Christmas Celebration at Auxilium Aspirantate
On 18th December 2016 at 3.00 p.m, the Auxilium Aspirantate community celebrated Christmas with the Oratorians, NCP children along with their parents, SHG, IGP Women and DB Tech students. Each group presented their programme consists of dance, song and action song. 220 participants were present for the celebration. The aspirants enacted the Christmas scene through a short skirt and intoned Christmas carols. Sr. Leelamma,the animator concluded a program with a Christmas message. Each one was given a snack packet along with Christmas cake prepared by the women and sisters. Everyone returned home with the joy of Christmas.
PAST PUPIL’S ANNUAL MEET
It was a happy reunion of the 10 units of the past pupils of Kolkata province as they gathered for the Annual Meet at Bandel on 27th November 2016, New Delhi inclusive, for the first time, breaking the record all these years. Deo gratias! The resource person for the day’s program was Rev. Fr. T.C.Jose sdb.
At the start of this wonderful day, the gathering of the past pupils at the entrance of the gate, ready to proceed to the hall was a colorful panorama as they held up our founder Don Bosco’s flag high, each unit with their respective banner to the echo and re echo of “Long live Don Bosco” being headed by the Federation President, Ms. Samita Biswas, along with the Federation banner.
Lighting of the lamp was a conspicuous moment by the chief guest Sr. Rose Ezarath, our provincial, Fr. Jose, Sr. Elizabeth Valliyil, Sr. Teresa A. and Ms. Samita Biswas. This was followed by the garlanding of the portrait of Don Bosco and Mother Mazzarello by Sr. Elizabeth Joseph and Sr. Geraldine. Sr. Elizabeth then took us through a prayer moment with a theme song “Yes it’s a miracle” followed by a welcome speech by Ms. Samita and a welcome dance by the Dum Dum unit. This was important, viz; a Report, presenting Past Pupils Association and the various activities, boosting all the units at their achievements.
Fr. Jose then took the stand and highlighted on the challenges of married life. He spoke of “total dedication”, “taking one’s goal in its entirety” “flexibility” getting other people involved in your life, enlist other people in the struggles of life, “meet often” , “relive your old experiences”, “expand your involvement”, become members of forums, eliciting that awareness where you could contribute, “get involved with the same issues of the neighborhood “ and get into same groups involving in some activities. He said that’s the Don Bosco way quoting examples from his life. An enriching moment was when the representatives of each unit shared their experiences as past pupils. We were glad to hear a message from Sr. Rose Ezarath, our provincial where she shared a few insights from the letter of our beloved Mother General, Mother Yvonne Reingoat to the Past Pupils at the GC XXIII.
The afternoon Session took a lighter stand when some of the units entertained us with skit, song and dance. A past pupil of Bandel rocked the stage with his melodious songs accompanied by his troupe of musicians, not forgetting the Lucky Draw that drew our eager attention. And luck did fall upon our 2 sister delegates, Aruna and Cecilia who bagged off 2 prizes at the draw. Through a brain storming by Mrs. Kamal for plans and decisions at the federation level took us to the close of this great day.
As the day came to a close Mrs. Kamal , Bandel’s local President for the past pupils thanked all the participants for their presence that day , for making it a successful and joyous one with everyone’s contribution, help and cooperation.
It was a special “Deo gratias” to Sr. Elizabeth Joseph who toiled hard behind everything to make this day a successful one. We looked forward to meeting again in the true Don Bosco way !
Value Education week
“Blessed bare the merciful. For they will receive mercy” – Mt. 5:7 The year 2016 in the International year of mercy as designated by the Holy Father Pope Francis. The students of ACS Barasat, rose to the occasion wonderfully, with each class putting their heart and soul into living by this virtue of mercy in ourselves. The classes presented a short and relevant programme every day in the morning assembly at 8:00 A.M. The weeks commenced with the senior most class, XII, portraying how we can be merciful towards our natural environment, on 24th October. The high school students put all of their creativity, innovation and hard work into composing their own tunes on the power of love and mercy. They performed ski8ts that depicted how kindness can work miracles in life and how cruelty can force a person to shun all goodness and turn to their evil sides for comfort. The middle school dexterously showed various examples of corporal and spiritual works of mercy. The students pledged to make the world a better place by their acts of mercy. The value Education weeks came to an end with class VI A. It is an event that made us appreciated the warmth of human values in this harsh world and made us more sensitive and merciful to the people around us.
Bipasha Bhowmick
IX B
Past Pupils Enrolment Programme – ISC Batch 2016-17
“Hands in the world and roots in the heart”- This is the motto followed by the students who leave Auxilium convent School. This motto becomes more effective when every year the outgoing batch of class XII register their names to the office of the Past Pupil Association and it was no exception when the ISC batch of 2016-17 of ACS, Barasat got themselves enrolled on Friday,9th Dec, to continue the charism of Don Bosco in the greater world.
