JAMSHEDPUR DIOCESE

                       

 

So he died for his faith. That is fine,               

More than most of us do.

But, say, can you add to that line

That he lived for it, too ?

 

In his death he bore witness at last

As a martyr to the truth.

Did his life do the same in the past,

From the days of his youth?

 

It is easy to die, Men have died

For a wish or a whim-

From bravado, or passion or pride,

Was it harder than for him ?

 

But t live-every day to live out

All the truth that he dreamt,

While His friends met his conduct with doubt

And the world with contempt.

 

Was it thus that he plodded ahead,

Never turning aside ?

Then we’ll talk of the life that he lived.

Never mind how he died. (E.Crosby)

 

 

Engagements of Bishop Felix Toppo, S.J. – November, 2006
03	FRI	10.30 P.M	GB-XLRI	XLRI-JSR
04	SAT	01.00 P.M	Annual Day, St. Xavier’s Eng. School	Chaibasa
05	SUN	AM	Communion/Confirmation, St. Mary’s	Bistupur
08	WED	AM	Khuntpani Feast	Khuntpani
12	SUN	AM	Communion/Confirmation, St. Anthony’s	Dhanbad
		PM	AC Feast	Digwadih
14	TUE	9.00 A.M.	Children’s Program	Balarampur
15	WED	AM/PM	Diocesan Consult/Finance Committee	BH
18-24			Convivence	Israel
26	SUN	AM	Christ the King Mass/Procession	Mosaboni
28-30	TUE	AM	RBC/CRI/CCI	Ranchi/Patna

 

D I O C E S A N - R O U N D – U P !

 

St. Theresa’s Church, Sindri : The feast of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus, the Parish Day was celebrated on Sunday, October 01 with great solemnity and devotion. Fr. Cyprian Lobo, former Parish Priest and Silver Jubilarian + was the Chief Celebrant at the Concelebrated Eucharist at 9.00 a.m. The celebrants were led to the altar by a dancing troupe. The Choir was superb and the Chief Celebrant exhorted the faithful to be loyal to the teaching of St. Theresa and pray for the missionaries all over the world as she did in her time. After the Mass, the parishioners presented various cultural items on the stage in honour of the Guests. At noon all shared a sumptuous meal with the clergy and religious of the deanery. Congratulations to Fr. Junas Purty, Bro. Amit Minj and all the members of the parish Council for the meaningful celebration of the Parish day.

 

St. Theresa’s Parish, Jhinkpani: The feast of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus, the Parish feast was celebrated on October 01. Fr. Camille Hembrom presided at the solemn Concelebrated Mass at 8.00 a.m. Fr. John P.D. led the multi-lingual choir. After the Mass, there was the cultural function to felicitate the guests and concluded with a grand meal. The clergy and religious of the deanery were present in good strength to celebrate the day with Frs. Augustine and Johny.

 

St. Mary’s Church, N. Road: The Regional SVP Members had their gathering at St. Mary’s on the 30^th and 1^st October. On the 1^st day Fr. Marcel Barla, OFM (Cap) addressed the delegates and on the 2^nd day Fr. A. Alphonse Offered mass at 6.30 a.m. and Fr. Vijay Kachhap, S.J. gave a session on the importance of being a true disciple of St. Vincent de Paul serving the poor irrespective of caste, creed and religion.

Fr. Edwin Coelho celebrated his 57^th birthday on October 04 in prayer and fasting though many tried to coax him for a celebration. There were streams of visitors filing up at the presbytery to wish the Pastor with fruits, flowers and gifts from early morning till late evening. Special catechism classes for the Confirmation and First Communion candidates are held regularly and classes are taken by the Parish Priest-himself to make sure that the children learn the right prayers.

 

St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Golmuri : The Mar Thoma Syrian Church, Jamshedpur organized the East Zone mar Thomas Youth  conference at St. Joseph’s Welfare Centre on September 28,29,30 and October 1. Bishop Felix Toppo, S.J. was the Chief Guest at the concluding function and gave away the awards and trophies to the various groups.  

The whole parish is in action to make the forth coming Purnima Mela a mega success. Fr. Leo did travel to the various places of importance in the country to propagate and gather advertisements for the souvenir.

