NORTHEAST INDIA PROVINCE, MSFS PROVINCIALATE

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FT/49 – Circular – March, 2013

Dear Confreres,

Greetings of peace!

The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI on 28th February 2013 left the church without a Pope for 13 days. His resignation is unique in the history of the Papacy, and it has given space for the election of the 266th successor to St. Peter, while the former Pope living within the vicinity of Vatican. The White smoke from the chimney of Vatican finally gave the news: Habemus Papam!

The Conclave consisting of 115 Cardinals from all over the world has finally elected Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, a native of Argentina, who also becomes the first Pope from Latin America. The choice of the papal name- Francis, the first ever to be taken after the 13th-century friar St. Francis of Assisi, whose life's work was to care for nature, the poor and most disadvantaged, offers certain clue to the kind of influence that would mark the papacy of the new Pope. And on a personal note, I am glad that he has chosen the name Francis.

Pope Francis has already made headlines with his simple style since the moment he appeared to the world on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, eschewing the ermine-lined red velvet cape in favor of the simple papal white cassock, and then paying his own bill at the hotel where he stayed prior to the Conclave that elected him pope. The Pope thrilled the crowd at the start of the inaugural Mass on 19th March by taking a long round-about through the sun-drenched piazza and getting out of his jeep to bless a disabled man. Through these simple gestures he has already endeared himself to the world community. Reports continue to flow from various corners highlighting the simplicity of the new Pope and his love for the poor.

The Inaugural mass at St Peter’s Square was reported to be attended by almost 2 million people, including world leaders and dignitaries from different faith communities. The homily at the Inaugural mass points out to the characteristic traits of his papacy. The Pope said “the role of the pope is to open his arms and protect all of humanity”, but "especially the poorest, the weakest, the least important, those whom St. Matthew lists in the final judgment on love: the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and those in prison." His motto suggests even more about the root of Francis' message: "Miserando atque eligendo,” meaning, "Having had mercy, he called him," comes from an episode in the Gospel where Christ picks a seemingly unworthy person to follow him.

The new Pope has highlighted the importance of mercy, saying that often people are unforgiving with one another, but that God is all-merciful. "And very patient," he ad-libbed from the window of his studio during his first Sunday Angelus prayer. There’s no doubt, the Pope is a world leader and holds the esteem of all. The whole world looks with immense hope to Pope Francis for a new direction and guidance on all affairs that touch human persons and communities. We shall continue to pray for the Church and the new pope who is called to shoulder the responsibility of leading the Church and the nations of the world.

Lent – a Season of Grace and Blessing We are in the Lenten season of the Church. The Season offers us opportunities for threading new paths. We may lead and guide others to newness of life through our pastoral ministry. But it is pertinent to ask the question: Do we make use of this opportunity for our personal conversion? Most of all, do we feel the need of personal conversion? Is lent a missed opportunity for you and me? Let us strive to use the God-given opportunity for forging a fresh journey with God and others.

Superiors Forum Meeting

The meeting of the Superiors Forum is scheduled for May 14-15, 2013. The sessions shall begin at 9.00 am on 14th and end at 4.00 pm on 15th May. I request all the local superiors to attend the two-day program which will be held at MSFS Provincialate, Narengi. The sessions will include topics on religious leadership, community life, and other concerns of life and ministry in the province. All the participants are requested to bring copies of the Constitutions and Directory for ready reference during the sessions.

Our efforts to build a Parish Church at Narengi

Ever since the erection of the parish at Narengi, the community of people has grown. In these years, the school hall has served as a worshipping place for this community. No doubt, a parish Church is long overdue for the people of SFS Parish, Narengi. I am glad that after a long process of consultation, a plan for the Church building has been finalized and was presented to Guwahati Municipal Corporation for approval. We hope to receive a favorable response from the GMC in the near future. It is our hope to begin this work as soon as we have the approval. The parish community has been praying and working towards raising funds for the construction of a church.

The construction of parish churches at Pasighat and Kangpokpi are in progress. We are still looking for more finances for the completion of these Churches. A number of village Churches are also in various stages of construction. I request everyone to pray for the successful completion of these Churches.

