A TWIN CELEBRATION OF GRATITUDE AND TEACHERS DAY

Sep10

DSC05663.JPGIt was a joyous day for the children of Auxilium Convent School, Najafgarh to have an unusual day – a twin celebration on 5th September Gratitude Day and Teachers Day. The hands moved and colours of various types in shapes and arts displayed on cards with the names of sisters and teachers. Children gathered in the little hall which was decked for the day and there went student representative, a teacher , Sr. Alma and Sr. Elizabeth Joseph from Auxilium School to Auxilium Convent to escort  Sr. Superior to the day’s function.

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Introductory talk stressing the importance of the day was given by the senior class and the best items which would be performed with maximum love and care were done by the whole school. The entertainment programme came to an end by the singing of the National Anthem after which Sr. Lucy the animator distributed the sweets to everyone. This event will be one of the fix deposits in their memory bank.

 

THINKING SCHOOL ACADEMY

Sep8

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                                              “THINKING SCHOOL ACADEMY” was organized by Sr. Molly Elizabeth Kaniampadi(ING) National delegate of the Youth Pastoral. The venue of the workshop was in DBI Gwahati from 17 – 19    August. The resource person for this workshop was Dr. David Paige from USA .There were 25 participants from three Provinces of Shillong , Guwahati and Kolkata. The day began with the prayer invoking the Holy Spirit. Sr. Molly the  national delegate for youth pastoral welcomed the resource person  and Sr. Elizabeth George , the Provincial of Guwahati,  in a traditional way offering them gamucha. Then Sr. Provincial gave a cordial welcome to all the participants.

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The workshop was conducted on different topics  such as Skills and competencies for 21st century learner, Seven big pillars (Language, Higher Order Thinking, Collaborative Learning, Reading, Vocabulary, Assessment). On the last day the participants went to St. Mary’s School Guwahati for the teaching practice. The workshop ended by expressing gratitude to the resource person, Sr.  Molly the coordinator and all the participants.

Sr.Sandhya

TEACHER’S DAY CELEBRATION

Sep7

 

 

Teacher’s day was celebrated on 5th September 2017 at St.Mary’s Convent School Geyzing. The Sisters and teachers were given the warm welcome by the students of Class X. The celebration began with the prayer service invoking God’s blessing on Sisters and teachers. The felicitation commenced with prayer song  followed by welcome address by Chumzang Bhutia the school captain.

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It was a special day for the teachers to see the talents showcased by the students. The Students expressed their love and gratitude towards their teachers through offering of KADHAS the Cultural programme consisted of songs, colorful dances, musical skit, solo dance and Mono act. At the end of the programme   Ms.Anusuya Limboo the School co-coordinator, on the behalf of all the Sisters and teachers thanked and congratulated all the students for their hard work and successful programme. Finally, football match was organized between school boys and teachers. All dispersed to their home with joy and contentment.

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Feast of St. Monica

Sep7

 

On 27th August 2017 St. Sebastian Church Kurtumgarh celebrated the Feast of St. Monica the patron Saint of mothers. All the mothers of the nearby villages of Kurtumgarh made it a very memorable one by celebrating mother’s day. There were around 65 mothers present for the celebration. It was the first time in the history of Kurtumgarh Parish that the mothers enrolled their name as the Association of mothers.

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The Eucharistic celebration was solemnized by Rev. Fr. Jugal Kisohr Digal, the Parish Priest of the Kurtumgarh and Fr. Bikram Pradhan the assistant Parish priest. Fr. Jugal in his introduction to the Mass highlighted the life of Saint Monica especially her prayer and sacrifices offered for the conversion of her husband and son and he connected the valuable presence of mothers in the family and in the society. Mother is like a lamp that gives love and life to the family.  Without the presence of mothers in the world, the world would die with hunger and thirst. And he invited all the faithful to pray for the mothers. He also invited the husbands and children to pray for their mothers and the mothers for their children and the husbands.

Rev. Fr. Bikram Pradhan highlighted the importance of the mothers in the family. He took the example of St. Monica’s life. She spent much time in prayer, prayed unceasingly for the conversion of her husband and the son. She was able to see her son a priest, and later a Bishop of Hippo.  Time spend in prayer will bear fruit in due time therefore never gave up prayer what people cannot do, through prayer can be achieved.

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After the homily mothers received the blessed medal of Mary Immaculate as the members of the Association. They made the promise to live a life of prayer, seeking God’s blessings through the intersession of St. Monica to bring up their families in a Christian manner. After the Eucharistic celebration mothers enacted the life of St. Monica. On behalf of the mothers Mrs. Kadombini Bebortta  extended their heartfelt thanks to Rev. Fr. Jugal, Fr. Bikram, Sr. Annie  T. and the sisters for helping them  to celebrated this day.

Sr. Prisca Bara

FMA-PCI 2017 HELD at St. Joseph Training Centre, Lonavla – Mumbai

Sep5

 

The Annual Meeting of the FMA-PCI 2017 was held from 29-31 August 2017, at St. Joseph Training Centre, Lonavla – Mumbai. There were 28 participants from the seven FMA Provinces of India including Sr. Lucy Rose Ozhukayil, the Presiding General Councilor and her Secretary. The theme of the meeting was: “Mid-Chapter Evaluation 2018”.

