JAMSHEDPUR DIOCESE

 

 

Cardinal Josef Ratzinger was born on April 16, 1927 in Germany. Ordained Priest : June 29,1951; In 1953 he obtained a doctorate in theology; In 1962 he became a consultor at the Second Vatican Council ;From 1969, he was a professor of dogmatic theology and of the history of dogma at the University of Regensburg and vice president of the same university; Consecrated Archbishop of Munich and Freising : May 28,1977; Created Cardinal : June 27, 1977; In November 1981 he was named prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and president of the Biblical Commission and of the Pontifical International Theological Commission; He was elected vice dean of the College of Cardinals in November 1998; In November 2002, Pope John Paul II approved his election and by the order of cardinal bishops, as dean of the College of Cardinals. Cardinal Ratzinger was the president of the Commission for the Preparation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and after six years of work he presented the catechism book to the Holy Father in 1992. A towering intellectual, a deeply holy man, a kind hearted and strong in his beliefs, he has been one of the closest confidants of Pope John Paul II. Elected Pope on April 19, 2005 : Installed as Pope Benedict XVI on April 24, 2005:

 

OFFICIAL – STATUS

 

Fr. Jerome Pereira                Parish Priest, Sacred Heart Church, Adra

Fr. Amatus Kujur                 Parish Priest & Dean, St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Golmuri

Fr. Gerald Martin D,Souza  Director, Hospital, Bhilai Pahari

Fr. Roque Cardoza               Diocesan Treasurer & Minister, Bishop’s House

Fr. Gyan Praksh Topno       Director, Pratiksha, Neeldungri

Fr. Chonas Xalxo                  Parish Priest & Headmaster, DBH, Gomoh

Fr. Benedict Minj                 Parish Priest, St. Joseph’s Church, Charbandia

Fr. Cornelius Tigga              Assistant Director Divya Bharati & Chaplain,

                                               Khuntpani Shrine

Fr. Eugene Ekka                  Asstt. PP & Headmaster, St. Xavier’s Chaibasa

Fr. Sahay Thason                Asstt. PP & Principal, Loyola School, Kumardhubi

Fr. Puthumai Raj                Asstt. PP & Headmaster, St. Robert’s, Parsudih

Fr. Ajay Tiru                       Teacher/Treasurer, Pratiksha, Neeldungri

Fr. Junas Purty                   Parish Priest, St. Theresa’s Church, Sindri

Fr. Fabian Bhuinyan,S.J.   Director, Divya Bharati, Chaibasa

Fr. Joseph Surin, S.J.         Chancellor & Acting Coordinator of Diocesan Youth  

                                              Ministry, BH

Fr. Venancius Kandulna    Acting PP , St. Robert’s Church, Parsudih & B.Ed, LCE

Fr. James Quadros             Sabbatical

Fr. Alex Dodrai                    B.Ed, Namchi

Fr. Gualbert Furtardo        Recuperation/Rest, BH

Fr. Cyril Tigga, S.J              Parish Priest, Infant Jesus Parish, Sonari

Fr. George Anthony, S.J     Parish Priest, Jisu Jaher, Tundi

Fr. Sushil Jojo, S.J              Parish Priest, Basahatu

Fr. Manu Parapuram,S.J,  Parish Ministry, St. Mary’s, N. Road

Br. Sonu Hansda                  Regency, Catholic Ashram, Purulia

Br. Pascal Toppo                  Regency, St. Mary’s Church, Omra

Br. Boniface Purty               Regency, Prabhu Marsal, Goilkera

Br. Marcel Topno                 B.Ed, LCE, BH

 

 

 

Diocesan Round-up :

 

Catholic Ashram, Balarampur : Fr. Henry Sequeira succeeded in organizing a mega medical camp at Balarampur on April 02. The District Magistrate of Purulia inaugurated the camp and the SDO was the Guest of Honor. 4 Doctors and 3 technicians came from Kolkata and worked from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. to attend to 513 patients. Ms. Bina Modi gave accommodation for the camp and sponsored all the necessary arrangements including meals for the team and special guests. Congratulations Fr. Henry for the humanitarian initiative.

 

St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Golmuri :  April 03 was a day of grand celebration for the Parish community . It was the’ first communion’ day. Fr. George Manna presided at the Eucharist at 7.30 a.m. There were 36 children to receive the Lord first time in the company of their parents and dear ones. The Parish Priest presented Rosary to the 1^st communicants. Soon after the Mass all the ‘first communion’ children were given special snack-packets at the sacristy as they left for home celebrations.

