Shashi Kanta Xalxo and Salomi Bhuinya were welcomed to the Sacred Heart Novitiate on 15th May as we reached Ranchi accompanied by Provincial Sr. Rose Ezarath. We were given a traditional and a typical welcome of the place with the washing of our hands and putting on garlands along with the melodious welcome song which made us to feel at home. In order to prepare ourselves in a worthy manner, we began with our retreat preached by Rev. Fr. Shilananad Kerketta, Rector of Don Bosco Kokar Ranchi.
After an adventurous journey to Vicuna Nivas Jumaikela for the final profession on 23rd May, in the evening during a meaningful prayer service, we were initiated into the religious life by receiving the medal from the hands of Provincial Sr. Rose Ezarath. She lovingly encouraged us to surrender ourselves into the hands of the Divine Potter. Our symbolic offerings of the lighted lamps were a reminder for both of us to know and love Jesus deeply. On 26th May we received the Constitutions from the hands of our Novice Mistress Sr. Rosalia Tirkey. Sr. Philomena Prabalanathan’s words on the cost of discipleship was inspiring. We thank all the sisters for their prayerful support and to continue to pray for us.
Sr. Salomi Bhuiya
On the day of Pentecost 26 sisters of Kolkata province, started their Annual Retreat at Sacred Heart Novitiate Ranchi from 15th – 22nd May. The retreat was preached by Fr. Shilanand Kerketta SDB, rector of Kokar. At the beginning of the retreat Sr. Rose Ezarath, provincial asked us to bless each other, and then she by her inspiring thought encouraged us to make good use of these eight days and especially to waste our time in front of the Lord. Truly we were happy to waste our time in front of our Divine Master from dawn to dusk. The Preacher in his talks focused on the different dimensions of religious life. He mainly spoke of two dimensions of love: love of God and love of neighbor, since our hearts are not meant to be empty but to love. Our consecrated life is a process of searching the ultimate good: Jesus.
In his homily Rev. Fr. Matthew George emphasised on her sense of wisdom through which she provided opportunities for the education of girls. She possessed wisdom and an extraordinary sense of reading the signs of the time. She lived and worked for the Lord and trained the girls in skills for their honest living. If we live and work for the Lord, He will provide everything that we require. He also explained the four minutes talk of Pope Francis in the Sistine Chapel before his election. He compared his practicality with the life of Mother Mazzarello and her system of education for the young. The lively singing enabled everyone to take active part in the Holy Eucharist. 
Then followed the cultural programme by aspirants and boarders; the aspirants put up a colourful prayer dance and the boarders displayed the life of Mary Mazzarello and her tireless patience in saving the young souls especially the soul of Emma Ferrero. The festal songs and dances made the celebration gorgeous. The celebration ended with a fellowship meal. Indeed the day came to an end but the joy and memory of the celebration still lingers in the memory lane.
The High school had prayer service and put up a unique celebration as there was power point presentation, self-composed poems with poem enactment and sketching the portrait of St. Mary Mazzarello. Hymns and dances and instrumentals made the celebration gorgeous. At the end Sr. Stella the animator congratulated them for their lovely performances and invited the gathering to imitate these spiritual and moral giants.Indeed the day brought lots of joy and cheer in the lives of Auxilians.
This was followed by the ice breaking session during which the children were divided into five groups of Mathew, Mark, Luke, John and Jonah. The three days were filled with activities and experiences of various types based on the Bible: Prayer sessions, Action songs, games, Story-telling, Skits, Quiz, singing and drawing competitions etc. The children were very active and showed much interest in learning new things. All the groups vied with one another to be the best group. The winners of the competitions were awarded with prizes and the best camper too was recognized for her all round performance. All the children felt that they have learnt a lot during these three days of the Bible camp and they are determined to love Jesus more and more and to make Him known and loved in their day to day lives.
The Novena’s practical practices for the feast of our beloved Mother Mazzarello was indeed a sure help on a strong footing in imitation of her virtues of love, compassion and mercy. Reading of the Cronistoria Volume II enabled us reflect and drink deeply, the spirit of the Institute in its nascent stage. The beautifully decorated portrait of Mother Mazzarello was a constant reminder and invitation to love her and tread her path of life. During the tridum for our Morning Prayer cum meditation we had beautiful themes to reflect upon: 1. The entire life story of Mother Mazzarello 2. Open to the Horizon and 3. Drink Deeply. The dawn of this beautiful feast culminated in the celebration of the solemn Hoy Eucharist concelebrated by Rt. Rev. Joseph Gomes of Krishnagar, the Vicar general and the three Salesians from Kalyani, where a small group of faithful too participated along with the religious and MC Brothers of the vicinity. In his brief homily, the bishop connected the Readings of the feast day: I Cor: 1:21-24 and Lk: 10: 21-24 to the life and virtues of Mother Mazzarello laying stress on her virtues of simplicity, joy, hard work and humility. He was very happy to have been present with us on this beautiful feast as he often remarks: “You are my own sisters and I love you all”. He even joined us for lunch. By afternoon he met all our co workers and gave them his blessings with a kind thought. By 5 p.m. our chapel was packed to capacity with about 40 Catholic women from our area, to pray the Rosary in honor of Mother Mazzarello and for the intentions of our community and mission. The day came to a joyous end with hearts filled with gratitude and love to God and to all who have made this day a “Happy Feast Day”. No doubt, then, each of us could sing in our hearts “Let’s go to Mornese to see our Mother, Let’s go to Mornese to find how life was there. Let’s go to Mornese to breathe its spirit. Let’s go to Mornese its virtues to relive.
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