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Vol. XXXIX No. 09 |
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SEPTEMBER 2009 |
THE
CHURCH'S TEACHING ON PRIESTLY CELIBACY
(Father William
Saunders)
The Second
Vatican Council's "Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests"
("Presbyterorum Ordinis," 1965) asserts: "Perfect and perpetual
continence for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven was recommended by Christ our
Lord. It has been freely accepted and laudably observed by many Christians down
through the centuries as well as a feature of priestly life. For it is at once
a sign of pastoral charity and an incentive to it as well as being in a special
way a source of spiritual fruitfulness in the world" (No. 16).
While
recognizing that the nature of the priesthood does not demand celibacy, the
Council affirmed ways celibacy is in harmony with the priesthood: Through it, a
priest, identifying himself with Christ, dedicates his whole life to the
service of his Lord and the Church. Celibacy enables the priest to focus
entirely on building up the
Pope Paul VI highlighted these themes in his encyclical "Sacerdotalis Caelibatus" (1967), which was written at a time when some people questioned the need for mandatory celibacy. The Holy Father pinpointed three "significances" or senses to celibacy: the Christological, the ecclesiological and the eschatological. In the Christological sense, a priest must look to Christ as the ideal, eternal priest. This identification permeates his whole being. Just as Christ remained celibate and dedicated His life to the service of His Father and all people, a priest accepts celibacy and consecrates himself totally to serve the mission of the Lord. This total giving and commitment to Christ is a sign of the Kingdom present here and now.
In the
ecclesiological sense, just as Christ was totally united to the Church, the
priest through his celibacy bonds his life to the Church. He is better able to
be a minister of the Word of God, listening to that Word, pondering its depth,
living it and preaching it with whole-hearted conviction. He is the minister of
the sacraments, and, especially through the Mass, acts in the person of Christ,
offering himself totally to the Lord. Celibacy allows the priest greater freedom
and flexibility in fulfilling his pastoral work: "(Celibacy) gives to the
priest, even in the practical field, the maximum efficiency and the best
disposition of mind, psychologically and affectively, for the continuous
exercise of a perfect charity. This charity will permit him to spend himself
wholly for the welfare of all, in a fuller and more concrete way"
("Sacerdotalis Caelibatus," No. 32).
The ‘Code of Canon Law’ reflects these three "significances" in Canon 277, which mandates clerical celibacy: "Clerics are obliged to observe perfect and perpetual continence for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven and therefore are obliged to observe celibacy, which is a special gift of God, by which sacred ministers can adhere more easily to Christ with an undivided heart and can more freely dedicate themselves to the services of God and mankind." In teaching of the Church, there are three important dimensions for the observation of celibacy.
First, celibacy
involves freedom. A man when called to Holy Orders freely accepts the
obligation of celibacy, after prayerful reflection and consideration. Having
made that decision, celibacy does grant the bishop, priest or deacon the
freedom to identify with Christ and to serve Him and the Church without
reservation, condition or hesitation.
Secondly,
celibacy involves sacrifice, and a sacrifice is an act of love. For instance,
when a man and a woman marry, they make a sacrifice to live "in good times
and in bad, in sickness and in health until death." They sacrifice to live
a faithful love, no longer dating others or giving into selfish pleasures. When
they become father and mother, they sacrifice to support the raising of
children. Decisions of love always entail sacrifice.
And so it is with the clergy. To
be a priest means to make a sacrifice of oneself to Christ for the good of His
Church. The priest sacrifices being married to a woman and having his own
family to being "wedded" to Christ and His Church and serving their
needs as "father."
Finally,
celibacy requires the grace of God to be lived. Repeatedly, celibacy is seen as
a gift of the Holy Spirit. However, this gift is not just to keep one's
physical desires under control or to live as a bachelor; this gift is being
able to say "yes" to our Lord each day and live His life.
Sadly, in our
world, many people cannot appreciate the discipline of celibacy, whether for
the clergy or anyone else. We live in a society where the media bombards us
with uncontrolled sexual imagery. If some people cannot appreciate the values
of virginity before marriage, fidelity in marriage, or sacrifice for children,
they cannot begin to appreciate anyone, man or woman, who lives a celibate
lifestyle in dedication to a vocation. As a Church, we should be thankful to
the clergy and the men and women religious who have made the total sacrifice of
themselves out of love to serve our Lord and the Church.