 The marriage preparation course conducted by Fr. Valerian Lobo at the Welfare Centre had 27 participants. Fr. Leo D’Souza left for his annual home visit on 15^th April via Mumbai. Fr. Cyril Tigga is all the more busy in closing the books and getting ready to take over as PP of Sonari

 

XLRI, Jamshedpur : The 49^th Convocation of XLRI was held at the Tata Auditorium on April 03 at 5.30 p.m. Mr. B. Muthuraman, Chairman of the Board of Governors led the academic procession to the podium. Fr. Casmir Raj , Director, presented the annual report. The Sir Jehangir Ghandy Medal for Industrial and Social Peace was presented to Mr. Azim Prmeji, Chairman WIPRO. Dr. Kandeh Yumkella delivered the Convocation address. The auditorium was packed to capacity.

 

Bishop’s House, Golmuri : Bishop Joe Rodericks received the news of the death of Holy Father Johan Paul II at 1.07 a.m. on April 03  from TV news flash. Bishop Felix Toppo declared April 06 as a day of mourning and prayer for the Holy Father. He addressed the media on Tuesday and an ‘all religion prayer service’ was held at the Cathedral on 6^th at 5.00 p.m. Mr. Bailey Bodhanwala, Mr. Ronald D’Costa, Rev. Nirmal Das, Swamy Amritarupananda, FR. Joseph Surin and Bishop Felix Toppo offered condolences and prayed for the departed Pope, John Paul II. Mr. Vincent Athaide was the M.C. The Cathedral was packed to capacity. Soon after prayer service Bishop Felix Toppo presided at the solemn Mass in memory of the Holy Father.  The local media gave wide coverage of the ceremony .

 

St. Mary’s Church, N. Road : The silver jubilee of Fr. Amatus Kujur was celebrated  at St.  Mary’s on April 10. Fr. Amatus presided at the solemn Eucharist at 7.15 a.m. It was also an occasion to celebrate SARHUL in the Parish. It was an emotional moment for Fr. Amatus and he had messages for every one within the 54 minutes homily. Soon after the Mass the parishioners felicitated the Jubilarian with flowers and gifts. It is reported that Fr. Amatus had to get rice bags to pack off the gifts for Kumardhubi on 11^th morning.

Fr. Edwin addressed the all-religion gathering at the Chamber Bhawan on April 10 in memory of Pope John Paul II at 6.00 p.m. It was well organized by the ‘World Humanitarian Organization for Mankind’. It was an august gathering of the town VIPs.

Fr. Valerian Lobo organized a leadership training for the Diocesan Mahila Sangh  on April 23 and 24 at St. Mary’s Church N. Road. Fr. Joseph Surin, S.J. was the resource person. There were 75 women taking active part in the seminar and promising to work in their own areas with a renewed spirit of dedication. 

 

Infant Jesus Parish, Sonari :  The parish celebrated Sarhul on April 10 and Fr. Hilarius Kongari was the Chief Pahan. Immediately after the Mass there was a cultural program and Fr. Amtus Kujur was the Chief Guest. It was also the Sarhul celebration for the parish where they honoured Fr. Amatus for his silver jubilee of priesthood. Fr. Edwin Coelho congratulated the people for the celebrations of the tribal festival in the town. It was an enjoyable day and all shared meals together in the spirit of the sarhul.

 

 

Holy Family Church, Kumardhubi : The Sacerdotal Silver Jubilee of Frs. Robert Toppo and Amatus Kujur was celebrated in the Parish on April 17 at 7.30 a.m. Fr. Robert Presided at the solemn Concelebrated Eucharist and Fr. Amatus preached an inspiring homily. The Church was packed with the parishioners from all the centers. Many religious communities from the deanery were present for the occasion. Soon after the Mass all shared breakfast arranged by the Parish Council members. Then there was a cultural function to felicitate the jubilarians that went on even after 12.00 noon. The celebrations were coordinated by Fr. Pascal Burh ,S.J. with the parish leaders.

