JAMSHEDPUR DIOCESE

 

To all who are sick and weary

Who feel you must ‘lie up’

My word to you is lie on your back,

For then you must ’look up’.

You could of course lie on your face

Looking at dull, grey ground,

Or lie on your side, whichever you like,

Looking at things around.

But it’s better far to lie on your back,

Relax and be quite still;

For as you lie down you must ‘look up’

And so fulfill His will. (F.H. Oakley)

 

 

ENGAGEMENTS OF BISHOP FELIX TOPPO,S.J. – OCTOBER, 2007
Date	Day	Time		Place
01-02	Mon	PM	Travel	Patna
03	Wed	9.30 a.m.	Blessing of the new Bishop’s House	Bettiah
05-07			Festival of Peace	Jsr
07	Sun	8.30 a.m.	Golden Jubilee Mass of the Cathedral	Golmuri
14	Sun	10.00 a.m.	Final profession of SSJ Sisters	Mosaboni
21	Sun		Confirmation	Charbandia
23	Tue		Mass, Jyoti Kiran	Mosaboni
28	Sun	AM	Hostel Blessing	Goilkera
30	Tue	AM	Finance Committee/Senate of Priests	BH
31	Wed	6.30 p.m.	Mass, Jeevan Jyoti	Telco

 

St. Mary’s Church, N. Road:  Fr. Joy Paul, the new Pastor arrived at the Parish on September 01 at 2.30 p.m. Fr. Bipin Pani presided at the solemn Mass on September 8 at 5.00 p.m. in the Church to commemorate the Nativity of Mother Mary. The Church was packed with devotees.

Bishop Felix Toppo, S.J. installed Fr. Joy Paul as the Parish Priest of St. Mary’s on Sunday, September 09 during the 7.15 a.m. Mass. Mr. Ephrem Kispotta was the M.C for the ceremonial liturgy. The celebrants were led to the altar by a group of girls in prayer dance. The members of the Mahila Sangh welcomed the Priests by washing their hands. The choir sang melodious and devotional hymns during the liturgy. Immediately after the Mass, the parishioners felicitated the new Pastor in the Church with flowers and songs. Mr. Rajan Topno gave the welcome address.  Later in the week Fr. Joy Paul left for a short home visit and returned on the 23^rd. He is on the move in the Parish to know his faithful. Br. Dileep Marandi returned to Pontificia Universita, Roma after the 2 months of guided ministry at St. Mary’s, on the 25^th.(Dileep)

St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Golmuri: Dean, Fr. Amatus Kujur called a meeting of the Parish Priests and Assistants of Jamshedpur deanery on September 04 at 9.30 a.m. at the Welfare centre to discuss on the forthcoming common events. The meeting concluded at 11.00 a.m.

Fr. Amatus Kujur was the Chief Celebrant at the feast of the Nativity of Our Lady at the Cathedral . The church was packed with faithful. The celebrations concluded at 8.00 p.m.

Fr. Michael Raj presided at the feast day Mass at the Mercy Chapel and Fr. James Dhan at Gyan Deep.

The Parish Council Members are at work to have a memorable celebration of the Golden Jubilee of the Cathedral Church on 7^th October. The various committees are making meticulous planning including late night meetings for the historic celebration. The construction of the jubilee memorial golden tower has come up in the Bishop’s House garden.

 

St. John Mary Vianney Church, Dhowatand: The celebration of “St. Monica Day” was on September 02. Fr. Manu Horo, dean of Purulia was the resource person and Chief celebrant for the solemn Mass. Over 110 people took part in the event and enjoyed the celebrations. Families brought along rice, dal , vegetables , meat and cooked in the campus and concluded the day’s programme with the family meal.

On September 07, while driving on his new motorbike to Dhowatand Fr. Edward Kognari had a slow-speed fall in the slush within the campus. Fr. Gualbert rushed to the scene with an ambulance and rescued Fr. Edward and took him to Nirmala. 

