____________________________________________________________________________________Vol.
XXXIII November-December2013 No.9
____________________________________________________________________________________
Wishing that your Christmas and the New Year may be
filled with many warm and happy moments and with every blessings you seek and
need from the Lord.
Archbishop William D’Souza, SJ, Archbishop (Emeritus)
Benedict J Osta, SJ
The Archdiocesan Clergy, Religious and Laity
Archbishop’s Program
December
01 :
Mugalsarai – Shrine Feast
03 :
Sikandra
04 :
Barbigha
05 :
Dibhra – MC Brothers
06 :
Hilsa – School Anniversary
07 :
Barh – School Anniversary
08 A.M. : Danapur – Parish Day
:
SSH Final Vows
P.M. : Fairfield – Inaugural Mass
14 :
Dialogue – Brahma Kumari Ashram
15 :
Gaya Parish Day
22 :
Patna – Domestic Workers
P.M. : Prabhat Prakashan
28 :
Christmas Milan with Clergy and Religious
29 :
Gaya - Wedding silver Jubilee Mass – Rajan and Kiran
Archbishop William was back in Patna on 7 November after his trip abroad
for about three weeks. He had a busy schedule ever since his return. On 8
November he left for Rampur and was the main celebrant for the Ordination of a Jesuit scholastic
Michael Ekka on 9 November. He was at Jamalpur
on 10 November for the confirmation of 6 children and on the same day at 11.00
a.m. he administered the sacrament of confirmation to 53 people including
adults at Basauni. He returned to
Patna on 11 November. On his return journey he had a stopover at Barh and Fatuha. Though he left Fatuha around 4.00 p.m., because of the
traffic hazels he could arrive at Patna only by 7.00 p.m. He visited our
priests who were sick, and interacted with the Seminarians from Satna diocese
on 15 November. He went to Gulni on
16 November and with stopover at a couple of our Parishes he returned to Patna
on 18 November. He was engaged in the two-day Pastoral Council meeting since 20 November. On 22 November he
celebrated the Holy Eucharist at Carmel
Tapovan and had a consult meeting
at the Archbishop’s House. On 23 November he went to Sikandra for the blessing of the newly constructed presbytery. On
24 November he led the Eucharistic
procession and presided over the Holy Eucharist at Kurji Parish Church on the occasion of the Conclusion of the year of Faith. He had a meeting with the Provincials and Major Superiors on 25 November. From 26 to 28 November the
Archbishop was busy with the BIJHAN
Bishops+CRI+CDPC joint meeting at Navjyoti Niketan. He moved to Gaya on 28 November for the Diamond
Jubilee Celebrations of Creane Memorial School, from where he left on 30
November to Kritpura Chirag for the
silver jubilee celebrations. He was at Mugalsarai
for the Infant Jesus’ Shrine Feast day celebrations after which he was back in Patna
on 2 December. He still has a busy time
ahead in December.
Archdiocesan Pastoral Council Meeting was held at Sewa Kendra from 19 November (evening) to
22 November (morning). About 150 members of the Pastoral Council were present
at the meeting. This meeting was in the backdrop of the survey findings and Fr.
Paul Parathazham once again presented the survey findings in a power-point
program now translated into Hindi. The participants had serious deliberations
on the findings and brought out the goals and action plan accordingly. The
Samachar extends our sincere thanks to Fr. Paul Parathazham for leading us in
our search. We express our hearty congratulations to the Secretary of the
Council, Fr. A. Thambi, and our thanks to Navjyoti team and Sewa Kendra team
for making available all the necessary facilities for organizing the meeting.
People and Events:
Patliputra:
13 children of the parish received the Eucharistic Lord for the first time in
their lives during a solemn Eucharistic Celebration on 27 October. Fr. Devasia
Mattathilani presided over the Holy Eucharist with Fr. Sebastian Puthenpura and
Fr. Devasia Chirayil as concelebrants.
Masaurhi:
60 people together with the Sisters and catechist from Masaurhi went to Mokama
on 10 November for a day of recollection and prayer at the Shrine of our Lady
at Mokama. Every family of the parish was represented in the pilgrimage, organized
as part of the “Year of Faith” celebration. The Samachar congratulates Fr. Jose
Chirackal and his team for organizing this pilgrimage, and thanks Fr. Alwyn
D’Souza, SJ and his team for directing the recollection and taking care of the
pilgrims.
Gulni: St.
Joseph’s School celebrated its annual day on 16 November. Archbishop William
was the Chief Guest. A couple of other dignitaries like the local MLA, Mr.
Pradeep Kumar were guests of honour. The children presented a colourful program
which was well appreciated by all present.
Kankarbagh:
St. John’s Academy, Kankarbagh celebrated its Parents’ Day on 23 November with Jharkhand
MLA, Mr. Glen Joseph Galstaun, as the chief guest. The program put up by the
children received joyful applause from every one present.