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The meeting began with the Morning Prayer on the theme “Transformed by the encounter”. The participants were then welcomed to the Eucharist with a bracelet representing the different colours of the rainbow and a traditional welcome with sandal paste and kumkum. The inaugural Eucharist was presided over by Fr. Valerian Pereira SDB, Rector of Don Bosco, Lonavla. In his homily he presented the encounter of Mary with Elizabeth. At 8.45 a.m., the participants were escorted to the school hall with the accompaniment of “Maharashtra  dhol tash” by the Auxilium School students. The welcome ceremony began with a prayer dance and a symphony of cultural dances followed depicting the culture of Maharastra.

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At 11.00 a.m. the participants gathered in the conference hall to proceed with the day’s programme. Sr. Rose Ezarath the PCI coordinator extended a warm welcome to all the participants of FMA PCI 2017. The three new provincials Sr.Celine Jacob INK, Sr.Nirmala Lazar INM and Sr. Mary Margaret Amalanathan INT were offered a shawl and a gift as a gesture of welcome.

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Sr. Lucy Rose Ozhukayil, in her keynote address presented the two symbols of the origins of the Institute, the Well and the Window. She exhorted the participants to make every encounter a moment that forms and transforms and wished everyone a fruitful journey towards the Triennial Evaluation 2018. The National Coordinators for Formation, Education and Youth Pastoral, Social Communication, Youth at Risk, National Development Forum and Mission ad Gentes then presented their annual reports.

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The second day began with a meaningful Morning Prayer focusing on the theme of the day “Missionaries of hope and joy and being with the young”. Sr. Lucy Rose in her opening talk explained the modality for Triennial Evaluation 2018 which will take place in Kolkata from 24-28 January. She also announced the name of Sr. Lily Perumpettikunnel (INC), as the contact person for the Triennial Evaluation 2018 and the names of the General Councillors who will be participating in it along with Mother Yvonne Reungoat: Sr.Runita Borja, Sr. Maria Elena Moreira, Neves Phyllis and Sr. Lucy Ozhukayil. The assembly was then divided into four groups to suggest the icon, theme, modality of presentation of the answers during the Triennial Evaluation.

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The theme of the third and the last day of the PCI was: “Consecrated life – to be a prophetic sign for the future” and the resource person of the day was the founder of Universal Solidarity Movement (USM) Fr. Varghese Alengaden. Some of the main topics he dealt with were: the challenges in the changing socio – political context in India and the position of the Church in India; ‘Put New Wine in New Wineskin’; Net working to uphold Constitutional values; 50 practical tips for Congregational leadership.

The meeting came to a happy conclusion with words of gratitude from Sr. Lucy Rose Ozhukayil who also exhorted the members to verify the output, outcome and impact of our mission today.

      Seminar on ‘Initial Proclamation’

Sep4

Missionary Animation and Formation Seminar on “Initial Proclamation and the Salesian Mission” was held  from  14 – 20 August 2017 at Sam Phran – Thailand.

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There were 80 participants consists of SDB Brothers and Priests, FMA Sisters with few of Lay Mission partners coming from 16 countries of Asia and Oceania: Hong Kong – China, Japan, Indonesia, Timor Leste, India, Sri Lanka, Korea, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Mongolia, Myanmar and Russia.  There were 7 FMAs and 17 Salesians from all the provinces of India,.

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The meeting was a joint venture of SDB-FMA General Councillors for the Missions: Fr. Guillermo Basanes, Sr. Alaide Deretti and their sector members: Fr. MC George, Sr. Blanca Sanchez. Sr. Maria Assunta Inoue, Fr. Maria Arokiam Kanaga and Fr. Vaclav Klement too were present for the seminar. Among the special speakers of the seminar was Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil, SDB from India.

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Every day the Seminar was characterized by Lectio divina by Sr. Mario Ko, FMA. Main input was prepared by Fr. Alfred Maravilla (Provincial PGS). Each day there was ample time for group work (seven groups according the languages).  The following topics were dwelt: ‘Remembrance of the past journey’ by D. Alfred Maravilla, which helped the participants to deepen the theme “Initial Proclamation and Salesian Mission Today”;   ‘Listening to the Word’ by  Archbishop Thomas Menamparambil, during which he shared his personal experience of an Initial Proclamation in North East India;   ‘Listening to the Charism’ by Sr. Teresa Joseph FMA from Mumbai province interpreted ‘Don Bosco’s  letter  from  Rome of 1884 in the light of Initial Proclamation. with Sr. AlaideOn the 4th day, a  workshop was held in seven groups on ‘Sharing the Mission’. On the 5th day, a meeting was held according to the provinces to take the action plan for their respective province. The last day’s topic was ‘Reviewing the practices’- The day was dedicated for a separate meeting of the Salesians and FMAs. During the FMA’s encounter, Sr. Alaide Deretti helped the participants to relive the missionary passion dawn through the memory lane of the first missionaries of America to the call of GCXXIII “Broaden your vision with the young missionaries of hope and joy”. This seminar has been a moment of strong pastoral formation for the initial proclamation.