Fr. Pradeep Marandi , the New Priest offered his ‘First Mass’ at Dhowatand in the presence of his parents, relatives, many Priests, parishioners and villagers on the 16^th morning. Fr. Manu Horo, the Master of the Ceremony guided the people with apt commentary and led everybody through the Santhal Liturgy. Pastor, Fr. Edward Kongari had the faithful prepare well for the celebration. People from Ranchi, Tundi, Purulia and Digwadih came to participate in the 1^st Santhal Ordination and First Mass in the Diocese. Special Thanks to Bishop Julius Marandi for his presence and inspiring the faithful of Jamshedpur Diocese during the historic celebration. He visited Dhowatand and blessed everybody for the successful evangelization ministry in the area. (Edward Kongari)

 

 

Catholic Ashram, Purulia: The 58^th birthday of Fr. Manu Horo was celebrated on September 07 with a special Mass in the morning and felicitation by the hostel children in the evening. The guests and invitees were treated during lunch and in the evening.

 

St. Barbara’s Church, Mosaboni: The solemnity of the Nativity of Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Good Health was celebrated on September 08 with great devotion. Fr. George Manna was the Chief celebrant at the Mass at 6.00 p.m. The faithful assembled in the campus at 5.00 p.m. and began the rosary procession with the statue of Mother Mary within the colony before the Mass. The choir rendered devotional hymns during the liturgy. After the Mass, all assembled at the flag post to bring down the flag signaling the conclusion of the celebration. Food packets were distributed to all the 300 plus faithful present. Congratulations to Fr. A. Alphonse and the members of his Parish Council for the meaningful celebration of the feast of the Nativity of Mother Mary.

Fr. A. Alphonse celebrated his 54^th birthday on September 09. The celebrations began with the community Mass in the morning, felicitation and distribution of sweets. The clergy and religious of the neighboring communities joined Fr. Alphonse for a special meal in the evening.

 

Our Lady of Nativity Parish, Sini: The Parish Day, the feast of the Nativity of Mother Mary was celebrated on September 08. Bishop Felix Toppo, S.J. presided at the concelebrated Eucharist at 8.00 a.m. The faithful extended a very warm welcome to the Bishop. After the Mass all shared breakfast and joined for the felicitation function with songs, dances and games until lunch time. All shared the community meal prepared by the Parish Council and returned for home celebrations. Congratulations to Fr. George Kuricakl, MSFS and the Parish Council members for the faith-filled Parish Day celebrations at Sini.(Marcel)

 

Sacred Heart Church, Adra: The feast of the Nativity of Mother Mary was solemnly celebrated at the parish on September 08. Fr. Marcel Barla, OFM (Cap) was the Chief Celebrant at the concelebrated Eucharist at 5.00 p.m. in the Church. The statue of Mother Mary was taken out with a rosary procession before the Mass. The faithful took part in the novena and prepared themselves spiritually for the solemn day.

The 50^th birthday of Fr. Edward Saldanha was celebrated on September 21^st with a special Mass, felicitation in the school and dinner for the clergy in the evening. Frs. Vijay Bhat, Henry Sequeira, Amatus Kujur, John Otto, Eugene Ekka, Paulus Bodra, K.C. Anthony, Manu Horo, Pascal Minj and Hilary Lobo joined Fr. Jerome Pereira to celebrate the golden birthday of Edward. Fr. Edward’s brothers, Fr. Andrew and Mr. George came all the way from Mangalore to be part of the solemn celebration at Adra.(Jerome)

 

Christ the King Church, Chakradharpur: St. Monica Day was celebrated with great pomp and happiness in the parish on 27^th August, 2007. The festival began with spiritual preparation on Saturday at 3.00 p.m. organized the CKP Mahaila Sangh. Parish Priest, Fr. Camille Hembrom gave an inspiring talk and reflection by Sr. Alex, OSU. This was followed by the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The day of prayer ended with Benediction. The next day, the Holy Mass was offered with great solemnity. The most remarkable part was the offertory procession. There was a long queue of women from the altar till the main entrance of the Church with offerings for the Lord.

In the afternoon another unexpected joy and eagerness attracted the people to Carmel School compound at 2.30 p.m. for the entertainment programme in the hall and different games in the playground for the mothers and fathers of the Parish. Fr. Camille was the Chief Guest of the day. Sr. Josephine and Sr. Michael did their best to conduct the programme  and to keep the children and guests happy all through. Congratulations to the Parish Council and Mahila Sangh for the wonderful planning for the Monica day.