Sikandra:
The newly constructed presbytery was blessed and inaugurated by the Archbishop
on 17 November at 10.00 am. The Samachar extends our sincere thanks to our
benefactors whose generosity helped us to construct the presbytery. We extend
our hearty congratulations to Fr. Bhagyaraj, Fr. A. Raja, and their
collaborators for building a new house for the priests. St. Xavier’s School, Sikandra celebrated its annual day on 3
December with a cultural program which was appreciated by all. The Archbishop
was the chief guest.
Biharsharif: St. Mary’s Middle School, Biharsharif held its annual day on 4
December with fanfare and gaiety with the Archbishop as the chief guest at the
celebration. There was a good crowd of parents, children and well-wishers for
the function and everyone enjoyed the almost three-hour program.
6-7 December
seem to be very auspicious dates for annual function of the schools. Krist Jyoti School, Hilsa is having its
annual day on 6 December, while St.
Joseph’s School, Barh, Hartmann High School, Kurji, St. Xavier’s School, Patna, St. Mary’s Academy, A.G. Colony and St. Joseph’s Convent School, Bankipur
have scheduled their annual day celebrations on 7 December.
‘Congratulations” to all the Secretaries, Principals, staff and students of the schools
which have successfully celebrated their annual day, and ‘Best Wishes’ to those who will be celebrating their annual day as
the Samachar goes into the press.
Gaya:
The year-long diamond jubilee celebrations of Creane Memorial High School concluded
with a three-day concluding celebrations from 27 to 29 November this year. On
27 November there was the unveiling of the bust of late Fr. Creane by the
Secretary of St. Ignatius School Aurangabad, Fr. Mathew Chemplani SJ followed
by the blessing of Jubilee Language & Computer Lab by the Vicar General of
the Archdiocese, Fr. Devasia Mattathilani. On 28 November a memorial Holy
Eucharist and blessing of Fr. Creane’s tomb was held in the American Military
Cemetery, presided over by the dean of Gaya Deanery, Fr. Jose Chirackal. At
5:00 p.m. on the same day, there was a jubilee show for the students of Creane
Memorial High School. On 29 November, the concluding day, the celebrations
began with the concelebrated Holy Eucharist at 2:00 p.m. and presided over by
Archbishop William. The finale of the concluding ceremonies began at 5:00 p.m.
Archbishop William D’Souza SJ (Patna), Archbishop Thomas D’Souza (Kolkata),
Patna Zonal IG, Sh. Sushil M. Khopade, IPS, Magadh Range DIG, Sh. B.S. Meena,
IPS, the Dt. Magistrate of Gaya, Sh. Balamurgan IAS, Gaya Supdt. Police, Sh.
Nishant Tiwari IAS, were the main dignitaries on the dais. The three-hour
stage-show by the students was really enthralling. Kudos to the Secretary, Fr.
Andrews Thambi, the Principal, Fr. James George, the Vice Principal, Fr. P.
Bhaskhar, their associates, teaching and non-teaching staff, parents,
guardians, students and their associates for the memorable diamond jubilee
program.
Seven of our nine seminarians in Regency had their annual retreat at Varanasi from 4 to 9
November while the Formation In-charge Fr.
James Shekhar returned to Patna on 9 November after a three-week
fruitful visit to our benefactors in Germany, Austria and Italy.
Krus Vir News: Krus Vir Children from Nawada, Barbigha, Chakaram and Kurji Parishes
actively participated in the Bihar Bible
Mahotsav at Navjyoti Niketan from 12 to 16 October and won several prizes
in the competitions. The Samachar extends our sincere thanks to Fr. Alex and
Fr. Pradeep SJ for preparing the children for the ‘Utsav’. 195 Krus Vir
children along with their animators of Magadh Deanery attended a three-day retreat in Fatima Mata
Susamachar Kendra from 31 October to 3 November 2013.The Samachar gratefully
acknowledges the service of Fr. George Karamayil SJ and his team for directing
the retreat for the children. Together with Fr. Alex and Fr. John Britto, 17 Krus Vir Animators of the
Archdiocese attended a retreat at
Matridam, Varanasi on 5 and 6 November 2013. Thanks to Fr. Anil Dev IMS and his
team for preaching the retreat and to Fr. Keetan Florence Kujur, IMS for taking
care of them during the retreat.
Conclusion of ‘Year of Faith’: On 24 November 2013, the Feast of Christ the King, the
concluding ceremonies of the “Year of Faith” began with a Eucharistic procession
from the Loyola School Grounds to Kurji Parish. According to reports received,
more than 7000 people from the ten Parishes/Stations of Patna Deanery participated
in the two-hour long Eucharistic procession and the solemn Eucharistic
celebration presided over by the Archbishop. The procession began soon after
the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at 2.00 p.m. Children throwing flowers
on the road, and offering ‘arati’ preceded the well decorated open jeep on
which the Archbishop with candle-bearers on either side, was carrying the
Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance. Different parishes had put up decorated
gates en route. Fr. Peter Ignatius preached the homily during the concelebrated
Holy Eucharist at Kurji Parish Church. The Samachar congratulates all the
Clergy, Religious and Laity, especially to Fr. Johnson Kelakath SJ and his team
at Kurji for so very meaningfully and prayerfully holding the Eucharistic
procession.
