Provincial Circular: SA 21

MISSIONARIES OF ST.FRANCIS DE SALES
NAGPUR PROVINCE
MSFS PROVINCIALATE
23,24 Residency Road, Sadar
Nagpur 440001 INDIA
Ph: 91-712-2527805. Mobile: 09823315736
Fax: 91-712-2555284
[email protected]
[email protected]
SA – 21
CIRCULAR TO ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE PROVINCE
10.02.2011
My dear confreres,
I greet you with the peace of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the compassionate love of our Blessed Mother, the
joyful optimism of our Patron, St. Francis de Sales and the missionary zeal of our Founder, Servant of
God, Fr. Peter Mermier.
“The world is too much with us, ever and anon,” lamented poet William Wordsworth a very long time ago. Today
it seems more appropriate and more accurate to say that we are too much with the world. We have sold ourselves
out to the world and we are sold on the world. The world has an absolute hold over every aspect of our lives. We
have been enslaved by it. And- this is the most painful aspect of it all - we seem to be happy with this enslavement.
The allurements, the sinful delights, the little vices, the must posses objects, the must see movies, the must watch
day-night cricket matches, the ultimate pleasures and everything else which the consumerist society assures us will
make us the happiest people ever, deliberately yet gently lead us into the temptation to believe such promises,
educated, highly rational, trained and even highly experienced though we are. Today we live on small islands
surrounded by the ocean of temptations. It looks as though we have knowingly and willingly surrendered our
freedom of choice - choice between good and bad, right and wrong, needs and wants; in short, we have allowed
the market to make as well as take all our decisions and abdicated our freedom. It surely is a sad state of affairs and
if action is not taken to reverse the trend, sooner than later we are going to be as good as lost, lost to the invisible,
undefined, nebulous yet all pervasive force called Worldliness. (oh, don’t bother man, we can always buy chilled
water in the train!; who wants to carry water from house?)
Fuga Mundi- Flee the world was the war cry of the desert Fathers and Mothers and they fled into the desert in
order to save themselves from the overpowering, damaging and enslaving influences of their world. And their
flight did, indeed, save them as did the Flight into Egypt. If Pharaoh was the personification of all that was evil for
the Israelites, if Herod was the personification of all that was evil for the child Jesus and if both the Israelites and
Jesus were saved through their flight from Egypt (Exodus) and into Egypt, the only way we can liberate ourselves,
nay save ourselves, is to ‘flee’ the consumeristic world and be counter-cultural in nature.
In the light of our commitment, our training, our life style- as religious we are expected to live our lives according
to our Constitutions which are based on the Scriptures, we are presumed to be people with the will power,
discipline and strength of character to resist any and every temptation. If so, why do we find ourselves sinking
deeper and deeper into the quagmire of worldliness? Why are we more and more attracted to everything which the
world has to offer, while we do not seem to have the will power to make a value judgment on the damaging effect
of our enslavement to worldliness? When Paul wrote to the Romans, exhorting them to avoid worldliness, he was
well aware of the perils his beloved Roman Christians were exposed to. So he gave them an alternative. He said:
“Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a
complete change of your mind.” Is not this alternative available to us to-day? Of course, it is. It is there just for
the asking! God will transform us only with our wholehearted co-operation and when we allow God to change us
inwardly. (Then do you think we will crave for the luxury/Volvo.a.c. buses, a. c. tiers, air-ways, much of the timeconsuming and costly entertainments, frequent absences in the work-place?) There are no two opinions on the
absolute necessity to undergo this transformation. That is the need of the hour, the one and only means of
deliverance.
Soon – just in a month - it will be the Holy Season of Lent. This is the God-sent opportunity for each one of us to
make an all out effort to resist the temptations of the world, to ‘flee’ the world, a flight from the consumeristic
world to let God transform us inwardly, to return to Our Father, (Ghar Vaapasi) prodigals that we have be en, to
reclaim our birth right, our sonship in the Son. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not
think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh. (Rom.13/14)
An article on Bro. Rajesh Jeyaseelan, msfs, published in the Parish Bulletin of Matola Parish on the occasion of
Bro. Rajesh making his Perpetual Profession on 23rd January 2011 at Bela Vista.