Fr. David Vincent was the Chief celebrant at the solemn Eucharist in honor of Mother Mary on September 08 at 5.00 p.m. in the Church. The parishioners had arranged a rosary procession in honor of Mother Mary before the Mass. The church was filled with devotees of Mother Mary seeking special blessings. (Sr. Veronica)

 

 

ST. XAVIER’S BOYS SCHOOL, CHAIBASA: St. Xavier’s Boy’s High School Chaibasa got the State Level award for its 100% result in the Secondary School Examination 2007. 116 Students had appeared for the examination, 96 passed in first division and 04 passed in second division, 96 students got more than 60% marks. Sri Bandhu Tirkey, Education Minister, Government of Jharkhand gave away   the award on 5^th September at Ranchi.

St. Xavier’s Boy’s High School, Chaibasa was established on 01-04-1995 at the request  of local people. Since then the school gets meritorious results. The school is on the process of getting permanent affiliation. The Xavier family and guardians are happy to receive the award. Fr. Eugene Ekka, Headmaster of the school, conveys special thanks to all the students, teachers and guardians for their valuable support.(Eugene)

 

St. Robert’s Parish, Parsudih: The solemnity of the feast of St. Robert Bellarmine, the Parish Day was celebrated on September 17. Bishop Felix Toppo, S.J. was the Chief Celebrant of the Eucharist. The celebrants were led to the altar by the dancing troupe of the Parish. During the Mass 76 faithful were confirmed by the Bishop. There were 25 children to receive ‘First Communion’ during the Mass. After the Mass all shared breakfast and proceeded for home celebrations. In the evening the clergy and religious of the town joined Frs. Henry and Puthumai for a sumptuous meal in the forecourt of the school. Congratulations to the Parish Council for the meaning celebration of the Parish Day.

The Parish Youth had a day of orientation on ‘faith-leadership’ and ‘Christmas gathering-07’  on September 23. Fr. Vijay Kachhap,S.J and Mr. Richard Sarky were the resource persons. 50 plus youth participated in the programme. (Marcel)

 

Lupita Parish, Telco: Pastor, Fr. Vijay Bhat returned from his fund raising tour abroad on September 10 and celebrated his 59^th birthday on September 19. The clergy of the town had a fellowship meal in the evening to wish Vijay God’s chicest blessings.

The Syro-Malabar faithful of the parish organized a special Mass on September 23, presided over by Fr. Johny P.D. After the Mass they conducted the annual General Body Meeting in the Lupita Hall and elected new office bearers.

 

Loyola Sadan, Jilling: Provincial, Fr. James Kalapura, S.J. blessed and inaugurated the newly constructed ‘Girls’ Hostel’ on September 16 at 4.00 p.m. Teachers, parents and hostel children celebrated the day during the cultural programme to felicitate the Provincial and thereafter the family meal. Congratulations to Fr. Charlie and his team at Jilling for the great missionary fervor in the area.(Vijay)

 

Jisu Jaher, Tundi: Bishop Felix Toppo,S.J Ordained Deacon Pradeep Marandi a  Priest for Jamshedpur Diocese on September 15 at 9.00 a.m  at Tundi. The celebrants were led to the Altar erected on the beautiful school stage by a group of dancers. Bishop Felix Toppo presided at the solemn Eucharist and Bishop Julius Marandi, Bishop of Dumka gave the introduction and preached an inspiring homily. Fr. Manu Horo , the M.C. gave commentary in Santhali and conducted the liturgy meaningfully. The parents of Pradeep together with the family members presented Pradeep to the Bishop for Ordination.

