C.J.N.L. APRIL
2008
FROM FR. PROVINCIAL’S DESK.
v At the busy but
elegant-looking Central Railway Station of Zurich, in
v During the famous ‘murmuratio’
and by now the unforgettable moment of GC 35, I had occasion to chat with
Nicolas; in my conversation I confided that he was among my probables and would
like to hear him on that; he responded to say that an over-ripe fruit should
usually be thrown away; later on I added that occasionally we (in Asia) would dry
the ripe-fruits in the sun and keep them for later times. We are blessed in the
Society to have the wisdom and openness of
v The end-note of GC 35 is that the Society of
Jesus is a blessing for the world today. The pedagogy of the Spiritual
Exercises has relevance for this fast globalizing world; it provides us with ‘a
way of standing in the world and of engaging it’ to discover, to relish and
to effect God’s ways in and for us. ‘For ultimately, there is no reality
that is only profane for those who know how to look’.
I
invite one and all from now on to make special effort to study the documents of
GC and reflect on how best we can integrate them into our life and apostolate. Fr.
George Pattery
FR. PROVINCIAL’S
PROGRAMME
|
13 April Blessing: Kalahridaya, Shantinir 14 Apr. GC 35 Day/Budget Meeting 15-16 Consult 19 Apr. RK Mission Lecture 20-22 Visitation, Arunoday, Barasat 23-26.
CRI National Executive, 27-5 May. Visitation: Dhyan Ashram 8-9 May Consult 13-21
GC 35-Retreat: 25-28 Province Days 9-10 June Consult |
10-15 Jun Visitation: PJG, Kolkata 16-21 Jun
Missionprokur 23 Jun RTC Consultative Board Meet 24-26 Jun Visitation: 27-30 Jun Visitation: Burdwan 1 July GB Meeting: MSC Barrackpore. 2 Jul Magis Group in Kolkata 8-9 Jul RTC: Santiniketan 11-15 Jul Haldia Visitation 17-18 July Consult |
˜ APPOINTMENTS ˜
˜ By Father General
♦ General Counsellor
Fr. L. Orlando Torres will continue to serve as Counsellor for Formation.
♦ General Counsellor
Fr. Joseph P. Daoust (DET) will be Delegate for the Roman Houses (DIR).
♦ Fr. Anthony
Pothireddy, Provincial of
Andhra
♦ Fr. Anthony D’Souza, Provincial of
♦
The Provincial of Karnataka, Fr.Vijay Kumar Prabhu, is appointed Consultor to the
Has signed his dimissorials from the Society: Sch. C. Sujith Benjamin on 14.02.08
IMPORTANT NOTICE: VOCATION CAMP
A
Vocation Camp for the
Kindly encourage the generous and willing young men from your parish and stations who have completed the Madhyamik, H.S. and above to participate and discern about their way of life in this camp. Fr. Amulya.
]
On Monday April 14,
Bengali New Year Day, in the A.V. Room of St. Xavier’s School
1. - From 9 a.m. Information session on GC 35: our Province delegates will give us a feedback on the proceedings and fruit of GC 34. Questions will be answered along with some discussion. All the Province members are invited.
2. – At 2 p.m., Budget Meeting with all Rectors, Superiors, Directors of Work, Province Consultors and members of the Financial Commission, to take up points arising from the budgets.
]
Province
Assembly for the study of GC35:
A more elaborate study and discussion of the vision and directives
of GC35 will be taken up during the Province Assembly
from May 25 (6 pm) to 28
(lunch time). Please keep yourselves free for these dates.
All our Province men then present within the CCU territory are
expected to attend.
CCU JESUITS BLOGGING AWAY TO THEIR HEARTS’ CONTENT
Last year we enjoyed meeting and sharing
among ourselves in Live-in groups. Now we may carry on in the same spirit by
joining the online sharing and discussion group called ‘Calcutta Jesuits and
Friends’. This will be a good way of keeping in touch and sharing news and
views. For the time being participation is restricted to the Jesuits of
the
PRIESTLY ORDINATION IN
Deacon Ignatius
Pankaj Pereira received the priestly ordination on 28.03.08. The grand
event was witnessed by Frs. P.C. Mathew, Kurian, Saju, Fr. Devasia,C.Ss.R. and
Br. George, from
] The next day, the climax, the ordination was held in his Parish, Our
Lady of Lourdes Church at Bonpara. A huge pandal had been set up. The
fine singing, led by our own men, Fr. Kajol and Deacon Pradeep, added grandeur
to the beautiful arranged ceremony. It started at 8.30 a.m. and ended at 1 p.m.
