JAMSHEDPUR DIOCESE

 

 

Holiness does not consist in doing extraordinary things.

It consists in accepting, with a smile, what Jesus sends us.

It consists in accepting and following the will of God.

                                                                 (Blessed Mother Teresa of Kolkata)

 

 

 

 

 

D I O C E S A N   R O U N D  - U P

 

Panchayat Raj Trainings :  The 1^st training  on ‘Panchayat Raj’  was held at St. Xavier’s Church Chaibasa for the Kolhan deanery on August 31 from 10.00 a.m to 1.30 p.m. There were 156 participants representing all the parishes and institutions of the region. Fr. Savarimuthu, S.J. was the resource person. On September 01, Fr. Savari gave the second training session at the Catholic Charities, Sundernagar for the Jamshedpur deanery. This was attended by 136 people. According to Fr. Savari Jamshedpur tops in training people for the coming Panchayat  elections in Jharkhand..

 

 

 

 

St. Joseph’s School, Golmuri :  The newly added extension of six classrooms on Lizza Memorial block was blessed and inaugurated by Bishop Felix Toppo, S.J. on September 03 . The school band welcomed the Chief Guest at the entrance of the school and Scouts in Uniform marched with him to the decorated podium for the hoisting the school flag. The Bishop hoisted the school flag while the children clapped and sounded the drums and bugles. It added festivity to the function. This was followed by a prayer service and address by the Chief Guest .Later the guests went to the new floor for the blessing ceremony. Immediately then the Bishop installed the statue of St. Joseph on the specially erected top portico-window. Then the school children presented various cultural items on the stage. Mementos were presented to Mr. Ephrem Kispotta, the architect, Mr. Anikul, the Contractor and Mr. Ashok, the supervisor. Sr. Anice, Headmistress of the Middle School thanked one and all for their presence and support for this project. Soon after the Bishop declared the science and craft exhibition opened. All the Guests, Parents and Guardians visited and marveled at the models and scientific skills of their wards in the school. The beautifully decorated school was an attraction for many visitors in the campus.  Congratulations to Sr. Marie, Staff and Students of St. Joseph’s!

On September 05, Sr. Marie Therese SSH, Headmistress of St. Joseph was invited to Ranchi to receive the award for the best matriculate results for the year-2005 from the Human Resource Minister, Jharkhand Government.

 

Our Lady of Nativity Parish, Sini:  The solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lady, the Parish Feast was celebrated on September 08. The feast day began with a concelebrated Eucharist presided over by Fr. George Manna at 7.30 a.m. A dancing troupe led the celebrants and the first communicants to the Church from the School portico. Br. Lazarus Soren conducted the choir .During the Mass 5 children received ‘First Holy Communion’. Immediately after the Mass the Parish Youth welcomed the guests and congratulated the ‘First communion’ children. Breakfast was served to all after the Mass. This was followed by games and cultural programme. Later all shared the family meal prepared by the Parish Council. Congratulations to Fr. Cyriac, Fr. George , Sisters and the Parish Council for the meaningful celebration of the Parish Feast.

 

St. Anthony’s Church, Maubhandar: The feast of the Nativity of Our Lady was celebrated at the Parish on September 08. The celebration began with a Rosary procession on the main road with devotional singing. Fr. George Mann was the Chief celebrant of the concelebrated Eucharist. Fr. Cyprian Lobo gave the introduction for Mass. Immediately after the Mass all gathered in front of the Church and shared tea-snacks. The parishioners were delighted to see Fr. C. Lobo in their midst for the feast. On September 18 Bishop Felix Toppo presided over the solemn Eucharist for the anniversary of the foundation of the Basic Christian Communities in the parish. The parish is divided into 8 zones and there are 8 communities actively involved in all the Parish activities. Congratulations to Fr. Terry and the Parish Council for the beautiful and devotional celebrations in the parish.

 

 

 

 

St. Mary’s Church , Bhojudih : “ On the 29^th of August we hoisted the flag of Our Lady in Bhojudih in a colourful but devotional ceremony. On the 3^rd September Fr. Provincial was with us for the visitation of Chandankiyari-Bhokudih. His visit brought us all the spiritual blessings needed. 8^th was a memorable day for the people of Bhojudih. On the feast day our Bishop, the Provincial and a dozen of priests and a good number of sisters graced the procession and the Eucharist. Bishop Felix Toppo, S.J. was the Chief Celebrant at the solemn concelebrated Eucharist at 5.00 p.m. Many devotees came from Digwadih and the neighbouring areas. The feast was a show of unity and strength of our parishioners. The youth, many days, practiced the songs for the Mass. Our H.C. sisters were there to add to the symphony of music. With dedication and determination of our people we managed to beautify the church campus. The parishioners arranged meals for all after the liturgy .It was also the 78^th birthday of Fr. K.C. Immediately after the Mass there was felicitation for the Bishop, Provincial –Fr. K.C. and the Guests”. (Sunny)