Bro. Dillep Marandi led the choir with melodious and devotional hymns. Soon after the Mass, the New Priest, Bishops and Guests were felicitated by the faithful. The celebrations concluded with a fellowship meal prepared by Fr. James Bara, S.J. and team. Congratulations to Frs. George Anthony, James Bara, Edward Kongari, SND Sisters and the Parish Council for the united and successful organization of the First Ordination at Tundi .(Marcel)

 

St. Xavier’s English School, Purulia: Fr. James Kalapura, S.J. the provincial came to the Catholic Ashram on 2nd September, 07 for the annual visitation of Hilary. It was very kind of him to spend  so much time with us in Purulia The Teachers’ Day celebration on 5th September  was grand for it was conducted  in a memorable style in the newly constructed Xavier Hall . The theme of the day was” Love , Gratitude and Appreciation” The variety of  programmes  put up by all the students of the Junior and Senior school deliciously depicted the theme so well that all the teachers were extremely happy  and fondly expressed that the programme was indeed “ memorable and remains memorable forever.” “A fabulous programme  which poured down your love and gratitude towards us teachers.” The day ended with a memorable note of sincere expression of gratitude to all the teachers for their  team work by Principal Hilary and  Sister Laetitia.  The gifts of appreciation were presented to the teachers followed by a delicious vegetarian lunch. On 8th September 07 our teachers Mr Biswajit and Miss Kajori Das escorted a team of  nine students to De Nobili  School, Maithon to participate in the Inter School Quiz Contest 2007, consisting the Bible Quiz, the Environmental Quiz and the Maths & Science Quiz. There were altogether 12 schools that took part in the contest conducted by  Mr. K.J. John , the Principal and his team of teachers. Though it was for the time our school took part in this  mega contest, our Bible Quiz team stood 11th out of 12 teams and  the Environmental Quiz team bagged 9th position. Our school is indeed grateful to Fr.George Fernandes, S.J. the Director for inviting us and thus providing an excellent exposure to our students, Thank you, George. Our Bishop, Felix Toppo, S.J. accompanied by Frs David Vincent and Marcel Barla visited the school on 14th September 07 after a long period of time. He was very happy to see the progress of the school with regard to the healthy climate, the rapid increase of students, its infrastructure facilities – the near completion of the  new Hall, the new computer room with 33  computer junctions and  the multi-media facility made available to the staff and students in the  renovated school library through the  Tata Sky Satellite  T.V Net work (Hilary).

 

 

HOLY CROSS CONVENT, PRAMATHNAGER, JAMSHEDPUR: The feast of Holy Cross was celebrated on 14^th Sept. at Holy Cross convent, Pramathnager.  Bishop Felix Toppo, S.J. presided over the Eucharist. In his homily he spoke on the significance of Cross in one’s life. Thereafter some of the priests also shared their reflection on the cross. After the Eucharist breakfast was served for everybody.  In the evening, in spite of the heavy pouring priests and religious managed to capture little place to  share the delicious meals arranged by Holy Cross Sisters.(Marcel)

MAHILA SANGH – JAMSHEDPUR DEANERY: The representatives of the Catholic Mahila Sangh, BIJHAN region had its three days seminar from 17^th to 19^th Sept. at the Vikas Bharati, Sundarnagar in preparation of CBCI Assembly 2008, which will take up the theme “Empowerment of Women in the Church and Society “  The General Secretary of CBCI Commission for women, Sr. Lily Francis, SMMI and the regional coordinator, Sr. Bernard, O.S.U. were the key organizers of this seminar. The total participation was altogether 45 from different diocese of BIJHAN.  The main thrust of having this seminar was to deliberate the theme “Empowerment of Women in the Church and society”. Rt. Rev. Joe Rodericks, Bishop Emeritus of Jamshedpur having celebrated the Eucharist gave the keynote address. Sr. Lilly Francis, Sr. Bernard, Fr. Fabian Bhuinyan, S.J., and  Fr. Marcel Barla, cap. also spoke on different subjects highlighting the role and active participation of women in the Church and society. During the workshop, many of the important questions were taken up for discussion. The seminar ended with lunch on 19^th September.(Marcel)

                                                                       