(This article appeared in the
We are proud that Fr. Benny
Alphones Ekka, S.J., former director of XISS,
Bishop’s House,
Gol
On 2nd August, the
feast of St. John Mary Vianney was celebrated in
On 5th August, a
farewell meal was arranged at Bishop House in honour of Fr. Raphael Monteiro
and Fr. Vijay Bhat. Fr. C. R. Prabhu thanked both of them for their service and
wished them God’s blessings for their new ministries and responsibilities. On 6th
August, Fr. Raphael was reached to
On 9th August, there
was Funeral Mass of Late Bro. Simplicius Minz
New Assignments and
Responsibilities:
Youth Director of
Youth Director of Chaibasa Deanery - Fr. Cornelius Tigga
Associate Youth Director of Chaibasa Deanery - Fr. Peter Martin S.J.
Youth Director of Dhanbad Deanery – Fr. C.J. Thomas, S.J.
Youth Director of Purulia Deanery – Fr. Augustine Topno
Education Director - Fr. C. R. Prabhu
Associate Education Director - Fr. Augustine Ezhakunnel, S.J.
Inauguration of
“Year for Priests”
On 2nd August, during Holy Eucharist Bishop Felix Toppo, S.J. officially inaugurated “Year for Priests” in the Diocese. In Eucharist special prayer was offered for priests. A big number of Priests, Religious and lay faithful were present for this ceremony. Bishop Felix inaugurated “Year for Priests” by unveiling the Picture of St. John Mary Vianney. In his message, Bishop Felix asked every one to pray specially for the priests and the vocation for consecrated life. There were about 90 priests and a good number of Religious Brothers, Sisters and lay faithful present for this inaugural ceremony. After the Eucharist tea and snacks were served for the lay faithful. Fr. George Mannarakam was felicitated for his service that he rendered to the Diocese as Vicar General. A meal was served for all priests, religious brothers and sisters who had come for the inauguration of “Year for Priests”. Three sets of prayer cards are printed and distributed to be used in the Diocese as the prayer for priests.
Diocesan
Perspective Planning:
The Diocesan Perspective Planning
has been completed at Parish and Deanery level in Chaibasa, Dhanbad and
Jamshedpur Deanery. Chaibasa Deanery organized its perpective planning meeting
on 5th August. A good number of Priests, Religious Brothers and
Sisters and lay representatives had come from different parishes. There were 62
participants. Since Fr. Camille was sick, Fr. Edwin, Fr. Bipin and Fr. Michael
Tirkey were the facilitator at the meeting. On 2nd August Dhanbad
Deanery had organized its Perspective Planning meeting. Fr. Augustine
Ezhakunnel S.J. was the facilitator at the meeting. This meeting had a good
response. The representatives’ participation was at its depth. On 16th
August, Jamshedpur Deanery held its perspective planning meeting at
Amazing
To mark “Year for Priests”, the
Catholic Diocese of Jamshedpur is taking an initiative to organize Vocation
Awareness Camps for both boys and girls studying in 9th and 10th
standard in different parts of the Diocese under the banner of “Amazing Life”.
These Vocation Awareness Camps intend to generate love for the Priestly and
Religious life in the hearts of youth. A core group is formed to carry out the
Vocation Awareness Camps. They have worked out the following guidelines. It
will be conducted in two phases. At the first phase, it will be a general youth
camp, where the boys and girls will be made aware of human values and of the
vocation all of us have received as Christians in reference to consecrated
life. At this stage, no society, order / congregation will speak about
themselves. However, at the end this programme we shall give all participants a
common brochure which gives some details about their order / congregation. It is done in order to give the boys and
girls a little idea about different Societies, Orders and Congregations that are
working in the Diocese of Jamshedpur. At the Second phase, we will conduct a
vocation camp in view of promoting vocations for consecrated life, where the
representatives of different Societies, Orders / Congregations will be invited
to give some details about their life and charism within allotted time.
Pratiksha : a
centre for propaedeutic course:
Our brothers are happy and doing well at Pratiksha. They are busy with different spiritual activities. One of the seminarians expressed that as he is going through this course, he feels more motivated and his spiritual life is strengthened. We thank and congratulate the Director, Fr. Mathew C., Fr. Casimir Vaz and Bro. Pascal Toppo for their hard work. May the Blessing of God be with them in the days to come.