St. Robert’s School, Parsudih: The 10^th Fr. Marcus Memorial Inter School Football tournament 2005 was inaugurated on September 07, at 10.00 a.m. Mr. Deepak Kumar Sinha,DSP, Law and Order, Jamshedpur was the Chief Guest and Msgr. John Bodra  & Fr. George Manna, Guests of Honour. The school band welcomed the Guests and presented colourful cultural items before the Kick-off ceremony. Fr. A . Alphonse was the Chief Guest at the Prize distribution ceremony on the concluding day.

St. Robert’s Church, Parsudih :  The solemnity of the feast of St. Robert Bellarmine, the Parish feast was celebrated on September 18. Fr. Robert Toppo, the silver jubilarian and former pastor presided at the concelebrated Eucharist. Immediately after the Mass there was the traditional cultural programme by the parishioners to felicitate Fr. Robert and the guests. Later all joined the parishioners for the agape. There were over 1500 people for the community celebrations and meal. Congratulations to Fr. Venancius, Fr. Puthumai Raj, Bro. Felix Anthony and the Parish Council of St. Robert’s for the beautiful celebration of the Parish Feast.

 

 

Holy Cross Pramathnagar:  Bishop Felix Toppo presided at the feast day Concelebrated Mass at the convent chapel at 6.00 a.m. on September 14. Soon after the Mass the guests were served breakfast. In the evening the clergy and religious of the town gathered at the convent for the feast day meal.

Holy Cross convent, Chowka:  Fr. Nicholas Kerkettta was the Chief celebrant at the solemn Mass on September 14 to celebrate the solemnity of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The hostel children had special hymns to commemorate the day. Soon after the Mass the children felicitated the Sisters. At noon the clergy, religious and teachers assembled at the convent for the special meal to celebrate the feast. The hostel children were given a special treat to celebrate the feast.

Daughters of the Cross Convent, Khuntpani:  Bishop Felix Toppo blessed the newly constructed dispensary – OUR LADY OF KHUNTPANI DISPENSAEY, the newly constructed 3 classrooms and the extension of the convent building on September 14 , the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. This dispensary is a gift from the Chicago Jesuit Province. The classrooms are gifted by Don & Marsha Cochran of St. Patrick’s Church,  Fort Wayne and the Provincial Superior of the Daughters of the Cross.

Bishop’s House, Golmuri : The 52^nd birthday of Fr. A. Alphonse was celebrated on September 09. The community wished him after the evening prayer at the dinning hall at 7.15 p.m. This was followed by a special dinner.

Fr. Gualbert returned on September 16 evening after having been out at the Christian Medical College Hospital, Vellore and home-rest. He is given an all clear medical certificate. Frs. Leo, Roque, Cyprian Lobo, C.R. Prabhu and Gilbert D’Souza attended the  “Konkani-Kannada“ gathering at Doranda on September 11.

The regents had their recollection on September 24-25 at the Bishop’s House directed by Fr. Ajay Tiru. Our regents come together on the last Saturday-Sunday of every month for Recollection – reflection and sharing.

Jesu Bhavan, Mango : The 78th birthday of Fr. Carl Dincher was celebrated on September 22 with a special Mass and community meal. On 23 September, the novices under the leadership of the Novice Master Fr. K.M. Joseph made a pilgrimage to all the Parishes in the town on foot. They visited all the Churches and Chapels and spent time in prayer. The walk began at 7.00 a.m. concluded at 7.00 p.m. Congratulations to all the Novices and the Master for showing a noble path of penance and prayer.

 St. Albert’s College, Ranchi : “XISS hosted the ‘Sarwa Dharma Sammelan’ on August 24 and Fr. Fabian Bhuiyan, S.J. represented Jamshedpur. The governor of Jharkhand, Sri S.S Rezji was the Guest of honor. Albertine brothers volunteered to help out for the smooth going of the seminar. The 66^th birthday of Fr. C.R.Prabhu was celebrated along with the Nativity of Our Lady by the Konkani brethren of Ranchi in Dornda Parish. Frs. Cyprian Lobo, Leo D’Souza, Roque Cardoza and Gilbert D’Souza, S.J represented Jamshedpur. The seminary celebrated the birthday of Fr. C.R.Prabhu as ‘Rector’s Day’ with a solemn Mass and a special meal .  Brothers S.Stephen and Patrick Khess were down with viral fever as soon as they finished the seminar on ‘Self-development’, which was conducted by Fr. Vincent Toppo, S.J. St. Albert’s College made headlines in the newspapers by a generous gesture for a lost sheep of the society”. ([email protected])