CATHOLIC MAHILA SANGH GENERAL ASSEMBLY (AAM SABHA) 2007: The Catholic Mahila Sangh, Jamshedpur Deanery had its General Assembly (Aam Sabha) on September 1-2 at St. Joseph’s Welfare Centre, Golmuri. The women from all the parishes in Jamshedpur Deanery responded positively and the total number was nearly 120.  The programme was inaugurated by lighting the lamp by Fr. Amatus Kujur, Dean of Jamshedpur, Fr. Marcel Barla, Cap., Spiritual adviser of Jamshedpur deanery Mahila Sangh,  Mrs. Nikunj Francis, President of Mahila Sangh, Jamshedpur Diocese, and Mrs. Emelda Jojo, President of Deanery Mahila Sangh. In the evening mothers from different units presented cultural items on the stage. The Eucharistic Celebration on the 2^nd was presided over by Bishop Felix Toppo, S.J.  In his homily he spoke on the significant role of women in the Church and Society.  The resource persons were Frs. Petrus Barla, CssR and Marcel Barla, cap. The speakers revitalized the dormant spirit of the women and made them realize the important role they should take up in the Church and Society.  The seminar ended with lunch.(Marcel)

 

 

Cheshire Home, Sundernagar: The Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, Cheshire Home, started the celebrations of the feast of St. Vincent de Paul, the founder of the congregation on Sunday, September 23. The clergy, religious and benefactors of the Home joined the sisters and the inmates for a sumptuous meal at noon. The concluding celebration was on the 27^th and Fr. Bipin Pani presided at the solemn Mass in the morning and offered all the inmates and benefactors to the Lord through the intercession St. Vincent de Paul for greater inspiration and strength to continue the great humanitarian service. (David)

St. Theresa’s Parish, Sindri: St. Theresa’s Parish celebrated its Golden Jubilee on September 30, 2007. Bishop Felix Toppo, S.J. presided at the solemn concelebrated Eucharist at 9.30 a.m. The Bishop and other celebrants were led to the altar by a group of dancers. During the offertory, the parishioners came to the altar with meaningful offerings for the Lord as thanksgiving. The Parish choir rendered melodious hymns giving thanks and praise to the loving Lord. It was also celebrated as the parish day, the feast of St. Theresa of Child Jesus. After the Mass, the parishioners presented cultural extravaganza on the stage to celebrate the day as well as to honour the guests. The celebrations ended in the campus with a fellowship meal for all with the Bishop. Congratulations to Fr. Robert Toppo, Bro. Amit Minj, Mahila Sangh and the Parish Council Members for the memorable Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Parish.(Marcel)

 

St. Joseph’s Centre, Patmanda: The Medical Team from St. Joseph’s Hospital, Bhilai Pahari headed by Dr. Noel Purty and Sr. Annie JMJ conducted a free medical camp at St. Joseph’s Centre, Patamanda on September 24 from 2.00 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. 60 patients from the many villages took advantage of the camp. Br. Arnold and team had visited the villages to give   information on the camp. Medicines were given to all the patients. The local villagers are hoping that such camps take place regularly. (Arnold)

 

St. Mary’s English School, Bistupur: The solemnity of the Nativity of Mother Mary, the School Day was celebrated with much joy and enthusiasm on the 8^th and 9^th of September. The school had a special cultural programme on the 8^th for the parents, guardians and guests. On the 9^th the clergy, religious, teachers and members of the governing body joined Fr. Gerry D’Souza and the SJT Sisters for a family meal at noon at the senior school forecourt. (Dileep)

 

 St. Theresa’s School, Jhinkpani : The staff and students of St. Theresa’s School organized ‘Science Exhibition’ on  20^th September, 2007. Mr. Izaz Anwar, West Singhbhum District Programme Officer cum Circle Officer of Jhinkpani Block was the Chief Guest. On arrival, he was welcomed at the school gate. He inaugurated the exhibition by cutting the ribbon. This was followed by a short swagat. Fr. Edwin Coelho, the secretary of the school, welcomed the guests and explained the purpose of putting up the exhibition. This is to motivate the students to translate scientific knowledge gained in the classrooms to facilitate better quality of life in their own homes and villages. In his message, the Chief Guest invited the students to make the scientific knowledge gained in the school through the teachers to improve the quality of life in their own village hamlets. He highly appreciated the models of harvesting the rain water, recharging the Earth with water and producing electricity through ‘Gobar Gas’. Congratulations to the Staff and students of St. Theresa’s School for the innovative science exhibition. (Edwin Coelho)