Jyoti Bhawan:
Graduation ceremony of 4 Catechists after the 3 Month-training programs for
three consecutive years for men catechists at the Pastoral Center was held on 29
October. This year there were 21 participants from 7 Dioceses, 8 of them from
Patna for the training program. Faith-Festival
for the laity was held at Jyoti Bhawan from 4 November (evening) to 7 November
(morning). There were 250 participants. The concluding ceremonies were on 7
November. Fr. Devasia Mattathilani presided over the concelebrated Holy
Eucharist with Fr. Irudayaraj, Fr. Andrews Raja and Fr. Birender (Marianist) as
concelebrants.
Fr Thomas Olikathotty had to be admitted at Nazareth Hospital with high BP
and nausea in the first week of November. On 9 November he came to Patna and got
admitted in KHFH. He was diagnosed as having dengu fever. He is continuing the
treatment at Jyoti Bhawan and is reported to be much better now. Fr. Jose Chirackal was admitted
at KHFH with a sprained back. He was out of the hospital but is advised to continue
physiotherapy. Fr. Sebastian A
was in the Hospital for a surgical removal of an abscess. Fr. Sebastian Puthenpura was in KHFH for almost a week in
November with chest congestion and fever. Fr.
Jerome Dungdung was admitted on 12 November in Tripolia Hospital with
typhoid fever and got out after a week when he assured his doctors of
sufficient rest. Fr. Thomas George
seems to have some heart problem and is in touch with his doctor for necessary
care. Fr. Dominic Peter is
having some complications with his diabetic and cholesterol counts. Fr. Shakespeare with weakening
thigh muscles was advised to regular physiotherapy. He is now at Rampur Hat
Physiotherapy center and is expected to be back in Patna before Christmas.
Please remember them our sick in your prayers.
A three-day Training program for lay people as animators for building up
SCC (Small Christian Community) in the villages was scheduled from 28 October
evening to 31 evening at Navjyoti Niketan. Sr. Christine HC was the resource
person. 95 men and women from different parishes participated in the program.
After deliberations on the inputs on group building, models of the Church and
different steps to build up SCCs, the participants drew up action plan for their
respective parishes. Fr. Devasia M
celebrated the Holy Eucharist on the concluding day at 11:00 a.m.
Congratulations to Fr. Mariamlal the organizer, Sr. Christine HC the resource
person and thank you to the Parish
priests for sending the participants.
PMI State Convention: Bihar state level convention of Prison Ministry India
was held at Mount Assisi Ashram, Bhagalpur on 23-24 November in which Sr. Joel HC together with another six
delegates from Patna participated. The national coordinator of PMI, Fr. Sebastian Vadakumpadan was the
resource person. Since the National convention is to be held in October 2014 a
lot of ongoing programs are planned for the whole year. The Bishop of
Bhagalpur, Most Rev, Kurien
Valiakandathil was the chief guest while Asst. Superintendent Mr. Rakesh
Kumar Singh was the guest of honour. About 42 participants who attended the
program gratefully acknowledged the convention and sincerely appreciated the
hospitality of the TOR Fathers.
15 delegates including five Sisters and seven of our Faithful from the Archdiocese together
with Father Mariamlal participated
in the First National Convention of SCCs at Goa from 18 to 22 November. The
theme of the convention was “Small Christian Communities: Communion of Faith in
Love”. The participants report that it was a very enriching experience for each
one of them.
Memorial Mass: A memorial Mass on the first death anniversary of Fr. Jose Madathezhath is scheduled to be held at 11:00 a.m. on 27
December at Buxar. Kindly contact the Vicar General of Buxar, Fr. James Amakat,
if you intend to join the memorial Mass.
A Christmas Milan of the Clergy and Religious in the Archdiocese is
scheduled for 28 December at the Loyola School Campus, Patna. Please let us
know of your participation by 23 December on 9430652680
Please Note: Apart from the website, www.patnaarchdiocese.org the Archdiocese has a blog which updates our news
including the “Samachar”. You may open patnaarchdiocese.blogspot.in for our
news.
Kindly note the Postal address of : Superior
and Community, Brothers of the Sacred Heart, c/o Bihar Dalit Vikas Samiti
(BDVS), Baburbanna, Biharsharif,Nalanda Dt. Bihar 803 118
Happy Birthday
December
02 – 12 – 1958 Fr. Jose Edavazhy
10 – 12 – 1928 Fr. Aloysius Sequeira
28 – 12 – 1963 Fr. Kuldeep Kumar
28 – 12 – 1977 Fr. Nandu Kumar
