrics, Paul’s doctrine of radical grace offers a refreshing counterbalance. To those who want the Catholic communities (local churches) and ever for that matter of fact the religious communities in the world today, to resemble that of the centralized models somewhere away from the local environs, Paul warns that the Holy Spirit cannot be confined. And those who seek to divide Christians by stretching the gifts of the Spirit into “us” and “them” Paul warns that to condemn other Christians for not belonging to the right church   is to oppose Christ himself.  
Where is Paul when we need him? 

Fr.Raj,sss, Houston, U.S.A.

Reminiscent Regency 
I feel delighted to share my one month experience of regency. I was given a warm welcome by the Fathers and brothers as I entered the Cenacle community. Indeed I feel at home here, because it is reminding me of my past life since I did my Anglican cum postulancy year in this very house. As Socrates said, “An unreflected life is not worth
living.” It was very enriching and energizing me as I thought about my past, especially in a way that gives me a lot of joy and happiness. That’s why I have given the title REMINISCENT REGENCY for this write-up. It is an evergreen experience of mine the time when I joined in the congregation in the year of 2003, specially few places where I often spent my time like the chapel in which I prayed, the garden in which I worked, the tree which I once planted as a small and tiny plant, the paths and ways in which I walked (even now I could feel the traces of my foot prints) and so on and so forth. All these experiences of mine, really puts me into the shoes of the postulants and the English year students to understand them better. It is rejuvenating to be in the midst of young people who have the spirit of strong determination to achieve their goals by all means. As I assist Fr. Peter Fero in forming postulants, it is a learning experience for me. Every now and then I focus on our founder St. Peter Julian Eymard in order to instill the spirit which our founder had. I go to the church of Our Lady of Vailankanni for my week-end ministry. I involve myself in teaching catechism, conducting youth meeting, assisting in the liturgy, and animating the SCC meeting in various zones. I nourish myself spiritually as I reach out to these people as part of my mission. My community members Frs. Seby, Fero & M.I. Raj encourage me a lot to do my regency year well. As I am very much aware that it is just a beginning, I put my whole trust in the Eucharistic Lord that He may be my guide all through this year.
Bro. A. Ramesh,sss,

Regent, Mannurpet, Chennai.   

Karunalayam
   As the province is very much aware that Fr. M.I. Raj who has been appointed as the director of Karunalayam, has come out with new areas through which he has planned to promote the significance of the Eucharist. The areas are:

• Prayer & Worship
• Every month first Saturday from 5.30 – 8.30 p.m.

• From the month of August 2008 onwards, every third Saturday of the month from 10.00 a.m. – 4.00 p.m.
• Family Retreat
• Individual Retreat & Counseling
• Special Preaching during Eucharist Feasts
• Retreat for laity, youth & children
• Retreat for parish councilors, BCC animators, Pious associations & Group retreats
• Healing ministry & Word ministry
• Sacrament of confession

   Like these in different ways healing worships & discussions, preparing the people to have a clarity and right understanding about the Eucharist and the Word of God. As a prior preparation, we have sent the programmes of Karunalayam along with the Bishop’s letter to all the parishes of our diocese nearly around 120 parishes. We are going to launch out into neighbouring dioceses too. As part of our Karunalayam work, Fr. M.I. Raj will be meeting the vicars of our diocese and the people of all parishes in person. We are going to buy a new sound system for our chapel to conduct whole day retreat. We have published the same in the diocesan magazine called ‘Niraivazhu’. We have a great confident that the Eucharistic Lord will guide and pour His graces upon us to have successful and fruitful mission in the Karunalayam. We also request the members of our province to keep us in our prayer before the Eucharist for the same. Something good is going to happen in the southern region of our province.
Bro.A.Ramesh, sss.
Regent, Cenacle, Velappan Chavady.

Charm of Colaba 
   St. Francis Xavier chapel adds beauty to Colaba because it attracts not only Catholics of that locality but also the non Christians. The members were accommodative and welcomed the guests and others happily.  It was named as a “Mother house’ and this house was known for its generosity and hospitality. The members were ready to accommodate the English year students and created a beautiful atmosphere for them for four years. I would like to share my memorable experiences in that community and I have personally perceived its identities.    

1. Spiritual Identitiy:

      The life at Colaba community is something remarkable.  The custom of the house is traditionally followed and there is time for everything in the house.  The spiritual identity (visible identity) of the community is shown to the people as “Praying Community”. “The house that prays together stays together.”  The exposition of the Blessed Sacrament brightens the Chapel everyday and a very tiny group sits before the Lord of the Sacraments, prays together and sings in unison. What a marvel to experience its splendour and beauty!  I could experience that many of our prayers were heard by the Lord and proved to be positive.  Who can object God’s blessing if God had already intended to give? I could experience the overflowing grace, overpowering hand of God and abundance of blessings. 
2. Communal Identity: 
   As it is said, Community is helped, shaped and molded by service.  And service is the life blood of the religious community.  Every thing flows from that and people benefit out of it. Attaining “Spiritual identity” is meaningless unless it has “a spirit of communion”.  Community is the base for spiritual exercises. One’s God experience is very well articulated into ones own life style. 
           I like to give a simple, a down to earth example to elicit the point.  We are like cotton and God is like the water.  Once we are in {the Water} we have to absorb the water (God). As we come in contact with the higher reality that is God, we imbibe the qualities of God and reveal that personal God to others.  It was wonderful to know how my relatedness with other members brought much peace and joy.  My discoveries of the person made me to posses the following ideas about the human person.