Bishop’s House, Golmuri: Bishop Joe Rodericks, S.J. left for Spain-Portugal on October 1^st and Bishop Felix Toppo, S.J on October 03, to participate in the Fatima convention on “The Last Chance for Peace”. Msgr. John Bodra traveled to Ranchi in the company of Fr. Raphael Monteiro to bless and inaugurate the newly constructed house of Agnes Oreya at Kokkar, Ranchi on October 03 and again on 29^th to Ranchi Havaipatti with Mr. Bartho for the memorial ceremony for the late Dr. Emmanuel Kandulna.

Frs. Junas Bhengra and C.R. Prabhu flew to Thailand to participate at the International Pontifical organizations assembly on October 18^th.  Bishop Joe Rodericks too attended the assembly. Bishop Felix returned home on October 16^th after attending the Fatima convention. On 22^nd he went to Bagdogra for the Golden Jubilee in Religious life of his sister and visited our seminarians at Morning Star College before returning home on 28^th. Fr. Joe Surin, S.J. paid a short visit to the Bishop’s House while attending the Province Congregation at XLRI.

 

St. Xavier’s Church, Chaibasa: The Deanery Krus Rally was held at St. Xavier’s parish from September 29- 1^st October. Over 800 school children participated in this mega rally. The girls were accommodated at St. Anne’s convent and the boys at the Parish. Mr. Joseph Toppo, the Block Welfare officer of Chaibasa inaugurated the rally. He shared his childhood experience with the children and asked them to be strong in their faith in the Lord. It was a wonderful experience for the children as they spent the time in prayer and various activities centered on the theme “ISH BACHAN MERA JIWAN”. Frs. Hilarious Kongari, S.J and Augustine Kullu were the celebrants at Masses on different days. Bro. Simplicius , DDS was chief organizer for the rally with the support and guidance of Fr. Eugene Ekka. Special thanks to the Parish Priests and School headmasters for encouraging the children to join the rally.(Eugene)  Congratulations! Simpli and Eugene !

 

Christ the King Church, CKP : The beautification of the campus was on the Parish Agenda  for October, 2006. The Grotto is repaired and the road leading to the church entrance is concreted and other repairs are under taken in preparation for the coming celebrations. The beautiful entrance gate added great welcome signs to the Church and Presbytery. Congratulations to the Pastor, Fr. John Otto and the Parish Council for the initiative and action.

 

Vidya Jyoti, Siadih: Fr. Vernon had the special privilege to be admitted at St. Angela’s hospital with malaria and later rest at the CKP Parish. He came back in the 1^st week of October. Fr. Michael Jojo made many trips in high speed to CKP and Jamshedpur to function the campus better. The pond has plenty of water and the tube well is fixed with a pump to have plenty of water for the children.

Fr. Vernon left for Mangalore on receiving the news that his father is very sick and admitted to the ICU. His father expired on 23^rd October. Please say a prayer for the repose of the soul and for the family. Vernon, we are with you in prayer!

 

Prabhu Marsal, Goilkera : Mr. Ephrem Kispotta visited the site and did the marking for the hostel building on October 07 in the presence of the Pastors, Fr. Roque and Fr. Linus. Mr. Anikul has his team reside in the campus for the job.

Linus left for Atmadarshan on October 07 for his retreat and Fr. Roque even took classes other than the many area masses in the month of October.

St. Anthony’s Church, Dhanbad: Dean, Fr. Edward Kongari managed to register the land at Tetulia, under Sindri Parish and hopes to have a village chapel constructed shortly. This new initiative will boost the Santhal Mission in the deanery. Pastor, Fr. Junas Purty and his catechist have done a marvelous job in organizing and strengthening the faith of Tetulia community. Our prayerful support to Frs. Junas Purty and Edward Kongari for the great vision.