A Voz da Paróquia
Rajesh Jeyaseelan, a messe é grande mais os
trabalhadores são poucos. Mais um servidor para a
messe do Senhor. Hoje testemunha-se a ordenação
diaconal do seminarista Rajesh, depois de um
longo percurso iniciado em 1998 no seminário
propedêutico de Prakash Bhavan (India).
Tudo aposto para 2011 Vários movimentos paroquiais
iniciam
as
suas
actividades referentes ao novo
ano
(2011).Os
núcleos
arancaram as suas actividades
no fim da primeira quinzena de
Janeiro na qual foi ante-cedida
de uma celebração Eucarística.
Na segunda quinzena inicia a
breve formação dos catequiastas e em Fevereiro inicia a
catequese. Assim outros grupos
vão
iniciando
as
suas
actividades. Há poucas horas da
sua ordenação diago-nal hoje 23,
de Janeiro do ano 2011, a Voz
da paróquia apresenta em primeira mão, a
autobiografia do seminarista Rajesh, que é ordenado
diácono em Bela vista, a que na província de
Maputo. Rajesh Jeyaseelan é um jovem que nasceu
na cidade de Trichur na província de Kerala, India.
Filho de um “grande” agricultor, Jeyaseelan Antony
Selvaraj e Pushpam Jeyaseelan. Fiho mais velho da
casa, Rajesh foi baptizado na paróquia maternal de St
Anne’s Church,
(Arquidiocese de Trichur) em 1984. Fez a primeira
comunhão e confirmação em 1995 na paróquia
paternal St. James Church, Sayathurai. Fez a 1ª
classe ante a 10ª classe na escola primaria completa
de St. Francis Xavier. Depois de concluir o nível
básico em 1998 entra no seminário propedêutico de
Prakash Bhavan dos Missionários de São Francisco
de Sakes (MSFS ou Fransalianos), onde veio a
terminar o nível médio em 2001. Um ano depois
emiti os primeiros votos temporários na congregação
dos fransalianos, em Varanasi, cidade Santa dos Hindus
nas margens do rio Ganges.
Dois meses depois entra no seminário Maior filosófico
Suvidya College, em Bangalore e termina filosofia em
2005, obtendo Bacharelato de filosofia de Universidade
de Urbaniana. E na Universidade de Bangalore obtive
grau de bacharel nas letras. Pela primeira vez pisa o solo
Moçambicano em Agosto de 2005, onde veio a morar na
casa de formação dos padres vicentinos
na Matola, fazendo esta-gio na própria
casa de formação. Desde Abril de 2006
ate agosto do mesmo ano, aprende falar
português com a professora Leonor.
Terminado o curso de português um ano
depois, entra no seminário de Santo
Agostinho da Matola. Onde veio se
formar em Teológica, começou trabalhos
pastorais ajudando na comunidade de
Catuane. Em 2008 entra no seminário
Teológico Interdioceseno de São Pio X
em Maputo. No mesmo ano faz pastoral
na paróquia de São Gabriel da Matola, no
grupo litúrgico. Foi catequista na Comunidade inglesa
de Santa Cross. Em 2009 faz trabalhos da pastoral na
paróquia de São Joaquim de Munhuana, onde também
era catequista. É transferido em 2010 para paróquia São
João Evangelista da Malhangalene, onde actualmente
esta acompanhado o grupo juvenil “Paz e Bem”, e os
núcleos de Santa Mónica e Santa Teresinha de Menino
Jesus. A equipa do jornal a voz da paróquia deseja
muitos sucessos nesta caminhada de fé, prometemos
trazer mais detalhes desta cerimónia na próxima edição.
- Américo Silora
26th January, the day on which the Indian Constitution was adopted, Peter Mermier CBSE School joined the whole
nation in rejuvenating the patriotic spirit by saluting the
national flag and singing patriotic songs. Mrs. Kusumtai
Ghate, ward member of Mohan Nagar of NMC, was the
Chief Guest. She encouraged parents to plant the seeds of
patriotism in the hearts of little ones. A cultural program was
put up by the children. JAI HIND
- Bro. Anson Abraham, msfs
KHAMGAON: On 16th of January, 2011 there was n
ecumenical gathering during the Church Unity week. Pastors
from Bethany Alliance, Charisma and Nazraine, along with 250 faithful were present. Fr. KV Joseph, introduced the
theme “that all may be one.” All the pastors spoke on the relevance and the need of unity among Christians in the
context of to-day’s India. As a sign of unity, the whole assembly recited the prayer “Our Father” followed by a
fellowship meal.