 

St. Joseph’s Welfare Centre, Golmuri: The Welfare Centre celebrated ‘Teacher’s Day’ on September 07. The students had a high profile entertainment programme staged to honour the teachers from 8.00 -10.00 a.m. in the Hall. All the teachers were given special gift and bouquet. The students had ‘Speech Competition’ held on the 23^rd and 27^th. Fr. Vijay Kachhap, S.J., Fr. Marcel Barla, OFM (cap), Bro. Jacob DDS, Sr. Anila SSH and Sr Vibha SSH were the judges. The winners will be given awards at a ceremony later in October.(Henry)

 

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 !

 

St. Paul’s Seminary, Lucknow: We had a splendid celebration of the feast of the Nativity of Mother Mary in the seminary as ‘South India Day’. As a preparation for the feast, nine days of novena was held from 30^th August to 7^th September. 8^th September, on the feast of the Nativity, a procession was taken out from the seminary lawn to honour Blessed Mother. The Holy Mass, a multilingual celebration, was held in the Seminary hall in which Rev. Fr. George D”Coasta, the Rector was the Main Celebrant and assisted by Fr. Clive Mendonza. The liturgical hymns were beautifully sung in Tamil, Konkani, Kannada and Malayalam besides Latin and English.In the evening, there was a cultural programme presented by the South Indian Brothers. They  performed various cultural aspects of South India, like dances, songs & skits. The entire celebration ended with a traditional South Indian meal cooked by the brothers themselves and served on banana leaves. We thanked Fr. Rector for giving us the opportunities.(Darwin Alex)

Indeed 15^th August was a pleasurable day for us. On the eve of Independence Day we had gone for outing. We visited the historical places like Immabada, which is one of the wonderful architectures of Mugal period and the Residency of British people, where the Indian soldiers shot them and the first Independence war of 1857 began. We also had gone to the zoo which is in the city and enjoyed the beauty of Lucknow and at  6.30 p.m. we returned to the Seminary. (Melwyn Roderigues)

 

Morning Star College, Barrackpore : We had our annual Diocesan Outing on August 30. It was a day to cherish for all the Jamshedpurians. We had a memorable visit to the Science City and on our way back we went to see the empty stands of the famed Eden Garden. Bro. Baldev was disappointed as he could not see any Cricketer playing there, but soon became contented as he got the chance to commute by Metro Train. The Month of September was action packed for all of us here. The nativity of Our Mother, Morning Star, was commemorated with lot of joy and fervor on 8^th September. Various ministries were conferred on us on this day. The Third year theologians were introduced to the Order of Acolytes and the Second year Lectors. From this year the theologians of our college will be doing MA course in Christian Studies under Madras University.(Felix Anthony)

 

 

Holy Spirit College, Leuven:  I had a very fruitful and memorable ministry at the Holy Trinity Church, Fort Lee, Newark (NJ). It is a lively Parish with a lot of people visiting the church for the holy mass, confessions, novena and other spiritual as well as community activities. Rev. Steven Conner (Pastor) and his dedicated Team at the Rectory (Parish House) enabled me to enjoy a wonderful stay at Fort Lee. The families too helped me enjoy a comfortable time over there. On numerous occasions I went out in order to visit places of importance. I pray that the parish continue to experience God’s presence in its daily life.

I returned to Leuven on September 18. The new academic year began on September 24. According to the early trends, the number of new students from all the developing world has swelled substantially this year, reflecting the fact that the European Union is increasingly accommodating the interests of the less-developed regions of the world. This gives us an opportunity to tap the various possibilities up for grabs. The warm summer is over and the pleasant Fall (autumn) is here to stay for some time. Prayerful wishes to all of you. ( John Crasta)  

 

World Youth Day: World Youth Day (WYD) is to be held in Sydney, Australia from 15 to 20 July, 2008. The theme is: “You will receive the power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses.”

