Vol. XXXIV April 2014 No.3
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Easter Greetings:
Archbishop William D’Souza, SJ and the Archdiocesan Clergy wish each and every one of you the joy, peace, hope, love and every blessings on this Easter Season: Every prayerful and good wishes too for a new life in the Risen Lord.
Archbishop’s Program
April
08 : Education Council Meeting
09 AM : Finance Committee Meeting
PM : Consult
10 AM : Recollection
PM : Chrism Mass
11 – 13 : Office
14 – 16 : Visit to Communities in Patna
17 – 19 : Triduum (Silence – No appointments)
19 : Bankipur – Easter Vigil
20 : Kurji – Easter Morning Mass
22 : Gulni – Boys’ Hostel Blessing
23 – 24 : Office
25 : Barbigha – Foundation stone of School Building
26 : Holy Cross Convent, Balupar
27 AM : Avila Convent – Silver Jubilee of Sr. Tanisha AC
PM : Krus Veer Animators’ Meeting
28 AM : Sewa Kendra – Girls’ Coaching group
PM : Leave for Bangalore
29 – 30 : Bangalore CBCI + CCBI Standing Committee Meeting
May
01 – 02 : CCBI + CCBI Standing Committee Meeting (Contd.)
03 – 05 : Mangalore – Home Visit
06 – 10 : Mumbai
14 : Ordination – Dn. Augustine & Dn. Jeybalan
18 : Khagaul - Confirmation
18 – 20 : Seminarians’ Get-together
22 : Muzaffarpur – Milan Samaroh
24 : Atmadarshan
26 – 31 : Bangalore – United Christian Prayer for India
Archbishop William took time and visited Barbigha, Sheikhpura, Sikandra, Gulni, Roh, Rajgir, Gaya, Bodh Gaya and Nawada in the third and fourth weeks in March in spite of his other important engagements in Patna. In the beginning of April he was in Barh and has planned out visiting the communities in Patna before and after Easter. He already had a couple of meetings like the Education Council meetings, Finance committee meeting, consult etc before the monthly recollection and the Chrism Mass on 10 April. He has a lot of engagements and travel schedule lined up during the rest of April and in the month of May.
People, Places and Events:
New Provincial Team: Sr. Mary Pakkiam, Sr. Bina Stanis and Sr. Mercy Francis have been elected as members of the new MMS Provincial Team for North India Province of the Medical Mission Sisters and have taken over their responsibility on 02 March, 2014. Sr. Mary Pakkiam is the Province representative to the Church at large and in particular for the Maharashtra/Goa/Delhi region and her residence will be in Pune. Sr. Mercy Francis is responsible for Bihar Region and her official address is Medical Mission Sisters, Deepanjali, Kurji Holy Family Hospital, Patna 800 010. Her email id is: mmsmercy@gmail.com
While we joyfully welcome and extend our prayerful good wishes to the new team, we greatly appreciate and sincerely thank the outgoing District Coordinator Sr. Rowena Miranda, her collaborators and all the Medical Mission Sisters for their dedicated service to the Church in Patna.
B.Ed College at Jehanabad: The proposal to start a B.Ed college at Jehanabad has been under consideration for some time and after due consultations and deliberations, the proposal has been approved. To study the feasibility of establishing the College a committee has been appointed by the Archbishop. Fr. Joseph Raj is the convener with Fr. Tom Perumalil SJ, Fr. Louis Prakash SJ, Fr. Anthony Osta, Fr. Robert Kumar and Fr. Sebastian A as its members. Fr. Tom Karthanam SJ and Sr. Doris AC are the advisors to the committee. They have already done quite a bit of job on the project and have come out with a master plan of the building and campus. Further details are awaited and if everything goes well, we hope to start the College by 2016.
Committee for Construction: To coordinate the construction works in the Archdiocese, the Archbishop has appointed a committee with Fr. Andrews Raja as its convener. The other members of the committee are Fr. Jose Edavazhy, Fr. Prem Prakash, Fr. Joseph Raj and Mr. Jacob Josephat. The committee is to visit the location for new constructions, design, prepare the estimate, suggest the contractor etc and put the proposal to the Archbishop for final approval and execution. You are hereby informed that henceforth all the proposals for new constructions in the Archdiocese will have to go through this committee before the same is approved.