On 24th January, the Commission for Inter-Religious Dialogue and Ecumenism of Amravati Diocese conducted a
one-day Seminar for Priest and Religious of the Diocese. Fr (Dr) M D Thomas, National Director, CBCI, Delhi,
spoke on ‘Relations with other religious communities’. He animated and formulated with the participants an action
plan for diocesan, institutional and personal levels. Bishop Lourdes Daniel thanked the participants and Fr. KV
Joseph, msfs and his team
- Lijohn Kachapilly, msfs
NANDED: The Annual Parents’ Day of Gyan Mata Vidya Vihar was celebrated on 3rd December 2010. The Chief
Guest was Dr. S K Pardeshi, Collector and District Magistrate of Nanded. The students of GMVV enthralled their
parents and well-wishers of the school with ‘vignettes’– commemorating special days in the life of the nation – the
Army, Air Force, Navy, water resource, eye donation and a host of others. GMVV, in a way, highlighted the face
of India and the face of GMVV is the index of the mind of one and all at GMVV from the Principal, the staff,
students and right up to the service staff who worked with single minded zeal.
On the occasion of the Feast of St. Francis de Sales, articles on the patron were published in three Marathi
newspapers – the Godatir of Nanded, Nanded Darpan of Nanded, and Lokmat Times of Aurangabad. We
congratulate Fr. Anthony Amaladoss for getting write-up translated into Marathi by staff members and getting the
same published.
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GOLDEN JUBILARIAN
Fr. Philip D’Silva, msfs, enters into his Golden Jubilee of his Ordination on
24th March 2011. We warmly salute Fr. Philip for his joyful service to the
Congregation and the Province for the past 50 years.
Fr. Philip has the uncanny knack and the gift of young religious flocking to
him. His magnetism is because he chooses to close his eyes to their innate
mischief and chooses to keep them wide open to ask comfortable queries that
to them is endearing. He wears his 76 years wrapped up well up his sleeves
and his trousers rolled down to his toes to keep them away from the known
pathways of yester years.
A man with an insightful memory he has an encyclopaedic recall of people and places with a colourful addition to
the Goan tapestry of life especially that of Socorro, Goa.
Fr. Philip can rightly lay claim to the saying: Before the MSFS were in Southern Africa, I was! The proof of his
sojourn in Africa is in black and white in the Baptismal Register of Nossa Senhora da Conceicao se Catedral,
Maputo. Ad Multos Annos
Congratulations to:
Rt Rev John Barwa, svd, Bishop of Rourkela, appointted as the new Archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneshwar
Fr. Jose Cruz da Muluta, new Rector of St. Pius X Seminary, Maputo
Fr. Inacio, new Rector of St. Augustine Seminary, Matola
Fr. Johnson Parikkapally, msfs, for looking into the renovation to Gorewada Farm House.
All the best to:
Fr. Francis Thadathil, msfs and the confreres of North-East Province as they gather for the Province Congress.
Fr. Anthony Dharmaraj, msfs, and the confreres of South-East Province for their Province Congress.
Let us pray for the departed:
Mrs. Martina Gonsalves, age 83, mother of Fr. Johnson Gonsalves, died on 19th January 2011
Mr. Thomas Nedumkallel, age 85, grandfather of Bro. Henry Nedumkallel, died on 23rd January 2011
Mr Anthony, age 93, grand-father of Bro. Anson Kaliyayth, died on 3rd February 2011
Fr. Roger Sallaz, msfs, age 97, of Franco–Swiss Province, died on 5th February 2011.
A hearty welcome to Frs. Stephen Soares, Mathews Kodamulil and Kailash Hiwale for their holidays.
Our prayers for our sick and hospitalized confreres Frs. Thomas Vadakumpadam, Jose Parampukattil and Jose
Kailamangalam.
Wishing you,
Yours fraternally
Fr. Sebastian Annaikandathil, msfs
Provincial Superior
Salesian Thought: Do not worry about what the world thinks. Let it say whatever it likes, whether good or bad. In
all things it is important that we keep our eyes fixed on Christ, going about our work no matter what the world
thinks.
- Salesian Spirituality: A Resource Book – Fr. Noel Rebello, Pg. 117