In response to the Holy Father’s call, in India the CBCI Youth Commission, New Delhi is organizing a pilgrimage for the Young people and animators (Priests, Religious and Laity) to Sydney. The Commission is planning to take 1200 young people through 5 different packages. To make a good preparation for the pilgrimage the Commission along with the Regional and Diocesan Commission is trying in having catechesis for the Youth in respective parishes. It will be based on the theme of WYD and the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI’s message to the Youth.

Further Details: Do contact the ICYM National Office, CBCI Centre, 1 Ashok Place, Goldak Khana, New Delhi- 110001 for more details or write to [email protected] . You can also call at 011- 23340773, 9873361439, 9868944075 and 9868868188, for information and registration forms. (Vijay Kachhap)

 

St. Albert’s College, Ranchi : Month of September, SAC witnessed  lot of activities. On the eve of 1st of September, we remembered the martyrs of Karondabera and prayed for them. On 5th we celebrated the death anniversary of Blessed Teresa of Kolkota. Brothers and sisters from Kolkota region led us to meaningful celebrations. Father Rector celebrated his birthday on 11th with a community mass followed by a short felicitation programme. On the same day, an inter-religious dialogue was held at Ramakrishna Mission school on the topic ,"How my religion looks at Science?" in which Fr. Prabhu represented the Christian community where he spoke on the topic. Swami Sanjay, a Yoga guru from Patna visited SAC and delivered a talk on Yogic philosophy. He insisted on the experience of listening to self. A group of Priests from both staff and students along with bros. Stephen and George attended the Ordination of Pradeep Marandi on 15th of this month. On 20th there was a meeting of Rectors and formators on the formation of seminarians of Bijhan area. Bishop Felix and Fr, Vernon represented the diocese.

'Jharkhand Sadbhavana Manch', an association of inter-religious harmony celebrated 'World Peace Day' on 21st at Guru Nanak Higher secondary School. Fr. Linus Kujur SJ, a dozen of Theologians is a member of the munch, made the whole episode successful. The ”First Mass” of Fr. Pradeep Marandi at SAC was celebrated among the Jamwallas along with Fr. James Surin on 22nd morning. On the same day we had a festive supper along with Br. Dileep Marandi, the New Priest and James Surin. Karam festival was celebrated with traditional flavor on 23 and 24 of September without any objection from outside. The SAC had conducted speech competition for all the brothers in which Stephen bagged the first place. Congratulations to Stephen. (Raju Crasta)

Be Men of Prayer, Pope urges Bishops: The prayer of a Bishop is not a commitment, but a necessity, says Benedict XVI. The Pope said this upon receiving in audience at Castel Gandolfo on Saturday the participants of a meeting of recently ordained bishops. The Holy father spoke to the 112 prelates, all of whom were named bishops in the last year, of the “the apostolic and pastoral character of the ‘bishop’s prayers”. The Pontiff told the bishops that like the Twelve Apostles, “we were called above all to stay with Christ, to know him more deeply and to take part in his ministry of love and his relationship of full confidence in the Father”. (cbcisite)

Coady International : It was nice hearing about the diocese. Yes I am very enthusiastic to see and use our Mundari Bible. Give my best wishes to Msgr. and best of luck. My classes are very tight because we are busy with lot of group works and assignments. We do not feel how the days are passing. When we came to Canada sun used to set at 9.30pm and nowadays it is setting by 7.00pm means winter is at hand, Canadian Maple tree is changing its colour slowly and nature looks so beautiful, weather cool and cooler. some time we feel very difficult to bear the cold. Hope we will be able to see snowfall. I hear Jharkhand has very heavy rain and Madhu Kora announced to give compensation for the damage. Jharkhand weather is affected by cricket winning celebration!(Halan)

 

St. Aloysius Church, Gatineau: On September 13 we had a packed cathedral for the Eucharistic Celebration on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the death of Blessed Mother Teresa. The ambassador of Albania was among the dignitaries who attended the Mass. The 11^th of October is our Diocesan day. On that day we have a full-day workshop at the parish of Notre dame de Lorret. All the sessions will of course be conducted in French…. and it will take sometime before I speak ‘en francais’. Convey my kind respects to Msgr. Bodra and when you are in Bhilai Pahari ‘Jai Jesu’ to Frs. Casimir and Vernon and of course to the Candidates.(Gyan)

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