The “Naya Khani” at St. Anthony’s was celebrated on October 15. Pastor, Fr. Edward Kongari presided over the special Mass in School Hall at 7.00 a.m. Each family brought beaten rice , rice and Khira, symbol of the new crops, for blessing. After the Mass all shared the offerings and donated one part to the Parish Priest. Fr. Edward Kongari gave everybody a pouch of new rice from his farm at Dhowatand .(E.Kongari)

Fr. Edward made a trip to Bagdogra with Fr. Manu Horo for the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Sr.V. Kanta and returned on 28^th after visiting few parishes and institutions in that diocese.

St. John Mary Vianney Mission, Dhowatrand: The “Naya Khani” feast was celebrated at Dhowatand on October 15 during the solemn Mass celebrated by Dean Fr. Edward Kongari at 10.00 a.m. Over 150 people assembled for the celebration and offered rice- vegetables to the Lord. After the Mass the people cooked the new rice and shared among themselves. It was   a real family celebration for the faithful of the new mission. Thanks to Mr. Rupalal Marandi and Mr. Augustine Horo –Catechists- for the initiative and planning.(E. Kongari)

 

Jesu Bhavan, Mango:  All the 23 novices together with their Master, Fr. K.M. Joseph set out for the traditional walking pilgrimage to the town churches and chapels on Friday, October 13 at 5.00 a.m. They started with St. Anthony’s Church ( Kutkudungri), Missionaries of Charity Chapel (Baradwari) , Mercy Chapel (Baridih)  , Mercy Convent, St. Dominic’s “Prarthanalaya”, Bishop’s House, St. Joseph’s Cathedral, St. Mary’s Church and back home at 7.00 p.m. They were the special guests at the Bishop’s House for lunch. They prayed at all the places for 30-60 minutes and concluded the fruitful pilgrimage of the year. It is hoped that the clergy and religious of the diocese will be inspired to follow the good example of the Jesuit novices.

 

Jisu Marsal, Chandil : The Parish Day, the solemnity of Jesus Christ the Light of the world was celebrated on October 21. Bishop Felix Toppo, S.J. presided over the Concelebrated solemn Mass in the specially erected stage in the mango grove at 9.00 a.m. Fr. Vijay Kachhap, S.J. and Fr. David Vincent joined the celebrations. During the Mass , Bishop conferred the sacrament of Confirmation to 30 members of the parish. Soon after the Mass the Parishioners felicitated the Bishop and guests and shared ‘nasta’ with the parishioners. The feasting together with dancing went on till the evening. It was a day of celebration for Jisu Marsal. Congratulations to Fr. Nicho, Bro. William, Sisters, catechists, members of the Parish Council and the Parishioners.

 

St. Anthony’s Parish, Kutkudungri : Bishop Felix Toppo, S.J. conferred the sacrament of Confirmation to 20 members of the Parish and ‘First Communion’ to 16 children on October 22, during the solemn Eucharist in the Parish Church. The Church was packed to capacity and the choir rendered devotional hymns for everybody to experience the power of the Holy Spirit in their midst. Fr. Pascal Vincent, OFM(Cap), the Parish Priest made sure that everything was in proper order. After the Mass all shared breakfast and proceeded for home celebrations.

 

Sacred Heart Church, Adra : The Parish celebrated Deepavali, Jesus Christ the light of the world on October 21, during the special concelebrated Mass presided over by Fr. Jerome Pereria. The parishioners lighted diya and offered it to the Lord.

The Mission Sunday was commemorated with much enthusiasm and fervor at Adra Parish. Fr. George Manna was Chief Celebrant for the Concelebrated Mass at 7.30 a.m.  Frs. Jerome and Edward moved about in the aisle of the Church for the collection of offerings from the faithful and offered to the Lord with the congregation along with all the other offerings for the Mass. Soon after the Mass, all assembled in front of the school stage for the mini fete, where plenty of eatables were on sale. Fr. Edward came on the stage with all the offerings and initiated the auction.  There were chicken, ducks, fruits, vegetables, goat etc. It was indeed an enjoyable day for all at Adra parish. Congratulations to Frs. Jerome , Edward, Sisters, area leaders and Parish Council members for the initiative, support and genuine interest to support the  Pontifical Mission.