The 25th Plenary Assembly of CCBI

The CCBI is a national level Conference of the Latin rite bishops in India. The 25th Plenary assembly of the CCBI held at Vailankanni, Tamil Nadu, deliberated on the Pastoral plan for the Church in India. The assembly described the Church as a i) believing community, ii) praying community, iii) serving community, iv) proclaiming community. Let us strive to make our community life and ministry reflect these aspects of the church. We are the leaders of the communities entrusted to our care. And the task is ours!

Blessing and Inauguration of New Office Facilities at MSFS Provincialate, Guwahati

The Northeast India Province of the Missionaries of St. Francis De Sales (MSFS) had the joy of blessing and opening of the new office facilities for Fransalian Agency for Social Care and Education in India (FAsCE India), Fransalian Communications and SFS Parish Narengi at the MSFS Provincialate, Narengi. Most Rev. John Moolachira, the Archbishop of Guwahati blessed these offices on 9th March 2013 in the presence of a gathering of Fathers, Sisters and lay persons from in and around Guwahati, representing various institutions.

Rev. Fr. Francis Thandathil MSFS opened the new offices with the following exhortation: "The primary purpose of these new facilities is to provide better service to the poor, and let this be the top priority for all the people who work here”.

The Archbishop implored the blessings of God on all those who work in these offices and use the facilities. He appreciated the Fransalians for their committed endeavors in the social sector and for expressing preferential love for the poor in all their institutions. He expressed his happiness over the commendable services rendered by the Fransalians in the pastoral, social and educational sector throughout Northeast India. The new offices will be functioning with the aim to serve the poor and the needy and delivering better services to everyone. (Reported by Mr. Shaji Zechariah)

The Mermier Cup : Inter-School Competition of Upper Assam Schools

Interschool Competitions are held for the Upper Assam Schools every year to strengthen solidarity among the schools, and have a better exposure for the students. The annual event is held to honor the memory of Servant of God Peter Mermier, the Founder of the MSFS. On 9th March 2013, Fransalian High School, Jonai became the venue for the tournament-Volleyball for boys and Throw-ball for girls. The competitions were preceded by a grand opening ceremony at 8.30. Fr. Peter Parankimalil, the Principal welcomed everyone. A student of Fransalian School gave a speech on Fr. Mermier, which was followed by a number of breath-taking dances by the host-school.

The tournaments started at 9.30 am. All the teams exhibited the spirit of sportsmanship throughout the day. At the end of the tough competitions, Fransalian High School, Jonai and Christ King School, Gogamukh took the Championship trophies for Volleyball and Throw-ball respectively. SFS School, Dhemaji and Fransalian High School, Jonai were the runners-up. Don Bosco School, Silapathar secured third place in both the games. The well arranged event concluded with the prize distribution ceremony. Congratulations to the champions and all the participants. Kudos to Fr. Peter the Principal of Fransalian School for organizing the event so wonderfully. (Reported by Fr. Anto Rex)

Lenten Retreat at St. Francis de Sales Mission, Sateek

A three-day Lenten Retreat for the youth was organized by Christ the King Cathedral Parish, Kulikawn from 15th to 17th March 2013 at St. Francis de Sales Mission, Sateek. Seventy One Participants from the various Villages of the Cathedral Parish, Kulikawn came to participate in the Retreat. The retreat began with the holy Eucharist presided over by Fr. Francis Thadathil, the Provincial of Northeast India Province.