after the felicitation program. The ordaining prelate was Most Rev. Gervas Rozario,
Bishop of Rajshahi. All our men in
] The First Mass was celebrated the next day in his own village, at St. Francis Xavier’s Church, Bhobanipur. Fr. Pankaj thanked all who helped him to reach the altar of the Lord. It was a touching moment for us all. The first Bangladeshi Jesuit, Fr. Ignatius Gomes, had the privilege of preaching the homily, imparting some “dos” and “don’ts” to the new priest. After a felicitation programme, it all concluded with a sumptuous lunch in Pankaj’s house for all.
(Br. George Thomas)
FR. A. WAVREIL’S GOLDEN JUBILEE OF PRIESTHOOD
Fr. Adrien Wavreil’s golden jubilee of priesthood was solemnly celebrated at St.
Xavier’s School,
Unfortunately Fr. K. Devasy could
not attend as he was under observation in a
FROM
THE PRINCIPAL OF SXC
[ SXC readying
to become a Research Centre:
The Central Board of Direct Taxes under the
Central Finance Ministry of Government of India by a Gazette notification has
granted St. Xavier’s College Kolkata Educational Trust exemption
under IT Act 35A (I) (ii). By this order, any donation from income other than
personal, e.g. from business, corporate houses, e.t.c., will enjoy 125%
exemption, subject to the condition that all donations received under this head
may be used for Research or Research related expenses only. This exemption
could be a big incentive for companies to donate to SXC. One thing is sure that
it will encourage research in the college, as also building up infrastructure
for research. We are still awaiting registration of St Xavier’s by SIRO
(Scientific and Industrial Research Organization) under the Ministry of Science
and Technology. The college owes much to the initiative and contributions of
the Alumni, Santosh Agarwal, Bharat Baid and Jitu Rampuria, who did the
voluminous paper work. Some of them accompanied the Principal when he visited
the Finance Minister, P Chidambaram, the DST Minister Mr. Kapil Sibal, and
members of CBDT. Recognition by SIRO will help the college in importing equipments
from abroad free of duty. The college is poised for serious research work by both
staff and students. The Departments of Physics and Biotechnology have been
approved by the
[ Procession of Visitors from Foreign Universities: During the last three months senior academicians and administrators visited the College with a view to sign MOUs with SXC for academic cooperation, exchange of teachers and students. University of Manitoba, Canada, Inholland University, Amsterdam, Le Cole Polytechnique, Paris, and Sogang (Jesuit) University, Seoul, South Korea. The academic session 08-09 will witness some limited activity in terms of teacher-student exchange between SXC and some of these Universities.
[ Maiden
J.C. Bose Memorial Lectures: This being the
centenary year of the birth of Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose the Physics department
of the college has initiated JC Bose Memorial lectures to be held annually. The
first memorial lecture held on Monday 31st March was delivered by
Prof. Tapan Sarkar, of
◊ Fr Eric Tigga is always on the move to find an appropriate land for our new English medium school. His efforts have yielded fruit as the land is now almost identified.
◊ The parishioners of Gaditundi got a rich helping of the divine word for three days during the retreat given by Fr Salvatore Murmu. He was also the resource person for a marriage preparation course conducted by the Chetana Pastoral Centre, Burdwan.
◊ Preparation for the baptism of new Christian began well before the holy week. Our catechist and Sr. Anjali were busy giving instruction to the catechumens in order to make sure that they know the faith well.
◊ Holy Week was the moment of grace
for all. The long Way of the Cross along the main road began and ended with a
live presentation of Christ’s Passion directed by Fr Salvatore Murmu. The
marathon Baha Porob (Easter) started on Saturday evening with the screening
of a film on Jesus of Nazareth in Santali, thanks to our new LCD projector. People were delighted to see the story of
their Saviour on a large screen. The Vigil Mass began at 10 p.m. in the well
decorated pandal in front of the hostel building. There was special joy
as several people received baptism during the
◊ Once Easter is over, it is the time for the blessing of the houses. Fr. Salvatore has made a tight schedule that ensures that all the houses will be blessed before the fragrance of Easter (sal flower) vanishes.