 

 

St. Xavier’s School, Purulia : The School closed for Puja Vacation from 27^th September 06. Hilary went to XIMB, Bhubaneswar to make the “Triple Jubilee Retreat” under Fr. Tom Kunnankal from ISI, New Delhi. The group retreat was a deep renewal which rejuvenated the spirituality of Jesus in us and brought us very close through our faith sharing and prayer. Thanks to Fr. George Cheradayil and Gyan Prakash Kujur, the arrangement for the board and lodging was marvelous and the hospitality of XIMB community is beyond any comparison. While the Principal Hilary was away Sr. Letitia held the fort for him. The boys from Std V had their football coaching camp under the guidance of their games teacher Mr. S.K. Abutaleb in preparation for their participation in the Junior Football Tournament. The Managing Committee together with their newly appointed members had its meeting chaired by Pius Fernandes, the chairman and minuted by Edward Saldanha, the Secretary on 14^th October. (Hilary Lobo)

 

St. Albert’s College, Ranchi :  We began the month with a positive note as there was a short gap of minor holidays. The ‘Gurukul Diwas’ began with a solemn High Mass in the morning and later inter-class Cricket and Basket ball matches. The next day was the day of house picnic. The Philosophers had a nice time in Dasham falls, while the Theologians in Jonah falls. All the Sisters joined the theologians. On thirteenth of October, 84 theologians (2^nd and 3^rd years) were initiated into the Ministry of Acolytes and Readers. Jamwalas had a nice time to congratulate Bro. Raju Feix who too was in the squad of Acolytes. Bishop Vincent Barwa presided at the solemn Eucharist and initiated the brothers. Mission Sunday was celebrated in good attire. The YSM/YCS ministry team put up a ‘Mini Mela’ with the help of the Parish Priest of the cathedral in its premises and collected a good sum for the Mission Sunday. Bro. Raju was found selling tea and coffee in the campus. On the same day, different deans of the dioceses and congregations put the ‘Mission Sunday’ exhibition portraying different activities under taken by the dioceses and congregations at St. Albert’s College. Patrick and George were busy in demonstrating about Jamshedpur diocese. Fr. Rector had a flying visit to Thailand to attend the PMO Meeting on ‘Clergy of Asia’. (Raju Crasta)  

St. Robert’s School, Parsudih: Fr. Puthumai Raj, the Headmaster of the school celebrated his 38^th birthday on October 23. The day began with a special Mass in the Church. The school staff and students assembled in the ground and felicitated Fr. Puthumai and shared snacks/sweets. In the evening the clergy and religious of the Parish assembled at the Parish house and shared a sumptuous meal with Frs. Venancius and Puthumai.

Kripa Sadan, Bhilai Pahari: Fr. Cyprian Lobo, Bro. Arnold DDS, Srs. Jerome, Annie and Mary are the busiest persons these days with the setting up of St. Joseph’s Hospital. The logos, names and other emblems are very meaningful and the people are anxious to know what they mean. The regular visits to the nearby villages by the Sisters and Bro. Arnold are very positive steps for the establishment of the hospital. The garden is getting a face lift for inauguration on December 12^th. Bro. Arnold is the hero of the campus as he tries to ride on the motorbike after many falls together with the trainers.

The paddy harvest is plentiful as the wild elephants haven’t yet noticed the bounty crops. Fr. Cyprian is indeed very happy to notice the growth of his animal farm day by day. The 4 dogs have sufficient space on the terrace of the hospital building at night to give better security to the campus and the director.

 

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 :

 

Rome : I am back in Rome after the holidays of three months. The parish community in Italy had accommodated me was homely and good. I had gone with the hope to stay for two months only but they were kind to extend to the third month as well to permit me to stay till the reopening of the college. Usually our college is closed for two months only, but this time as there was seminar for a group of Bishops, it remained closed for the inmates for the third month as well. It was very much tiring to work on with Italian, but ti was satisfying to see that I have improved in my Italian, which is useful for my defense of the thesis.

I have completed all the credit requirements from the courses last year itself. I am yet to submit my first chapter of the thesis. I could not work during the holidays although I had carried my books, as I was occupied having practice of readings, prayers, and homily-reflections in Italian almost everyday. Keep me in your prayers. (Selva)

 

Leuven: I am now back in Leuven. I arrived on the 27^th. The ministry was nice all the time. The University has re-opened and I have one course to attend.