The Procedure of enrolment began with an emotional journey of recapitulation of the students. They were asked to recall their long odussey from the age of three to enlighten years and also to ponder on their association with their Alma Mater! Followed by solemn prayer service conducted by the students in the presence of the local delegate of Barasat, Principal, Sr. Clara Saminathan, Vice Principal, Sr. Mary John and other office bearer teachers. Sr. Principal Left no stone unturned to make the pious occasion more significant to the students by explaining the history and objective behind to form the world confederation Past Pupil of FMA. Next, the distribution of the Identity cards to the students by the Local Delegate marked their recognition as a member in the world confederation of Past Pupil Association. The programme concluded with a candid photo session which revealed a loving remembrance of all that they learnt in school.
Reported by
Anindita Choudhury
(President of the Local unit of PPA)
13th NDF Annual meet
13 NDF Annual meet was held at Bellefonte, Shillong from 27th to 30th November 2016. About 29 participants from 6 FMA Provinces participated in this meeting. We were honoured to have Mr. A.L Hek. local MLA and Sr. Isabella Suja, the Provincial of Shillong Province for the inaugural ceremony.
The NDF meet commenced with the Morning Prayer animated by Bangalore Province followed by the Eucharistic celebration presided over by Rev.Fr. Joe Xavier S.J from Chennai Province.
At 8.45 a.m. we gathered in the hall for inaugural function. The Boarding children of Lurshai sang welcome song and offered a bouquet of flower to the special invitees and all the participants. Thereafter, Sr. Isabella the NDF Coordinator delivered the welcome address which was followed by prayer dance and lighting of the lamp.
Sr. Isabella Suja in her inaugural message spoke on the fast changing world dominated by the digital revolution and how people are linked through digital network. She quoted Late Abdul Kalam: “Courage to discover the impossible, courage to combat problems and succeed”. The other key points she stressed on were to have the clear vision and the right goal like our Founder St. John Bosco and Cofoundress St. Mary Mazzarello so that we may never become exhausted in living, doing and giving the best of ourselves. Mr. A.L. Hek in his talk highlighted the sacrificing life of the priests and nuns in order to give life and future to the people especially the poor. There after the News Letter and Annual Report of NDF were released and copies of the same were given to the dignitaries.
After the inaugural function the brain storming work began in preparation for the five year plan. Fr. Joe Xavier led us very efficiently and methodically to plan for the next five years. First draft was prepared province wise and was presented to the groups in order to learn from one another and get better insight. By evening the final copy was ready and was submitted to Rev. Fr. Joe the consultant of NDF for modification.
The next day Sr. Isabella the NDF Coordinator introduced Mr. Joachim Lourdusamy, finance department, VIA Don Bosco, Belgium to the participants. After that each province presented their Annual Report. Mr. Joachim highly appreciated the NDF for their gradual and steady growth and he stated quoting the words of Simon Main “Team work makes the Dream work”. He took a short session on how to build financial strategy. He also promised to journey along with us. Everything was well organised and well-coordinated.
Visit to BITM by the students of Auxilium Convent School, Dum Dum
On the 26th November, 2016 the students of Class VIII of Auxilium Convent School, Dum Dum were privileged to visit the Birla Industrial and Technological Museum as an educational trip. Early morning at 8:00 on Saturday the students of class VIII assembled near the stage as Principal Sr. Esther gave us instructions before our departure. We prayed and boarded the buses allotted for the respective classes. It was a fun ride to the Birla Museum through the lanes and sprawling roads of Kolkata. Finally, we arrived at our destination. It was a large building, surrounded by greenery and on the concrete banner to the entrance of the large compound were the words, “Birla Industries and Technological Museum”. 
Excited we got down from our buses and headed to the building in a queue. We reached the first floor and all of us were amazed to see the various scientific exhibits like- the obedient ball, the frozen shadow, amazing mirror etc. next we went to the other section of the building to see the exhibits on electricity and were guided to a hall where we saw a 3D show, “The Lost World” followed by different exhibits on biotechnology, Mathematics, etc. We were then guided by the authorities to an auditorium to witness a science show. The show was the best part of the excursion. The experiments which were performed were really a feast for the eyes. It was presented in two halves- first the’ Fire-y Tale’ show which included experiments like the dancing flames, fire in water etc. the second half ‘The Bubble Show’ was performed after a break which seemed like a picnic as we feasted on the dishes brought by us. ‘The Bubble Show’ was really a learning experience where the performer showed us the largest bubble and today it is in the Guinness World Record. After the show, we were really awestruck. We went to the coal mine replica which gave us the feeling of real coal mine workers at work, the sound of machines and it enthralled us. The trip will always be in our memory as the excursion not only provided us enjoyment but also vast expanses of Knowledge as we were introduced to some of the deepest parts of technology through the experiments and exhibits displayed there. We will always cherish the memory of this visit.
Annual Exhibition at Auxilium Convent School, Dum Dum
On 18th and 19th November 2016, an army in blue and white, ranging from tiny tots to teenagers took visitors on a wild roller coaster ride down the memory lane, within the premises of Auxilium Convent School, Dum Dum. Displaying their innovative powers, practical skills and vast stretches of imagination in the Annual Exhibition 2016, characterized by bursts of colours, a riot of creativity and a flurry of excitement, Auxilians enthralled one and all, casting a bewitching spell on the visitors who touched the classrooms in a hypnotic trance of awe and wonderment.