◊ Sch Alphonse, the once regent of Kalna, joined the community and helped out teaching English to the boarders besides learning Santali under the guidance of Fr. Salvatore.
◊ The women members of Self Help Groups celebrated International Women’s Day at Kalna, Gurap and Pandua on March 8, 9 & 12 respectively. It was a great occasion for them to come together and listen to eminent persons, have fun through games and express their joy in singing, dancing and acting. The women themselves with the help of the staff did the planning, so that it had become their own programme. Other activities such as formation of Self Help Groups, Education Aid Centres and training programmes are going on in all the three centres.
Fr
Salvatore Murmu
FROM
PREMANANDA ASHRAM
0n March 14 our outgoing students of Class IV went to Shantidan, the MC Brother’s place, for a picnic. The teachers cooked and served the food for the children. All enjoyed the outing.
a On March 15 the junior students along with the
teachers organized a farewell fęte for their seniors. It was very touching. Ashish
Mandi, a Class IV student, on behalf of the outgoing students, expressed their
sentiments and thanked the Fathers, teachers and the student friends for being
with them and encouraging them. Four students were rewarded for their academic
performance (Sukul Besra, 1st
Prize; Ashish Mandi & Lakshmi Murmu sharing the 2nd
prize; Swapan Soren, 3rd prize).
a On March 16 three villages under our parish
conducted the elections of their village leader (Manji) and his team.
The Chamrusai people gathered in the Ashram, and the election was conducted by
the Ashram Fathers as per tradition. The elected members came for the Mass on
Easter Sunday during which they promised to faithfully carry out their
responsibility of service to the villagers. Easter is also celebrated as ‘Baha
Parab’ (the Flower Festival) in tune with the feast of new life. The Parish
Priest blessed the flowers and gave them to the Manjis who in
turn distributed them to the villagers.
a Six candidates from St. Lawrence joined us for
Easter. Along with Sch. Masillamani they prepared different backdrops
for each day of the Holy Week liturgy. The Easter celebrations were spiritually
enriching for us all.
a The hard work of many companions has at
last borne fruit. On April 7 we got the Electricity connection from the
Electric Department of W.B. We are indebted to Frs. Stephen, Paul and all the
predecessors for their effort to bring light to the Ashram.
Sch.
Masillamani
ARUNODAY UPDATE
♥ The biggest event was the booking of tickets for the pre-novices to go home. We concluded this year’s programme on April 25. Those selected are expected back on June 11 along with the new ones. Frs. E. Kurian, John Rojerse, Thomas Pullenkav and Br. Christuraj came to take the four-sheet.
♥ On March 11, a recollection was directed by Fr. Joseph Toppo at Arunoday for the co-workers of the religious houses in the area. 17 of them from 8 houses participated.
♥ We went on a pilgrimage to the Bandel Basilica on March 13. This pilgrimage to Bandel before we conclude the academic year is becoming a tradition. It is meaningful that, before we seriously discern about our way of life, we pray to our Lady of the Way.
♥ The philosophers from the Morning Star Seminary came for a friendly basketball match on March 16. Our rising stars put up a good fight but the final score read: MSC 73 & Arunoday 28. Never mind, it was a learning experience for all.
♥ On Easter Monday, we went on a
picnic to Machranga Dweep, near Basirhat, overlooking
♥
A workshop on affective maturity,
March 25 to 27, was conducted for our pre-novices along with the postulants of
FMA and pre-postulants of RNDM. Apart from the resource persons (Frs. John
Rojerse & Sajeev) the formators of the respective houses participated
in the programme. The course content included handling emotions, body
awareness, growing in celibate freedom, friendship, infatuation, love and
sexuality, and the power of mind. The sessions were mostly audio-visual with
generous use of movie clippings and powerpoint presentations. Much of the work
was done in mixed groups, and the creativity group sessions were much
appreciated.
♥
On March 29, a farewell programme
was organized for Sch. Roshan Tirkey, who served the Arunoday community
for ten months as Assistant Director. Sch
Narendra Singh, who replaces him reached on the same day. All the best to
Roshan for his new mission at St Xavier's, and a warm welcome to Narendra!
For detailed reports on all
these events with photos, please visit
http://www.arunodayjesuits.blogspot.com/
h
HEALTH BULLETIN h
] Fr. Stephen Raj underwent a knee operation on 30.03.08 for stretched ligaments after a fall with his motorcycle. He is now recovering in SXC.