Fr. Joachim Thakur has taken charge as Administrator of the Archbishop’s House on 1 April while Fr. Thomas George moved over to Fatuha and was installed as Parish Priest of Fatuha on 6 April by Fr. James Rosario. After a touching farewell by the people at Fatuha, they accompanied Fr. Augustine Mundoli to Masaurhi as he took charge of the place on the same day.
Youth Commission Reports: Five AICUFers from Patna Archdiocese participated in the Dumka AICUF day celebrations held from 14 to 15 March at St. Xavier’s College, Sahibganj. Harnaut Parish level Parivartan training program was conducted from 21 to 23 March in which there were 60 participants. Sr. Vimala and Fr. Prabhu Das too accompanied the trainees in the program. Bihar State AICUF regional advisors’ meeting was held at Youth Center, Chakaram on 25 March to discuss and plan out programs to strengthen the AICUF movement in all the dioceses of Bihar. The participants also deliberated on ways and means to spread the Parivartan movement to all parts of Bihar. Youth directors from Purnea, Bettiah, Buxar and Patna were present for the meeting. Parivartan Office Bearers’ Training Program was conducted at the Youth Center at Chakaram from 28 to 31 March. There were 140 delegates from Jehanabad, Sikandra, Rajgir, Harnaut, Maner and Gulni Parivartan centers. Fr. Christu Raj was the chief guest while Fr. Kuldeep Kumar and Fr. Joachim Thakur were special invitees. Fr. Peter Ladis and his Law students from the Chanakya Law College, Fr. Philip Manthara SJ and Fr. Deepak D’Mello SJ were some of the important resource persons for the program. AICUF+AYCM Commission meeting was held at youth centre, Chakaram on 3 March 2014 to plan out for the AYCM camp to be held in the month of June 2014.
Gaya: On 29 March 52 parishioners led by the Parish Priest, Fr. Andrews Thambi went on a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Bandel. Since the following day was a Sunday, the pilgrims participated in the Holy Eucharist at the side altar. Later they lit candles and prayed to the Blessed Mother in front of her miraculous statue kept in the chapel upstairs. The pilgrims then went to Kolkata to the tomb of Mother Teresa and offered prayers for the entire parish. They were greatly blessed by the pilgrimage and returned with deeper commitment to witness their Faith.
Seven of the Junior Clergy and two of our Deacons spent half a day together with the Archbishop on 18 March at the Archbishop’s House. There was positive interaction and constructive sharing on the challenges and concerns that came up in the scientific survey findings. As a result of the sharing, they have decided to have regular sharing sessions for a day – at least four times a year – and have chosen Fr. Prem Prakash to organize and coordinate the gathering. Later all of them attended the two-day workshop at Navjyoti Niketan, on the Social Teaching of the Church monitored by the CBCI secretary for Peace, Justice and Development, Fr. Charles Irudayam.
All the Regents had a day of recollection on 5-6 April at the Mokama Matha Pilgrim center. The recollection was directed by Fr. Sebastian SJ from Barbigha Parish.
Fr Devasia Chirayil went on 28 March for a short holiday at home and was back on 8 April. He seems to be much refreshed and relaxed. He says on his return that mobile phone is not a necessity of life and he now knows that we are tension-free at least for ten days if we do not have one. This is from his own experience since he had forgotten to take his mobile phone when he left Patna. So nobody disturbed him and he could take enough rest without any disturbance of the phone-ringing.
Fr. Devasia Mattathilani participated in the Episcopal ordination of Bishop Alex Vadakumthala of Kannur Diocese on 23 March and then had a week’s holidays at home before he went to Delhi to attend a couple of meetings there. He was back in Patna on 6 April after attending the meetings.