Sr. Nirmala Tigga

Youth Day Celebration

Aug18

On 23 July 2017, the youth of St. John Mary Vianney Parish, New Chumta celebrated the youth Day with great enthusiasm. 140 young  were present on this occasion. It commenced with solemn Mass in the parish Church celebrated  by Fr. Ignatius Bara. During the homily Fr. Ignatius Bara explained ‘the Parable of the Weeds’ and invited the young people to be good seeds which belong to heaven.

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Soon after Mass, the cultural program was followed in Auxilium auditorium. It was consist of  talks, action songs, and dances . Fr. Ignatius Bara in his talk  said that  we may fall many times but must we have the courage to get up each time when we fall. We are invited to make effort and to walk ahead in life.  Sr. Inocencia Jojo FMA also gave her valuable contribution by sharing  the preparatory document of the XV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops with the theme  ‘Young People, the Faith and Vocational accompaniment’.

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After the  lunch all gathered again in the auditorium to entertain the assembly  with traditional dance.  Everyone actively participated in the game. Lastly, all the new office bearers were presented to the whole group. The celebration came to an end with the distribution of the snacks by Mr. Anil Singh from Siliguri.

Reported by Sr. Premika Tirkey

 

Feast Day Celebration

Aug18

On 6th August 2017, the Parishioners of New Chumta celebrated the feast of their patron St. John Mary Vianney. It was also a day for the parishioners to show their gratitude towards their Shepherd in this auspicious day.

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The program started with the solemn Mass animated by New Chumta Village in thanksgiving to God for the gift of their Parish priest Fr. Sanjay Kindo. It was followed by a cultural program at 10.00 a.m.. During the program the faithful expressed their love and appreciation to the Parish priest through words of greetings, gifts, songs, Boro, Nepali, Santhali and Adivasi dances. Fr. Sanjay Kindo thanked all the Parishioners, asked them to collaborate with him and to love Jesus Christ.  At the end of the celebration, all were given Ghugni and Muri, a sign of harmony and happiness.

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CRI Regional Secretaries Meet

Aug18

CRI Regional secretaries meet was held at National CRI Centre  Masihgarh, New Delhi  from 12-13 August spearheaded by Fr. Joe Mannath SDB the National CRI Secretary.

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The regional secretaries who participated were Sr. Mary Joseph Sap from Andhra Pradesh, Bro Cyril Chettiath SG from Bihar, Sr. Lalita Roshini Lakra DSA from Jharkhand/Andamans, Fr. Stifan Alvin Perera OCD from Karnataka, Sr. Modesta CTC from Kerala, Fr. Paulose Mangai SJ from North, Sr. Francis SMI from North East, Fr. Cherian Joseph SVD from Odisha,Sr. Sahaya Mary FBS from Tamil Nadu,Sr. Cecilia FSLG from UP,Rajastan, Uttarkhand, Sr. Stella D FMA from West Bengal Sikkim, Fr. Cleophas Braganza SDB from  Western.

The forum commenced with a prayer and inaugural address by Fr. Joe Mannath SDB the CRI national Secretary.  The secretaries presented one by one their power point presentation on the statistical data of the No of major superiors, no of Religious priests, sisters and brothers and no of  religious institutions in the region, the major activities carried out at regional CRI level.

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The second day was engaged in learning from each other’s presentations and planning for the programmes at national level.  The meeting was an eye opener and valuable learning experience especially for those who have taken up the responsibly newly.    The stay of just two days were made unforgettable  by the warm hospitality, varied food provided, clean and cosy accommodation and above all  for the love and care  by the duo outstanding team of Fr. Joe and Rita and  the perfect assisting staff.

INDEPENDENCE DAY 2017

Aug17

The students of HC Auxilium Vasant Vihar celebrated 70th Independence of our beloved nation on August 11, 2017. With hearts stirred up with patriotism, the students commenced the celebrations highlighting the great sacrifices and selfless service rendered by the freedom fighters and soldiers of our country. The short prayer service conducted by Class XII E  created an awareness in everyone present, the necessity of praying for peace and unity in the country and to acknowledge the challenging service of our soldiers to the nation and to be grateful to them for being the sentinels of our freedom in the country with daily prayers.

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The inter house competitions-March Past including NCC contingents, patriotic melodies and patriotic dances were part of the celebrations. The poem of Rabindranath Tagore “Where the mind is without fear” sung by the School choir and the official anthem -“Hum sab Bharatiyahain” by the NCC cadets helped the studentsto have a strong sense of patriotism by generously contributing their mite tothe progress of the nation.

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At the conclusion, Sr. Maria, congratulated the students for the wonderful performance and encouraged them to contribute towards the upliftment of our country and never to forget the sacrifices made by the soldiers and freedom fighters towards the independence of our nation. Sr. Celine, Principal then declared the results of the competitions and gave away the prizes. She congratulated all the participants and winners especially Vicuna house emerging as the overall winners.

God Bless our Country!

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