] Fr. K. K. Devasy was under observation
in a
FROM UDAYANI SOCIAL ACTION FORUM
z On March 8 Udayani celebrated the International Women’s
Day in
all the centres such as Kalna, Gurap, Pandua and 24 Parganas (Dhopdhopi and
Raghabpur). Self Help Group mothers with
their children came forward from different villages with their limited
resources to organize the Day by themselves.
Mothers and children shared the stage for dancing, action songs, short
dramas and poems.
At
Dhopdhopi Fr.
Susaiappan,
Director of Baruipur Palli Unnayan Samiti, his Asst. Director, Sr. Sampurna, the Asst. Panchayat Pradhan Mr.
Sirajul Islam and many others were present on the dais. Fr. Susai in his speech
dwelt on “the mother’s responsibility towards the family and children in
modern times.”
On
March 9, SHG women from Debipur and Nurshikdak Chak came for the first time to
celebrate the Day at
z On March 27, Udayani organized a half-day Health Awareness
program
for mothers from our 4 city centres. 45 of them participated. Ms. Tanya Ghosh from CLPOA was the Chief
Guest. Information was given about
various health issues, such as T.B, skin diseases, drinking, Polio etc.
z Building work at
FROM THE AICUF
| A Seminar on the Refugee Issue was organized by the AICUF on
March 30 at SXC. About 70 students attended. Fr Felix Raj and Mr.
Mathew Jacob, State full timer, introduced the topic of the Bhutanese
Refugee Problems. The three resource persons, Mr. Purna Prasad Siwakoti, refugee student leader, Mr. Kailash Chawan, President,
Bhutanese Student Association, Kolkata, and Mr. Puranaghare, General Secretary of the Bhutan Press Union,
presented their papers on the issue.
Mr. Siwakoti spoke about the ethnic identities in
After the lunch break, there was an interactive session for which the
students were divided into four groups to discuss positive steps to tackle the
issue.
THE L.T.S.
♥ The
first Zonal Day of the Adult Units of LTS was held at the LTS
Centre on March 2. The LTSers from SXC,
On March 9, they met again to celebrate the International Women's Day. It began with a prayer and a sharing about the contribution of women in our lives. Ms Nisha Gianani from SXC organized a debate.
♥ The first ever Hindi Town
Unit in Kolkata was inaugurated at the Lady Queen of
♥ An LTS leadership training
camp was held for 23 LTSers of Our Lady of Providence at Dhyan
Ashram from March 28 to 30. Frs. Amulya and John Rogers, Schs. Rakesh and Rashmi, Srs. Sarala, FMM and
Sushma, FMM helped in the camp. Mr. Ramesh Kakrania, an active member of the
LTS Alumni/ae Association joined us on the 29th and shared his
experience of being an LTSer for the last 30 years, stressing the need of
networking and supporting one another to become leaders and responsible
citizens serving as a real inspiration for young LTSers.
♥ Eight Young Adults from SXC and
Town Unit had a day of reflection and relaxation at Dhyan
Ashram on March 30. They enthusiastically interacted with the campers from OLP
and organized action songs, games and public speaking sessions for them.
♥ Fr John Rogers conducted a
programme for the F.C. postulants on leadership skills at Kidderpore on March
12 & 13. He celebrated the Easter week at Jhargram parish.
Kanupriya Newatia, SXC LTS Unit
CHITRABANI
REPORT
l CB conducted a two-day “Broadcasting and
Telecasting workshop for seven students of Salesian college, Sonada. The objective
was to give practical training in news reading and announcing on TV/
Radio.
l First retirement at CB: on Jan. 28 CB bid farewell to one of its staff, Mr. Claudin Gomes, who has rendered services to the appreciation of all for 34 years. Frs. G. Roberge, G. Ponodath, Peter Samikannu, and Br. Christuraj attended the occasion.
l Radio Veritas Asia
Bengali Service (RVABS) Council Meet: Br. Carlo, Mr. Dilip Majumdar and Fr. P.J
Joseph from CB, Fr. Robin Gomes from Nitika and Bishop Joseph S Gomes and Fr.