• Persons are mysteries.
• Persons are unique in their own make up.
• Persons are limited in their own level.
• Persons are gifts of God.
• Naturally Persons are good.
• Persons are interdependent.

   Dealing with members is a tough job but understanding precedes the untapped resourcefulness of the person which can be discovered later.  What I learned is, understanding is too tough and labeling is too easy.  Understanding is time consuming and it requires a lot of patience.  I learned reactions are immature and hasty as well as nasty communications to violate the unknown aspect of the person. I enjoyed being together and working together and achieving together.  I am obliged to thank my former superiors, Fr. Salvador and Fr. Jackie for their support and encouragement and all the members for their company and fraternal love.  I immensely enjoyed my stay at Colaba not because its grandeur, embellishment of the chapel or easy access to the commercial places but for its web of being together as one community. Its private policy “the custom of the house” is very well interwoven into the life of each member. 
3. Social Identity:
       The community without proper mission is like a machine without the production.  Colaba community by its natural environment catered to the needs of the people by out- reach programmes through Colaba Community center.
There are many poor domestics who learn sewing and many under privileged children benefit immensely from balwadi and English coaching classes and free distribution of food stuff to the poor and needy. It is a good gesture on the part of the Colaba Christian Community and the community to respond to the needs of the people and sharing a meal with the lepers on special occasions. I was able to contribute my skills and talents for the center until Fr. Jackie took over. I gained a lot by being part of the center and organizing the programmes for the children and domestic servants.  
4. Personal Identity:
 I personally developed mastery over English language and I began to appreciate the uniqueness of the language. The environment was conducive to learn and the teaching really helped me to attain proficiency in English language.  My quest for books and reading them kept me alive. Besides my community responsibility, I began to focus on my subjects of psychology.  I got through all the subjects in the University of Madras. I was able to develop counselling skills   and offer guidance to people in need.  
 
      I believe that “if I do not do something different from what I have mastered before, I cannot experience growth.’’  It is time to grow and develop in one’s own space and time.  As I am at V. chavady I am able to relive my past life in the community and waiting to move to Goa to launch an English year formation.  I lift up my hands in thankfulness and praise as I look back my glorious past and hope filled future in the Congregation.  I express my gratitude to the provincial superior, all the council members and the superiors of Colaba for their support and encouragement. I also extend my thanks  to  Fr. Sebastian the superior of V. chavady, the director of Postulancy, the director of Karunalayam and the regent for allowing Bro.Dhanam and the formees of the English year and me to sojourn for a while at V. Chavadi and march to Goa. 
 
Joseph Jacob sss

Our First Sentence in English

            “Knife, knife throat went. Nuni mattai here and adi mattai there. Mister standing Village (our translation to say Thirunindravur)” These were the first English sentences we spoke during our garden work in the beginning. But now with the help of our fathers and brothers, we have begun to speak good English. We also feel immense joy to live as one family, to celebrate the Eucharist with prior preparation, to play basket ball and volley-ball and to work in the huge garden, though most of us had not touched the spade and crow bars at home. We pray to God that we may learn English better and become good priests.

                           George & Daniel

Rippling Voice of the Postulants

We the postulants belong to the Cenacle Community, feel glad to share our one-month experience to the entire province. As we have begun our next stage of formation we feel thrilled to know how this year would turn out to be. As far as our style is concerned, we feel flexible, and there is no monotonous in our life style. We facilitate one another to be creative and different to progress well in the community. It also helps us to discern our vocation. Our prayer life is more of natural. We don’t pray out of compulsion. We do both group and personal prayers. In a group we share our reflections, our thoughts, our insights, our experiences of God and the love of God, especially in the prayer before the Blessed Sacrament and we get the mission that we need to break ourselves to be a gift to others. Often we try to see God in everything around us through living the Eucharist everyday. As our Rule No.1 states, “We are called to live in the church as brothers…” we the postulants make some attempts to live as one community by celebrating Eucharist  together, praying together, studying together, working together, eating together and playing together. In all these we understand and become more sensitive to one another in the community. As part of our mission we manage to run two tution centres for the poor children. We educate around 70 students daily. We receive atleast 4 - 5 new students everyday. We feel encouraged by this, and we enjoy our service. We hope and believe that this year will be a fruitful and memorable one.

- Postulants

The Cenacle Community

reminders…

August – 2008
02: Feast of St.Peter Julian Eymard
15 Assumption of BVM/Independence Day
27-28: Provincial Council Meeting-Mazagon

 

July – 2008

Birth Day

03. Maria Xavier sss
16. Henry sss
20. Dominic Harikoti sss
26. Erasto Fernandes
28. Prabhu Metha
30. Augustin Jesu

August – 2008

Birth Day

10. Pascoal sss
15. Vijaya Kumar sss
23. Benzi sss

Ordination Day

30. Ravi Bosco sss

Edited and Published by
Fr.S.Rosario Pushparaj sss
on behalf of the Kristu Jyoti Province, Blessed Sacrament Congregation..