 

St. Paul’s Parish, Maluka : Bishop Felix Toopo, S.J. ordained deacon Benedict Hembrom a Priest for the ‘Congregation of Mission’ religious order on April 16, Saturday at 8.30 a.m. during a concelebrated Eucharist. Priests and Religious from the diocese and from the Vincentian Congregation were present for the solemn event. The parents in their traditional attire came forward and presented Benedict to the Bishop and requested for ordination. The whole liturgy was in Ho language. Fr. Joseph Surin, S.J. conducted the ceremony with meaningful commentary. The community felicitated the newly ordained and the Bishop with dances and songs. Later all shared the family meal before taking the newly ordained for the home ceremony and celebrations. Congratulations to Valerian Lobo and his team for the beautiful arrangements for the   first ever Ordination ceremony in Maluka.

 

St. Joseph’s Church, Charbandia :  The Holy Shroud of Turin was exhibited in the Parish Church on April 17. Fr. Augustine Topno presided at the Eucharist and presented the holy Shroud to the people for their veneration and prayer. Many Parishioners from the village segments reached the parish to pay respect to the Holy Shroud. Mr. Richard Sarky along with the Catechist, Joseph carried the Holy Shroud to Anandpur by train. On April 22, electricity power was switched on for Anandpur- Charabandia area and it was day of celebration at St. Joseph’s campus with bright light all around. Thanks to one and all who worked for the power line to reach the village, specially Mrs. Jhoba Majhi, the local MLA . Fr. James Quadros is delighted that his efforts brought light to the lives of the local community at Charbandia. 

 

Bishop’s House :  Bros. Linus Kindo and James Surin were first ones to arrive for ministry. Linus left for Dhanbad parish and James to Omra. The 2 Bhopal seminarians, Nirmal Baa and  William Lugun arrived on April 13. Nirmal proceeded to Purulia and Willaim left for a short home visit. Sonua Hansda finished his exams and reached B H on April 16 and left for home visit the next day in preparation for his regency. Msgr. Johna Bodra went along with Bishop Felix for the ordination of Benedict Hembrom to Maluka on April 15 and then to Bordor for the Confirmation. He preached an inspiring homily in Ho at Bordor and stayed on at Chaibasa for another day’s rest and massage by the Kowa Doctor. Seven seminarians joined the Santhali Master Fr. Cyprian Lobo at Bhilai Pahari for the language classes on April 28 . The Santhali classes will continue till  May 31.

 

CRI-JSR : The CRI gathering on April 17 at LFS, Telco had 23 members in active participation. Fr. Sunny Jacob,S.J. was the facilitator. He dwelt on the theme the “EUCHARIST “ which energizes the believer to be like Christ. He cautioned quoting that Jesus’ time there were 8 important social groups in which women were in the last after beggars and lepers. Jesus supported the weak and oppressed giving them dignity and respect. The sessions concluded with the celebration of Holy Eucharist. Later all shared a sumptuous meal prepared by the Little Flower Sisters.{Bro. Jacob dds)

 

St. Mark’s Parish, Toklo :  Fr. Benedict Hembrom , brother of Fr. Camille offered a ‘First Mass’ on Sunday April 24 for the people of Toklo. It was day of celebration for the community as one among them is consecrated to be a Priest of Christ. The people felicitated the newly Ordained with songs and dances.

Bishop Felix presided at the solemn Eucharist in honor of St. Mark , the patron of the Parish  on April 25 at 9.00 a.m. The parishioners from all the villages were present for the solemn occasion. Fr. Benedict Hembrom preached an inspiring homily during the Mass in Ho. The parishioners were delighted to see among them Msgr. John Bodra, the founder of the Parish and they had many visions to share with the patriarch during the feast day celebrations. Immediately after the Mass the Bishop blessed the newly constructed hostel for tribal girls. Later the hostel children and the parishioner felicitated the Bishop and Guests with various cultural items. The clergy and religious of the area joined Fr. Camille and the Parishioners for the feast day meal at 12.30 p.m. It was memorable day for the people of Toklo to celebrate the Parish Day with many guests.  