I wish you all a nice Puja festival, though it is over already. We have no celebrations on this occasion, but we will be celebrating the Diwali on October 21. Today we have a common reception at the Holy Spirit College for the international students living here. This year we have more Indian students in Leuven. (John Crasta)

 

 Pope Benedict XVI Convokes Synod ON Holy Scripture: Pope Benedict XVI has convoked a world Synod of Bishops for 2008 dedicated to Sacred Scripture and it relationship to the activity of the Church.

“The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church” will be the theme for the 12^th ordinary session, the Vatican Press office announced today, and will take place in the Vatican from October 05-26, 2008.

It will be the second synod presided over by Benedict XVI. The Holy faher presided over the synod on the Eucharist last October, which had been convoked by Pope John Paul II.

Benedict XVI introduced two novelties to that synod. He shortened the length of meeting from four to two weeks, and introduced free interventions before the assembly.

The synod of Bishops is a permanent institution established by Pope Paul VI in 1965 as a way to maintain the level of collegiality among Bishops reached at the Second Vatican Council (cbcisite)

 

Pope Urges Catholics to be firm in their identity: Holy Father in his message to the general audience gathered at St. Peter’s Square, referred to the contributions of two apostles Simon the Cananaeaan  and Jude called Thaddaeus. He expressed his hope that the contributions would be an inspiration to all Catholics, to lead teir lives as true Christians. (Cbcisite)

 

Children soft Targets of Violence and abuse- UN Report:  A recent report released by the U.N has revealed the miserable plight of the children throughout the world. Children according to the study are increasingly become targets of all forms of violence and exploitation, be it physical, mental or sexual. This was the first time that UN had made an in-depth analysis on the subject on an international scale. An astounding figure of almost 6 million children is forced to work and most of them end up becoming sex-workers.

Back home in India the situation is no better. The country has witnessed worst forms of child exploitation in the form of child labour. Official estimates have put the total number of child workers in India at 12.6 million while the activists claim that the figure is more than at around 20 million.(Cbcisite)

 

SEARSOLIN: We are busy here preparing to finish the development action plan. This month is a very busy month. We were taken to a Muslim area where we had to meet the Muslim people and find the peace building programme. We enjoyed the trip and came back on the same day to know that there was a blast in the same place, where we had the meeting. Thank God nothing happened to us. (Michael Raj)

 

 

Instructions began on the 9^th with a Pre-Test leading the participants through the major tasks of a principal and the time one invests in those tasks. The discussion progressed to ‘Goals of Schooling’ and setting of ‘School Goals’ emphasizing the role of a principal in these schemes! The most interesting sessions were the case study process, an approach to problem solving and decision making, through which Fr.C.Gautam using his experience, expertise and enormous patience gave the participants the art of listening, identifying problems and making decisions with a clear idea of the consequences.

 

The sessions on motivation offered us insights into our own selves, which was followed by the understanding of  ‘Situational Leadership Model’. Planning emerged as a vital aspect of a leader’s belief and so two full days were given to the strategies of planning keeping in mind one’s own school. The next skill was Delegation and the levels of delegation by degrees. The course moved further on conflict resolving strategies, which included awareness exercise on one’s own behavioral patterns.

 

Fr. Alex Mascarenhas, who with his expertise managed to communicate valuable tips in six hours time, gave the concepts of Budget and Accounting. Fr. Tom Nelliakunnel dealt on Fundamental Rights, including the rights of the Minority, Criminal and Civil court procedures as well as other legal issues, which affect our educational institutions.

 

Finally, we were led to reflect on the ‘Mindscape of the Principal’. Here we made an attempt to get an insight into our own ‘Mindscape’ and become aware of our ‘Theories of Practice’ and ‘Practice Episode’ in our own realities of life. The questions followed were: What will be our goals now? What strategies we will be following with our limited resources? How will we know if we are in the right track or not? With these questions and many positive hopes and aspirations our School Leadership Training ended on 8^th October’06.(Reported by Mr. Francis Lobo – Senior Coordinator – De Nobili School, Mugma, Dhanbad)

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