Subhash from Krishnagar, attended the RVABS Council meeting and the Listeners’
Meeting held at Bishop’s House, Rajshahi, Bangladesh, 7-8 February. The meeting
had special significance because all the three RVABS staff (one from
l The subsequent Radio Veritas Asia
Listeners’ Meet 2008 was held on
February 8. About 400 listeners from 26 districts of
l A five-day Training
Programme on Peace and Conflict Resolution was organised by AMAN Foundation Kolkata
(AFK) in collaboration with the Centre for Study of Society and Secularism,
Mumbai, at Seva Kendra, Kolkata, 10-14 February 2008. Forty persons participated including two
members of CB’s staff. Dr. Asghar Ali
Engineer, Prof. Ram Puniyani, Adv. Irfan Engineer, and Dr. Ramaswamy were the resource persons.
Fr. P.J. Joseph was also there on the last day for a panel discussion..
l Br. Carlo went for
home visit on February 17. His meticulous holiday
schedule for the month was put up on the board – looks like he did not have
much time to rest. In his absence Fr. Zenith graciously occupied his
chair.
h Fr. PAT EATON communicates: “this is to give you the good news that we have received he official letter of affiliation from the ISCE Council, Delhi for Marian Co-Educational School (formerly Marian Education Centre) founded by Sr. Marisa. This is to thank you all for your continual support and prayers.”
& NEW PUBLICATIONS &
&
AVAILABLE: Fr. Julian S. Das, S.J. Yugacharya Pedro. A readable account of the Life
and spirit of Fr. Pedro Arrupe for
the general public, in Bengali. Available from Xavier Sadan. Pp. 132. Rs. 35/-.
& JUST RELEASED: Economic
Festschrift edited by Fr. Felix Raj, S.J.
A
festschrift in honour of Prof. Raj Kumar Sen, titled Indian Economy: Economic Ideas, Development
and Financial Reforms, edited by Dr. Fr. J. Felix Raj, was released
on 30.03.08 in the St. Xavier’s School AV room. It comprises 26 research
papers. The authors of the various essays are all research scholars of Prof. R.
K. Sen writing in their respective areas of research under the guidance of
Prof. Sen, who has completed 44 years of committed service in the field of
economics.
The release of the book was graced by His
Grace, Lucas Sirkar, Archbishop of Kolkata, as Chief Guest. Prof. Asis
Banerjee, Vice Chancellor of
The book presents a scenario of the various aspects of the economy of our country and state in an analytical way. The absence of complex jargon makes it easy for beginners as well as advanced level learners to benefit from it.
The book is published by Deep & Deep Publications Pvt. Ltd. and is priced at Rs. 1,500.
Antonita M. Devotta, 3rd Yr Eng Hons, SXC.
Other publications
by Fr. Felix Raj:
1.
“Secularists All – A concept
more political than philosophical”, editorial article in The Statesman,
December 31, 2007, Kolkata
2. “Asia is One –
Single Currency can facilitate Unity”, editorial article in the Statesman,
March 18, 2008, Kolkata.
3. Indian Economy:
Economic Ideas, Development and Financial Reforms – Essays in Honour of
Prof. Raj Kr Sen, Deep & Deep Publications Ltd, New Delhi Pp.392. Rs
1,500/-
&
JUST OUT OF PRESS: Bârite Nirjan Dhyân Sâdhanâ -
Ignatian Retreat At Home
Companion
book for a retreat at home. The 4 weeks of the Spiritual Exercises are distributed
over 8 weeks of 6 days each. On the 7th day the retreatant meets with his/her
guide. It is not a "preached retreat". Faithful to St Ignatius'
annotations, the exercises for each day are given in simple language, with
a short explanation when needed, avoiding technical terms. It is
introduced by the explanation of some important concepts, instructions and
points of method.
It is the fruit of a personal experience of
Mr. Dilip Gomes who guided lay people into this kind of retreat.
Every priest in the Bengali ministry should have a copy.
Publisher:
Khrishta Pujan Prakashani, PJG. Available at PJG &Daughters of
Pp. 136 ; Rs 30
Fr.
Jean Englebert
X WITH THE RISEN LORD TOWARDS ETERNAL LIFE X
V
Fr. Jozef Sevens (RAN) 24.03.08 Heverlee (
V Fr. Peter Arockiadoss (MDU) 19.03.08 Chennai 62/41 .
For the joint MAY-JUNE issue of
the CJNL, please send
your contribution by 10.05.08
(If by E-mail, as attachment)