 

 

CLASS  1                                                                         Class VI

Class 11                                                                            

Class 111             

Sanket Beck (SM ,Bistupur) *                                       Class VIII

Class IV                                                                            Class IX                                                                         

Asha Kindo (SJ, Golmuri) *                                           Abhishek Kerketta (SM, Bistupur) *

 Class V

Ritesh Kullu (SJ, Golmuri) *                                *1^st      Prize - Rs.350.00

Amarjeet Sinku (SX,LPG) +                                 + 2^nd    Prize - Rs.250.00                                              

 

Bible Society of India : The Bible Society of India, Ranchi Auxiliary had its AGM at the Emmanuel Baptist Church, Sitaramdera on April 23 at 10.30 a.m. Fr. C.R. Prabhu, President, BSI, Ranchi Auxiliary, presided at the meeting and Bishop Felix Toppo,S.J. was the Chief Guest . Mr. S.K. Sen, President, BOBBCA,  Balasore-Orissa was present as Guest of Honour and addressed the gathering. The AGM concluded with a family meal at  1.00 p.m. Thanks to Mr. J.Mahapatra for the great effort and support for the BSI.

 

 

National – International :

 

New Office Bearers of BIJHAN DPF :  The BIJHAN DPF at its Executive Body Meeting held at St. Albert’s College, Ranchi elected  the following office bearers :

President                   Fr. Kajitan (Muzaffarpur)

Vice President          Fr. James Dhan (Khunti)

Secretary                  Fr. Innocent Kujur(Gumla)

Treasurer                  Fr. Noel Tirkey(Ranchi)

 

Catholics Increased by one Crore- 392 more Priests : In the year 2002 the Catholic population was 104 crores. In 2003 it reached 108 crores, an increase of one crore. The number of priests also increased from 405058 to 405450. There was an increase of 707 in the number of diocesan priests, where in the case of missionary priests there was a reduction of 315. This information is contained in the Vatican Year Book “ Annuario Pontificio 2005”. According to this book, there was an increase of 4.5 % in the African Catholic population. In Asia the increase was 2.2%. In Oceania it was 1.3% and in the USA it was 1.2%. There is no change in Europe. Nearly half of the Catholic population of the world is in the Americas. In 2004, the Pope ordained 171 bishops. 10 new dioceses and a new Apostolic Vicariate were established. 6 Dioceses were raised to the status of Arch Diocese.(Vanchanotsavam)

 

On Exorcism class for Clergy : In a classroom ringed by Rome’s pine-covered hills, 100 priests solemnly stood in prayer, made the sign of the cross and got down to business : a lesson on Satanism, demoniac possession and exorcism. Worried about the ritual killings in Italy and simple adolescent angst, s Vatican-recognized university started the course to help priests and seminarians understand what makes people turn to the occult. The class is billed as the first of its kind, with wide-ranging instruction by exorcists, psychologists and a police criminologist.

 

“ I have received the invitation letter from Israel and already submitted the application along with the relevant documents for visa. I hope to get the visa in the next week. If everything goes well, my friend and I travel to the Holy Land in the final week of May. It will be a great experience for me personally and also academically” ([email protected])

 

“Easter celebration was great. I had two other priests here for all the days. This year we are celebrating the Golden Jubilee of our Parish. We plan to have our celebration on the 25^th of September 2005. The Jamshedprur Ladies are fine. They are busy with collecting materials for a sale and lottery draw, which will be held on the 11^th of June. The weather is gorgeous now. It is bit cold but sunny and no snow at all” ([email protected]).

 

“We were out to Florida with one of our friends from here. Yesterday we came back and went to Detroit in the evening. This morning I got my Canadian VISA. Praise the Lord. Hereafter the program will go on as scheduled and I should be back in Dhanbad on the 21^st of May. ([email protected]).

 

Pope John Paul II : ( 18.5.1920 – 02.04.2005) : the millennial Pope, bold and innovative had many extraordinary qualities which made him distinct from his predecessors. He was not only a spiritual leader of the millions of Catholics across the world but he was the most admired Pope of the modern times. He clearly gave definite direction to the Church. He spoke passionately about the values of love, forgiveness, Universal Brotherhood and reconciliation so prominent in the Gospel. He never left any ambiguity about his stand on different issues. He very actively promoted a culture of life, speaking about it frequently and writing about it. There was no question of any compromise on issues like abortion and euthanasia. Strong -bonds in the family was another value he strove to promote and he relentlessly combated all forces that tried to weaken the stability of the home.

He made 92 Papal visits to 122 countries; One million kilometers traveled outside Italy; 500 days spent in traveling; over 3000 speeches made on travels; Created 231 Cardinals; 482 Canonisations (Saint); 1338 Beatifications (Blessed); 14 encyclicals and 3 books.

We nurture fond memories of his visit to Ranchi and other parts of our country. We salute this great Pope of our time and pray that he will continue interceding for our faith journey.

 

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