 

St. Xavier’s School, Purulia : “ The students of Std .V visited along with their teacher’s “The Wealth of Purulia Gallery” and other exhibits at the Purulia District Science Centre to prepare a project on “The Wealth of Purulia” for their newly introduced subject “Environmental Education”. The annual Hindi and Bengali Debates were held for the senior students. The Junior-section had their competitions to keep them busy. Fr. James Kalapura ,S.J. had his annual visitation . This year teacher’s day was well conducted by four Houses under the leadership of the Head Boy and Head Girl. It was a well coordinated program with lots of wit and humour .The climax was the Volley Ball match: Staff vs Students. Principal Hilary joined the game and the staff came out victorious. After that the teaching and non-teaching staff was served with a sumptuous lunch and of course a pretty gift to go with it. As a tree plantation programme, 2000 saplings of different varieties were planted in the campus. September 16 saw another very successful even in the school. The first English Recitation, Elocution and Speech Contest were conducted for the first time outside the campus in Rabindra Bhawan, Purulia. There were 32 contestants from Nursery to Std X who put up an excellent performance. The Chief Guest was Mr. T.K. Sengupta, District Science Officer and our distinguished guests were Frs. Edward Saldanha, Pius Fernandes and George Thana. Seven of our teachers will proceed to Kolkata this month for their modular teacher’s training conducted by the Council to upgrade their professional qualification”. {Hilary Lobo)

St. Joseph’s Church, Charbandia: The 43^rd birthday of Pastor, Fr. Benedict Minj was celebrated on September 22 with a special meal for the clergy and religious of the area. On that Fr. Gualbert Furtado made his maiden visit to Charbandia , Omra, Keduda , Harta and Tirla to familiar himself with the terrain of the area.

Prabhu Marsal, Goilkera:  Fr. Tobias is busy with too many jobs on hand, supervising the construction work, administrating the school and taking care of the pastoral needs of the Parish. He celebrated his 42^nd birthday on September 13 with Mass, felicitations and family meal.

St. Anthony’s Church , Dhanbad.  The solemn celebration of the conclusion of the “EUCHARISTIC YEAR” for Dhanbad deanery was held at the Carmel School Hall, Dhanbad on September 25. Bishop Felix Toppo, S.J. presided at the concelebrated Eucharist. All the parishes of the deanery were represented. Bishop Felix exhorted the people to be living examples of the Eucharistic Lord and witness him always with courage and enthusiasm. Immediately after the Mass all were given snacks packets and tea. Congratulations to the Dean of Dhanbad , Fr. Edward Kongari for the initiative and all the Parish Priests and Parish Councils for their support.  

St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Golmuri : The  solemn ceremony of the blessing of the foundation stone for the extension of Mercy Chapel was held on September 11 . Bishop Felix presided at the solemn Mass at the Mercy Chapel campus at 7.00. Immediately after the Mass the foundation stone was blessed and the plaque was unveiled at the construction site. Mr. Sunil Mahato, the local M.P. was present at the function.

Dean of Jamshedpur, Fr. Amatus called a meeting of the Parish Priests on September 26 to chalk out programs to conclude the “Eucharistic Year” and organize “Christ the King Eucharistic Procession” for the deanery this year.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, St. Joseph’s conference had a special Mass presided over by Fr. Amatus Kujur to celebrate the feast of St. Vincent de Paul on September 27 ,at 5.30 p.m.. Immediately after the Mass all the members assembled at the Welfare Centre for tea and snacks.

Infant Jesus Parish, Sonari :”The parish celebrated the feast of the Nativity of BVM on September 08 with procession and Mass. Fr. Joseph Surin, S.J. was the Chief Celebrant of the solemn Eucharist. This was followed by a “Preeti Bhoj” for all.

The feast St. Monica was celebrated as “Mother’s Day”. Fr. Amatus Kujur addressed the Mothers on ‘Media and Family’ and it was well appreciated. The Mothers led the offertory procession and offered themselves to the Eucharistic Lord.  

The parish community is busy with the preparations for the Pastoral visit of the Bishop. The Loyola candidates and novices are preparing the children for the ‘First Communion’ and ‘Confirmation’. The M.C. Sisters are preparing the Krus Vir children and Sr. Prisca takes catechism classes on every Sunday for the Parish children”  (Cyril Tigga)

 

 

Nazareth Convent, Birsanagar :  The feast of St. Vincent de Paul, the patron saint of the Nazareth Sisters was celebrated on September 27 with a solemn Mass presided over by the Parish Priest at the school hall for the Sisters ,Staff, Students and Parents. This was followed by felicitation and snacks for all. It was solemn festive occasion for all those who are connected with Gyan Deep. Congratulations to Sr. Blanche and her community.

