Circular

TJA/Cir-XV/6/2010                                                               6 June 2010

                                                                                                                  

My dear confreres,

 

Fraternal greetings from Don Bosco Provincial House, Bangalore!

 

The Rector Major’s Letter on Salesian Youth Ministry 

At the last SPCSA meeting held at Negombo, Sri Lanka (9^th-12^th April) the Rector Major had remarked that the forthcoming issue of the Acts of the Superior Council would have a letter of his on Salesian Youth Ministry and that he considers it one of the more significant, if not the most significant, letter he has written thus far. He had also expressed his wish that the same be read and reflected upon by all the Salesians, both individually and as communities.

 

The May-August issue of the Acts contains this important letter and I am sure that heeding the call of the Rector Major, the same will be read, reflected upon and made a part of our thinking and planning for the new academic year.  The brief summary of the said letter prepared by Fr. Thomas Koonan, the Vice-Provincial, and attached to this circular will be a useful aid in the implementation of the same in our different settings.

 

Forthcoming Animation Meetings  

Kindly note the following dates on which the animation meetings of confreres will be held at Don Bosco Provincial House, Bangalore. I exhort all concerned to be present for the scheduled meetings.

 

30^th June 2010         : Meeting of Heads of Provincial Commissions and those in charge of the four dimensions of the Salesian Educative Pastoral Project

17 & 18^th July 2010        : Meeting of Rectors and those in charge of presences

24^th & 25^th July 2010      : Meeting of Administrators

31^st July & 1^st August 2010 : Meeting of Practical Trainees and Student Brothers – I

7^th & 8^th August 2010     : Meeting of Practical Trainees and Student Brothers – II

 

 

Silver Jubilee of Don Bosco, Hospet 

Don Bosco, Hospet, the first Salesian Foundation in Northern Karnataka, marked the conclusion of the year-long Silver Jubilee Celebrations on 3^rd June 2010. The highlights of the celebrations were the public meeting at 7.30 p.m on 2^nd June and the Eucharistic celebration at 11 a.m. on 3^rd June at which Rt. Rev. Dr. Henry D’Souza, the Bishop of Bellary, presided. It was heartening to see a good representation of Salesians, especially those who have been at Hospet at some period of their Salesian formation and ministry being present there on the occasion. Fr. Anthony Valluran, the pioneer, had himself come all the way from Manipur to be part of the celebrations. Besides the Salesians there was also a fair mingling of diocesan priests and religious at the function. Mr. Anand Singh, the local MLA also made it a point to drop in for a time during the public function on 2^nd June.

 

After the Eucharistic Celebration on 3^rd June I blessed the foundation-stone for the building being planned with a view to upgrading the skill training centre. I am sure that the Lord who has blessed our works at Hospet so far will continue his providential support to our future enterprises there on behalf of the deserving poor youth of the North Karnataka Region.

 

I would also like to congratulate and thank the Rector and the community for the efforts gone into the planning, preparation and execution of the celebrations.

 

Transfer of St. Ambrose Church, Berkeley to the SUO Province 

Our contract with the SUO Province regarding St. Ambrose, Berkeley expires on 31^st July 2010 and we will be withdrawing our confreres from there. Our withdrawal is consequent on the SUO Province evincing a very keen interest in looking after the parish, especially its Hispanic section.

 

As we are withdrawing from the Parish of St. Ambrose, I place on record the services of Fr. George Alengadan, Fr. Joseph Paradayil, Fr. Joe Fernandez, Fr. Emmanuel Vattakunnel, Fr. Thomas Poovelickal and Fr. Bosco Ponthokkan at St. Ambrose and thank them for the same. I also express my most sincere sentiments of gratitude to the good people of the parish who made our confreres always feel at home and helped them in their ministry and showed a concern and collaborative sensitivity for our own missionary projects in the Province.

 

Province Finance Commission

In accordance with the directions from the Rector Major and his Vicar, communicated to the Provincials during the last SPCSA meeting held in Negombo, we have constituted a three-member Province Finance Commission which will assist the Provincial in maintaining the financial discipline in the Province. In particular, the Rector Major insists on ensuring accountability and financial transparency which, it must be admitted, is not up to the expected levels also in some of our own communities.

 

The Commission consists of Fr. George Manneduppankuzhiyil (Convener), Fr. Elavanal Joseph and Fr. Kochumuriyil Varghese. The Commission will visit periodically the local communities in order to assess and suggest ways and means of achieving better financial management. I am sure that all concerned will extend to the commission the expected cooperation.

 

Information

• My visit to Europe: I will be leaving for Rome on 8^th June in order to attend the course for the new Provincials being organized at the Generalate from 9^th to 23^rd June.  During my absence Fr. Koonan Thomas, the Vice-Provincial, will see to the ordinary administration of the Province in accordance with our Constitutions Art. 168. After making a brief visit to our confreres in Italy and Holland and also to some of the funding agencies, I will return to the Province on 9^th July.

 

Missionaries 

• Fr. Muttathuparambil George and Fr. Uzhunnalil Tom will leave for the Yemen Mission on 29th June 2010.  We thank both for their generous availability and wish them a fruitful missionary experience.  We are also grateful to Fr. Neeliyara Benny and Fr. Unnaramkallel Raju who are returning to the Province after a period of dedicated and self-sacrificing service. 

• On 23rd June Fr. Elavumkal Roy will be leaving for Johannesburg, South Africa, to work in the Salesian Province there for a period of 3 years. On behalf of the Province I wish him a pleasant stay and fruitful apostolate. 

Condolences 

• We extend our sincere fraternal condolences to Rev. Sr. Rosy Malayatty, the Provincial and the sisters of the FMA Province of Bangalore at the loss of Sr. Shyby Chirayath FMA (40) due to cancer on 22^nd May 2010. We commend her soul to the mercy of God and pray that He will give many more good and zealous vocations to the Province which mourns her loss!  

Feast of the Sacred Heart – the Patron of our Province 

          Abbe Pierre, the founder of the Emmaus Movement wrote the following very moving experience that he had in Vietnam.  He had gone there to start a community of his movement in the aftermath of the Vietnam War.  In the slums of Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) there were hundreds of destitute women some of whom ended up in prostitution. In the midst of these women lived a group of sisters belonging to a community called the Little Sisters of Jesus. One day, one of the women asked a sister. “How is it possible that you, who are better than us, have chosen to live among us? You work in the factories like us, you do not have any more money than us, you do not have any human consolations, you do not have children, you do not have a family – still you are always joyful! How is it possible”?

 

The sister, herself a Vietnamese, replied: “My joy consists in the knowledge that I am loved by the one whom I love!”

 

On 11^th June we keep the Feast of the Sacred Heart, the Patron of our province. The Heart of Jesus is a symbol of the ardent love of Jesus for all of us. May we experience that love yet again as we prepare to celebrate this feast and may we be also signs and bearers of that same love to the world around us.

 

A Happy Feast of the Sacred Heart to you all dear confreres.

 

Yours affectionately in Don Bosco, 

Fr. Thomas Anchukandam, sdb