The Child Artist Anwesha Maity of KG drew hoards of visitors as she displayed her paintings along with the Art and Craft and Value Education exhibits. In other places, lesser gifted mortals drew hearty praise from one and all, with their painstaking efforts and careful presentations in every subject. For those who had their facts lying in some dusty recess of their mind and their equations and formulae in tangles, the follow up on history was a magical and enlivening trip right from the Egyptian and Indus Civilization. High school science was served on a freshly whipped up platter which flattered all the five senses. Numerous olfactory treats were prepared to tickle memories of days spent in the chemistry lab and the shape of the heart was reaffirmed and firmly established in the mind’s eye in its true form. Much detested mathematics was turned into a fun subject with games, riddles and mental Math’s quizzes with prizes for the winners. Old time classics and poetry of the bygone era was the flavor of the exhibition, proving that ‘a thing of beauty is a joy forever’.
Smart city models were the star attractions in the Economics Exhibition room. Diligently researched and prepared students proved that Auxilians were ready for the future. Each subject’s exhibits were in fierce competitions with each other. After Mother Provincial inaugurated the Annual Exhibition on the 18th the Teachers from Don Bosco Liluah, Auxilium Barasat, St. Mary’s Orphanage School, Dum Dum and former teachers of Auxilium Dum Dum were invited to judge the Exhibition.
The Auxi Exhibition proved that when hard work meets opportunity, it results in massive success. The school motto of VIRTUE and KNOWLEDGE was amply in evidence as each student especially the tiny tots (Nursery) took on each visitor with unwavering patience, sweetly entertaining their questions and making precise and clear explanations, in spite of the long hours.Visitors commented, the exhibition made them nostalgic filled the floodgates of childhood memories with fun and frolic, interspersed with burdensome facts, formulae and flowcharts. It was a brilliant exhibition indeed.
Anwesha Dutta XII A.
The Annual Spiritual Renewal – Holy Child Auxilium School, Vasant Vihar
In order to celebrate and conclude the year of Mercy in a worthy manner, a Retreat cum Seminar for Catholic/Christian parents and teachers of classes Nursery to XII was organised in Holy Child Auxilium School, Vasant Vihar on 19th November 2016 from 8. 00 am to 3.30 pm. Rev. Fr. Johnson Pallatti C and his team animated and conducted the sessions in Hindi and English on the theme of conversion and family- the most beautiful, the most basic, the most important centre of Love, its visible threats, responsibilities and the importance of maintaining the family spirit, mutual love, unity etc. Around 600 teachers and parents attended it.
Preaching the Word of God was done by referring to suitable Bible quotations and various other sources such as supportive movie chippings and self composed songs about family, that were displayed through power point presentation simultaneously, along with an alternate incorporation of devotional action songs of praises and prayers. These activities not only attracted the attention but also undoubtedly made the participants experience the miraculous ways of intervention of the Almighty.
Some of the important points presented include:
In a family, the husband, wife and children are bound in the bond of pure, self-sacrificing and self-giving love which makes life meaningful and sacred. Love between the couples is the strength and inspiration of the family, making the foundation of an ideal family. Lack of love between the couples has direct and lasting impact on the children. Every child is in need of proper parenting and parent’s love. Selfless love and fulfilment of the responsibilities is the foundation of the family unit that has to be extended to the moral education and spiritual formation of the children. Parents need to accept the children as a gift of God and take care of them in such a way that they become worthy gift to God. Parents must create a home where tenderness, love, forgiveness, respect and selfless service dominate. Home should be a place for the formation of faith and education of virtues and values.
The programme ended with the Adoration of the Holy Eucharist during which powerful prayers were recited by Father and all those who participated with zeal and enthusiasm received blessings from the Lord. May we be enabled to share this joy and insight by being merciful to others in words and deeds.
H.C.Vasant Vihar
Missionary Week celebration at Auxilium- Aspirantate
In preparation for the 140 years of the 1st missionary expedition of the Institute, the Aspirantate community organized a Missionary Week for Aspirants and Postulants from 15th Nov to 21th Nov 2016 at Auxilium Aspirantate, Barasat. The celebration began with a meaningful prayer service which was conducted by the Aspirants. At the end of the prayer service Sr.Leelamma the animator explained to the candidates, about the meaning of missionary. The missionary week celebration was consisted of mime, poem, speech, composing of songs and dance drama.
It was a golden opportunity to learn more about our missionary sisters, their hard work, daring spirit and prayerful life. It was indeed amazing, a great and enriching experience for everyone.
On 22nd the inauguration of the 1st missionary expedition was celebrated in our community. The program began with the animated Morning Prayer followed by Mass. The day was marked by the enacting of that great event when our 1st Missionaries landed at Tanjore in Madras. We concluded it with a solemn Adoration where the Six Sisters with the lighted lamps accompanied Jesus from the
Tabernacle to the Podium which was prepared for our Lord and Master Jesus Christ.
Sr. Delpina
FMA INC News Update 