Fr. Jacob Muthuplackal was in the hospital from 25 March to 28 March with stomach upset and giddiness. Fr. Joseph Mattathilani has been visiting his doctors since 5 April to rectify some digestive and dental problems. Fr. Bhagyaraj met his doctor at Kurji Holy Family on 9 April to take care of similar health disorders while Fr. Peter Ladis was in the same hospital on 10 and 11 April for the surgical removal of an abscess he had at the right lower side of his abdomen since some time.
The Chrism Mass this year too was held at the Queen of the Apostles Church, Kurji on Thursday 10 April 2014 at 5:00 p.m. More than 65 priests from the Archdiocese concelebrated the Holy Eucharist with Archbishop William D’Souza SJ as the main celebrant. Soon after the Holy Eucharist, the participants shared refreshments and later the Presbyterium had a fellow-ship meal together with the major superiors and their delegates.
Prior to the Chrism Mass, the clergy in the Archdiocese had half a day of recollection and sharing at the Archbishop’s House. Fr. Susai Raj SJ led us into prayerful reflection on “the joy of Priesthood and the unity of Presbyterium”. He based his talks on different homilies of Pope Francis, on the findings of the scientific survey of the Archdiocese and on the 2014 Lenten Pastoral letter of the Archbishop. We extend our sincere thanks to Fr. Susai Raj SJ for his inspiring talks.
Information:
The Archdiocesan Formation In-Charge, Fr. James Shekhar informs that Seminarians’ get-together is scheduled to be held at St. Mary’s Seminary, Chakaram from 18 (evening) to 21 (evening) in May and the “Milan Samaroh” of the Seminarians from the four dioceses of Patna, Muzaffarpur, Buxar and Bettiah, with the Jesuit Scholastics will be from 22 to 24 May at Masihi Gurukul, Muzaffarpur. All our seminarians are expected to be present for both the programs.
Youth commission informs that separate summer camp will be conducted for the Youth of Nalanda, Magadh and Gaya deaneries in the months of May and June. Gaya deanery will have the camp from 23 May (evening) to 25 May evening at Jeevan Sangham, Bodh Gaya, while Nalanda deanery will have the camp at Biharsharif Parish from 29 May (evening) to 31 May (evening). Magadh deanery will be having the camp at Nawada Parish from 13 June (evening) to 15 June (evening). Kindly motivate and encourage the youth of your place to participate in the summer camp.
Tripolia School of Nursing: Application forms for General Nursing & Midwifery and ANM courses will be available at the office of Tripolia School of Nursing from 20 March to April 20. Fee for the form and prospectus for GNM is Rs.300/- while for ANM application form will be Rs. 200/- For further details contact Tripolia School of Nursing, Tripolia Social Service Hospital, Gulzarbagh P.O., Patna 800 007, Bihar. Contact No. 09472034517, 09430511600
St. Xavier’s College of Education, Patna is giving out application forms for admission to B.Ed course for academic session 2014-2015 from the college office between 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon from 31 March to 17 April 2014.
Kurji Holy Family Hospital School of Nursing is inviting application from 17-24 years age-group with IA/ISc/ICom examination pass in First or Second division having pass marks in English, for admission to ANM training (2 Years – Hindi Medium). Prospectus and Application forms may be obtained from the Nursing School office from 07 April 2014 on payment of Rs. 350/- The last date of submitting the application is 30 May 2014. The candidates who are awaiting their Senior Secondary Board examination results may apply, but their admission will be subject to clearance before the interview. For details contact The Principal, School of Nursing, Kurji Holy Family Hospital, Sadaquat Ashram P.O., Patna 800 010. Phone: 0612-2274727.
Jyoti Bhawan, Mokama informs that various training programmes are being organized at Jyoti Bhawan in the coming months. Vocation camp (Jeevan Pravesh) for boys will be from 23 to 28 April while Christian leadership in the Church and Society (seminar for laity) will be from 01 to 05 May. Class 7 students will have Catechetical camp & Leadership Seminar from 23 to 28 May. Faith Formation seminar for High School (Class 8 and 9) students will be from 2 to 6 June. Training for the Catechism teachers is scheduled from 9 to 14 June and Leadership Seminar for Parish Council members will be from 23 to 27 June. Contribution for all the above mentioned program is only Rs.30/- from each participant.