On 13th August, the birthday of Fr. Casimir Vaz was celebrated in a great fashion. Special prayers were made for Fr. Casimir on this auspicious day. In the afternoon, our candidates and Bhilai Pahari Community had come to wish Fr. Casimir. They presented him a Maharaja Topi and a Bolbum dress. There was a friendly football match organized between candidates of Bhilai Pahari and Brothers of Pratiksha. The match was drawn with the score of two each. In the evening, Bishop Felix Toppo, S.J., Bishop Joseph Rodericks, S.J. and other fathers had come to wish him. We thank God for the gift of Fr. Casimir.
Kripa Sadan,
Bhilai Pahari
On 29th July the candidates of Kripa Sadan had their 1st recollection. It was a new experience for them. Recollection is a time to recollect and deepen the relationship with God. Fr. Sanjay Kujur, C.Ss.R. helped them to reflect on – What they are called to be ? What they are aspiring to be ? How true they have been to themselves in the last month ? What they are going to do in coming days ? The best compliment of the candidates is that a sense of belonging and prayer is seen in their lifestyle. Congratulation and best wishes to Fr. Linus Kindo, Fr. Florence Dungdung and Fr. George Mannarakam.
Mango: Jesu
Bhavan:
On 15-16 August, a joint recollection was held for Diocesan Regents and the Scholastics of Jamshedpur Province. Seventeen of them were present for this recollection. This was arranged in view of strengthening the bond we have among ourselves. It was an enriching experience for the participants. Fr. Sanjay Kujur, C.Ss.R. and Fr. Gerry Cutinha, S.J. were the facilitators of this Recollection. The Regents and Scholastics are doing well in their respective places. They are grooming themselves to be worthy servants of God.
St. Joseph’s
Commun
Samekit Jan Vikas Kendra has
taken up a new initiative to collaborate with the ‘State AIDS Control Society’
to support the most vulnerable and stigmatized people ‘who are living with
HIV/AIDS.
ST.JOSEPH’S COMMUNITY COLLEGE, GOLMURI
Bishop Felix Toppo, S.J. in his
speech spoke about the secrets of success. The regular classes began on
(Mr.Henry & Mrs.Vanita)
Telco: Church of
Our Lady of Guadalupe
0n 26th July, the
parishners of Our Lady of Guadalupe gave a heart felt farewell to Fr. Vijay
Bhat. Fr. Vijay was assigned the Parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe for two terms.
During his stay at Telco, he has done numerous good things for the people of
Telco. The construction of the beautiful Church at Telco is the result of his
hard work. We thank and congratulate Fr. Vijay for his untiring work and now
when he is transferred to
On 2nd August, Fr. Benedict Minz was installed as Parish Priest of the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe by Fr. C. R. Prabhu. After Eucharist, Fr. Benedict was given a warm welcome in a small felicitation programme. We wish Fr. Benedict a fruitful ministry in the vineyard of God at Telco.
Kutkudugri: St.
Anthony’s Church:
On 19th August, Fr. Anand Toppo, ofmcap and Fr. Suresh Kerketta, ofmcap had organized a ‘One Day Youth Seminar’. A good number of parish youth were present for the day. It began with the Eucharistic Celebration. Fr. Sanjay Kujur, C.Ss.R. with other Fathers offered the Eucharist. The resource persons for this Seminar were Fr. Sanjay Kujur, C.Ss.R, Fr. Suresh Kerketta and Mr. Richard Sarkey. The purpose of the seminar was to make the youth aware of their potentials and to help them to build on them. We congratulate the parish priest and team for their effort.
Bistupur: St.
Mary’s Parish
On 15th August, St. Mary’s Parish Bistupur celebrated parish day. The celebration began with Holy Eucharistic. Bishop Felix presided over the Eucharist with ten other priests. The Eucharistic Celebration was beautifully organized. It was solemn and prayerful. After Holy Mass, there was a cultural programme. During cultural programme, Bishop Felix honoured George N.V. and Lawrence Francis with shawls for their contribution to St. Mary’s Parish Bistupur. The celebration ended with a community lunch. We thank and congratulate the parishners for their commitment and faithfulness to the Church. We also congratulate Fr. Joy Paul, Fr. Gerry Martin, Fr. Vernon D’Souza and other parish council members for organizing a beautiful parish day celebration.
Jhinkpani: St.
Theresa’s Church:
On 2nd August, a brain
storming session was held for the catechists and leader of the village
mandalies in the parish. This was held in view of the present press statements
against Christian Community by the Kolhan Adivasi Yuva Mahasabha. In the
meeting the mandali catechists gave a detailed report of their activities and
the present difficulties faced by Catholic Communities in their villages. Fr.