 

Sacred Heart Church, Adra. Pastor, Fr. Jerome Pereira presided at the solemn Mass to commemorate the Nativity of Blessed Virgin Mary on September 08 at 5.00 p.m. The procession was very devotional and the Church was packed to capacity. Immediately after the Mass all shared the special offerings and prayed for healing.

The 48^th birthday of Edward Saldanha was celebrated on September 21 with a solemn Mass, felicitation by the school children and staff and family meal for the clergy and religious of the neighbourhood communities at noon /evening.

 

Lupita Parish, Telco :  Fr. Vijay Bhat returned to the Parish on September 21 after having been out of the country for 2 months. He had a successful fundraising tour of USA, Canada and Germany. The construction of the Church has reached to the lintel level and the whole parish is geared to raise sufficient fund to complete the work on time. Meantime, Fr. Emmanuel Parappuram, who was taking care of the parish returned to St. Mary’s Church, N.Road.   

Bible Society of India : The Jamshedpur Branch of the Bible Society of India organized a Gospel Music Concert at the Tata Auditorium, XLRI on September 10 from 6.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m presented by Mr. Bijay Benedict. Bishop Felix Toppo, S.J. was the Chief Guest and Dr. B.K. Pramanik, General Secretary Bible Society of India as Guest of Honor. Mr. Bijay Benedict mesmerized the crowd with songs and witnessing messages. Congratulations to Mr. Jonathan Mahapatra and the Jamshedpur Unit of BSI.  

 

 

 

N A T I O N A L  -  I N T E R N A T I O N A L   R O U N D – U P :

 

 

 

 

 

Vatican Official- Cardinal Barragan Inaugurated the Health Meet in Shillong: President of the Pontifical Council for Health –Pastoral Care inaugurated the 62nd Annual General Body Meeting of the Catholic Health Association of India (CHAI) on September 20, at Shillong, Meghalaya. The theme of the meet was “Access to health in the context of HIV/AIDS pandemic”. Archbishop of Shillong, Dominic Jala presided over the inaugural session. (cbcisite)

 

Fr. Ignatius Bara of Simdega is murdered and the police arrest four accused, Christian Leaders Condemn Killing: Fr. Ignatius Bara was killed at Bana Bira village during a violent clash between tribals and a mob of caste Hindus when the tribals were staging a protest demonstration against the scrapping of Jharkhand Panchayat Act.

Police have arrested four persons in connection with the murder of Ignatius Bara in Simdega on September 12. All the arrested were named in the FIR filed on the basis of the statement of Father Amos Dungdung of Bana Bira  Church.(cbcisite)

President Kalam signs Domestic Violence Act providing Protection to victims of Family violence:  Women in India are the worst victims of violence due to dowry menace, drunkenness, drug abuse and property disputes. The newly enacted Protection of women from the Domestic Violence Act , 2005 seeks to provide protection to female victims from domestic violence.

President, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has given assent to the Protection of women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005. The Act will be applicable to all States and Union Territories except Jammu and Kashmir.

As per the Act, domestic violence constitutes physical or mental harm, including sexual, verbal, emotional or economic abuse by a male member of the family or anyone living under the same roof. (cbcisite)

5 Christian Colleges in Bangalore get Autonomous Status: The University Grants Commission , as part of efforts to reform higher education, has granted autonomy to 10 prominent colleges, including those run by the Church, but they have been asked to retain the present curriculum for the first year students, as the academic year has already commenced.

The institutions that will now enjoy autonomy are Jyothi Nivas College, St. Joseph’s College, St. Joseph’s Evening College, St. Joseph’s College of Commerce, Mount Carmel. The Colleges granted academic autonomy can prescribe syllabi and device teaching methods and evaluation. (cbcisite)

 

“ I am just winding up the long ministry. On the 1^st of October, I will be back to Leuven. Leen Lucka invited me for the SPGHAGETI Event that she organized to raise funds for a project in India. I regretted that I could not be there as I am still doing my summer ministry “. ([email protected])

 

“I have just returned to Rome two days back after the Italian language course. Now I can write long letter in Italian. At St. Paolo we are busy in getting the sojourn or stay permit, and medical check-up. Next week we will be registering ourselves in the Univerity. My name has been put in the Doctoral studies. Now , to ascertain the standard of our language, there will be another language examination before we begin our formal classes in the Urbaniana University. Love and greetings to the Bishop, Monsignor and to all the Fathers of the diocese”. ([email protected])

 

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