Fr. Provincial, in his homily, exhorted the participants to experience the love of Christ by returning to him like the prodigal son. The animators- Mr. Joseph, the Superintendent of Police, Mr. Paul Biakchhawna, the catechist of Cathedral parish, Sr. Mary Lalbiaktluangi MSMHC and Sr. Angela Runo MSMHC, guided the youth through inspiring sessions and spiritual exercises. Spiritual exercises included Meditation, Adoration, Rosary procession and Way of the cross. It was for the first time that the youth had a retreat animated by a group of lay people and sisters. It was really an enriching, spiritual and personal experience for them. The retreat ended on 17th evening. The catholic members of Sateek Mission met the expenses of food and accommodation for the participants. (Fr.Lijeesh Kaduthanathu MSFS)

Parish Feast Celebrated

St. Joseph’s Church Manikbond celebrated the Feast of St. Joseph, the Patron of the Parish on 17th March 2013. It was a memorable day for everyone. More so, for the 50 children, who received the First Holy Communion and 30 who received the sacrament Confirmation. About 800 people participated in the Eucharist and other celebrations. Rt. Rev. Stephen Rotluanga CSC, D.D., the Bishop of Aizawl, led the people to the spiritual celebration of Holy Eucharist and other sacraments. The day’s joy was doubled with the presence of Fr. Francis Thadathil MSFS, the Provincial of Northeast India Province and many fathers and sisters from the neighborhood communities. The Procession with the statue of St. Joseph, soon after the Eucharistic celebration, gave an opportunity for the people to proclaim their faith and show their devotion to the patron of the parish. A small cultural program was also organized after the Procession. Rt. Rev. Stephen Rotluanga the Bishop of Aizawl and Fr. Francis Thadathil the provincial expressed their appreciation to the parish team for their leadership and service to the parish community. The Program concluded with a fellowship meal served for all. (Reported by Fr. Shaju Ambiyil)

Empowering Communities to fight Child-Right Violations

Fransalian Agency for Social Care and Education in India (FAsCE India), the official social action organ of the Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales, organized the Fifth and final Training of Trainers (ToT) “on the prevention of child sexual abuse and promotion of child rights through human resource development” from 9th to 12th March 2013 at MSFS Provincialate, Guwahati. There were 28 participants including headmasters, teachers, sisters, priests and social workers from the eight Fransalian schools of Meghalaya, Manipur and Lower Assam. With this ToT series, FAsCE India has trained over 120 persons from all over Northeast since the start of the program in 2012. The purpose of this training is to equip our personnel for the protection and promotion of Child Rights.

Most Rev. John Moolachira, the Archbishop of Guwahati graced the occasion by inaugurating the programme. Referring to the Indian Constitution, he reiterated that every child is a citizen who is entitled with all the rights like that of an adult. Archbishop appreciated the Fransalians for taking this bold step in creating forums for discussing this ‘silent universal problem’.

The tangible outcome of this training will lead to the formation of Child Rights Club in 30 schools of Northeast India as well as in the neighboring Government Schools. Through this platform, children and their parents receive a greater awareness on the Rights of Children and are equipped to fight the violation of their Rights.

Sr. Christine Mynsong MSMHC, Counsellor, Guwahati, Mrs. Lita Hazarika, Lecturer in Counseling, Guwahati University and Don Bosco University, Mr. Vedprakash Goutham, Child Protection Officer, UNICEF Guwahati, Rev. Fr. Lukose Cheruvalel SDB, Chair person, Child Welfare Committee, Kamrup District and Mr. Shaji Fernandez, FAsCE India were the main resource persons. (Reported by Mr. Shaji Zechariah)

Let us Pray for the Sick

·  Mr. Sebastian (age 30) has been suffering from a rare type of sickness related to blood for the past 15 years. He is the younger brother of Fr. Albert Sahayaraj MSFS, the associate priest at SFS Parish Nongwalbibra, Meghalaya. The family requests our prayers.

·  Lucy Kanjirathunkal (age 56), the mother of Fr. Roshan Kanjirathunkal MSFS, is suffering due to acute arthritis problems. Fr. Roshan requests our prayers for his mother.

·  Shalini Ezhanikatt (age 37), who is sick and admitted to hospital. She is the younger sister of Fr. Shaibu Ezhanikatt MSFS.

·  Fr. Thomas Kochupurathanathu MSFS, who underwent a surgery for appendicitis at Impal. He has already returned to Kangpokpi.

Let us Pray for the Departed

·  Bro. Joseph Thekkumthottam MSFS (84 years), of Vizakh Province, who passed away on March 11, 2013.