Edwin Coelho, Parish Priest of Jinkpani gave an ‘input session’ based on the4
concerns raised by them and also suggested new directions they could take to
strengthen the village mandalies. Then they had a discussion on the suggestions
made in the input session. At the end, they listed the urgent task for
themselves.
1.
Build
village Catholic Communities.
2.
Net
working among different mandalies.
3.
Take
active part in gramsabha meetings and village meetings when called by the
village Munda (headman).
4.
Work
out plans to avail themselves all the Government benefits for villagers.
5.
Have
a cordial relationship with various sections of the people in the village.
(Fr. Edwin Coelho)
Basahatu: Queen of
On
Burigorah: St.
Michael’s
On 2nd August, a gathering of Krusbir (crusaders) was organized at Burigorah. It was a special day for these children as special prayers were offered for them. After Eucharistic Celebration, a short Catechesis was given on Eucharist. There were also other activities, where they were enabled to express their qualities and talents. It was done through different games. At the end, a delicious lunch was served for all.
On 12th August, in collaboration with CCF One Day Seminar for Munda, Manki and other village leaders was organized in Burigorah village. About 80 participants took part in this seminar. Some of these participants had come from the neighbouring villages as well. The focus of this seminar was to make them aware of the “Rights of Munda and Manki”. The chief facilitator of this seminar was Fr. Michael Tirkey, S.J. Fr. Petrus Barla C.Ss.R., Fr. Sanjay Ekka, C.Ss.R., Fr. Sanjay Kujur, C.Ss.R., Sr. Stella Minz OSU and other CCF staff members were also present for this seminar. Congratulations and best wishes to Fr. Sanjay Ekka and Fr. Petrus Barla.
Anandpur: St.
Joseph’s Parish:
The entire Anandpur parish gave a tear-filled adieu to Fr. Benedict Minz on 9th August. We congratulate and thank Fr. Benedict Minz for his hard work and wish him God’s blessings for his new ministry. Fr. Raphael Monteiro, the new parish priest reached Anandpur on 6th August. The entire campus gave him a grand welcome. On 9th August, Fr. C.R. Prabhu installed Fr. Raphael as the Parish Priest of St. Joseph’s Parish, Anandpur. On the same day the feast of St. John Mary Vianney was celebrated in the parish. There was a community meeting for the allotment of different responsibilities. Fr. Raju F. Crasta is Hostel In-charge and the minister of the house. Fr. Venancius Kandulna will look after the Area Masses and public relations. Bro. Sandeep Minz in the in-charge of Hostel Discipline and he will also assist Fr. Raju in other activities. In view of Platinum Jubilee of Anandpur Parish (1935-2010), the Parish core committee has decided to have some programmes such as Monica Divas, Youth Seminars, Charismatic Renewal Programme, formation of Parish Council, etc. (Fr. Raju F. Crasta)
Maluka:
Parish Priest Fr. Junas Purty, Fr. Amrit Kujur, S.J. and Fr. Augustine Minz are busy in their pastoral ministry. There are different pastoral and social ministries being carried out in and around Maluka. Since it is a season for cultivation, no big programme has been organized at parish level. However, our priests are busy visiting villages and families of the parish. The children in the hostel are doing well. They are physically fit and growing intellectually with the care they receive. On 13th August the parish community celebrated the birthday of Fr. Amrit, S.J. During Eucharist, Fathers, Sisters and the children of boys and girls hostels joined together to thank God for the gift of Fr. Amrit and prayed for him. After Mass, he was felicitated with garland and bouquets. May God Bless them all !
Maluka:
Chakradharpur:
In the month of August, many of
our priests who are working in Kolhan-Porahat fell sick. They were admitted in
Chakradharpur: St.
Xavier’s School:
The students and the staff of St. Xavier’s English School Chradharpur are doing well. They are busy with different activities. Due to the dedication of the staff and the hard work of the students, the standard of the school is improving day by day. Parents are very eager to get their children admitted to the school. The construction of the new class rooms are in progress. One section of construction is completed. Fr. Eugene is working hard to get the work done. For the construction of these class rooms, Fr. Eugene has generated local funds by himself. Looking at the growing standard of the school, Mr. Ashok Jain has promised Fr. Eugene that he will continue to support the school. We thank Fr. Eugene and the staff for their dedication and commitment.
Heart Felt
Condolence:
Fr. Leo D’Souza lost his Aunt
recently and his uncle last month, may their souls rest in peace and prayerful
support to all who grieve on this loss. Bro. Jayraj, who is studying in Morning
Stare Seminary, lost his Mother on 15th August. Let us pray for her
that God may grant her eternal rest and consolation to the family and near and
dear ones.
Kumardubi:
The number of activities held in
the past month truly reflects the potential of the Loyolians. The 1st Terminal examination
was held between 17th to 25th
of August. From 27th
August, the Football & Throwball tournament have begun. To encourage
in creativity Portrait Drawing Contest
was held on 28th August
for children in classes III, IV & V. The sketches were remarkable and the
judges had a tuff decision to make. Since 31st was a holiday for the
school, the Feast of
Cardinal Foley: Teaching About Jesus first Priority
During the Year
for Priests, Cardinal John Foley, the grand master of the Equestrian Order of
the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem sat down with ZENIT to reflect on his life as a
priest. He said, "I entered the seminary twice," the prelate said,
"once after high school and once after university." He continued:
"In my senior year of high school, at Christmas time, I went to our parish
church and knelt in front of the crib. I said, 'Lord, you have given me
everything I have -- my life, my family, my faith, a very good education ---
and I want to give it all, everything, back to you. One thing that was
"critical" he said was doing volunteer work and teaching catechism to
mentally handicapped children.” He recalled: "I had six children in this
school to whom I was teaching catechism, and the Sister Superior came in and
said, 'Well, children, do you like Mr. Foley?' One boy answered, 'No! No! We
love Mr. Foley!'. "I thought that was a marvelous distinction for a
mentally handicapped boy to make. "She said, 'Why do you love Mr. Foley?'
He said, 'We love Mr. Foley because he teaches us about Jesus.' And I thought,
'there is nothing more important in life than teaching people about Jesus and
bringing Jesus to them.' He added, "That solidified my vocation for the
priesthood."
The cardinal affirmed, "I never had an unhappy day as a priest; I have
loved the priesthood."
After 47 years of priesthood, he reports that the main difficulties he struggles with pertain to the culture, which "seems to be becoming more and more secularized. It is more difficult to get a spiritual message through to people today, he added, "as they are not as open to it as perhaps they once were."
As well, Cardinal Foley added, “physical difficulties multiply as we get older. Old age makes you slow down and you cannot do as much as you want to be able to do. However, he added, St. Ignatius teaches us in his spiritual exercises that "we should give ourselves to God in sickness and in health, in poverty and in prosperity." "So we should be indifferent in that sense and just use everything for the greater glory of God," the prelate said. He explained that this is his Episcopal motto: "ad majorem dei gloriam -- for the greater glory of God."
Hindi Medium Middle
and High Schools
To : Headmistresses, Headmasters & Secretaries of Hindi
Medium Schools.
We are calling for an
important meeting of all Hindi Medium Schools Both Middle and High Schools in
the Diocese of Jamshedpur run by the Religious and the Diocese. This meeting
will be held at Bishop’s House, Golmuri on
-
Fr. C. R. Prabhu, Director,
New Ordo/ English
and Hindi Bible Diary for 2010:
We are going to order for
(Diocesan Treasure)
Training for GNM
(staff nurses) on HIV/AIDS and ART:
Indian Nursing Council has asked Jeevan Jyothi School of Nursing to train GNM staff nurses of Jharkhand on HIV/AIDS and ART. The duration of the programme is 5 days. The participants are requested to bring a passport size photo for registration. The dates for the programme are 7th – 11th September, 14th – 18th September, 12th – 16th October, 26th – 30th October, 9th – 13th November, 23rd – 27th November and 7th – 11th December. For details please contact – Jeevan Jyoti School of Nursing, Telco Town, Jamshedpur – 831 004, Jharkhand, Phone – 0657 – 286168.
Contribution for
the Dioc
I sincerely thank all those who have contributed for the Diocesan News Letter. It is really inspiring. We have benefited from your activities. Please continue to give information of your good works that others may be inspired by them. Your suggestions and corrections are always welcome for better communication.
- Fr. Sanjay Kujur, C.Ss.R.
Mob: 9470164455
Bishop’s
Programme – September, 2009
|
Date |
Day |
Time |
Programme |
Place |
|
1 |
Tuesday |
|
|
Golmuri |
|
02-13 |
Wednesday…. |
|
TLIG Convention |
|
|
15- 16 |
Tuesday…. |
|
CBCI Consultation |
|
|
20 |
Sunday |
|
|
Sundernagar |
|
25-28 |
Friday…. |
|
ARMS (Rectors) Meeting |
|