Lectures on Pauline Themes at Prerana,MSJ

The Pauline Year proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI will end on 29 June 2009. This year we are also celebrating the Golden Jubilee year of Mount St Joseph. To mark this 2-fold occasion we have organized a series of 16 talks on Pauline themes by experts in the field, Frs Joseph Lobo SJ and Ralph da Costa SJ, at Prerana (Mount St Joseph) from 5.30 pm till 7.15 pm every Wednesday and Saturday in the months of January and February 2009. Fr Joseph’s talks were in the month of January and Fr Ralph’s lectures will be in February. Many religious, except the novices, of the Bannerughatta CRI zone attended the talks regularly in large numbers. Most of them appreciated the talks which were thought-provoking, inspiring and full of insights. Fr Joseph Lobo is a Jesuit priest of the Karnataka Province. He is the director of the Karnataka Jesuit Regional Theologate at Jnana-Jyothi, Anekal-Bangalore where he teaches Systematic Theology. He dealt with the following Pauline themes in his talks: Knowing and proclaiming Christ and Him Crucified (1 Cor 2,1-5); Boasting in one’s weakness: Three times I prayed; but He said to me “my grace is enough for you” (2 Cor 11,16-12,10); Pauline understanding of “Life in Christ” and its consequences; Paul’s recommendations on the celebration of the Eucharist (1 Cor 11,17-34); Fighting the wrong enemy; The awareness of conflict of the two laws at work: I am a wretched man, who will rescue me? (Rom 7,21-24); Being all things to all men: A mission paradigm for today - Paul’s evangelistic and exemplary adaptability (1 Cor 9,19-23); and Who can separate us from the love of God? (Rom 8,31-39) 

Do Re Mi …….

We, the novices, are the privileged ones to have had a course in Music from the 19^th till the 23^rd of January conducted by Fr Manoj D’Souza SJ. During these days, we learnt the basics in music theory with special formulae to grasp ‘chords’ and ‘scales.’ This course also featured notation reading and sight singing right from the basics to a reasonably advanced level. This course has laid a strong foundation in our lives and given us greater confidence to play musical instruments too. However, the hallmark of this course was in its last two hours during which all of us sang self-composed songs, full to our hearts content proving that the inputs which we had received were really fruitful. We shall always remain grateful to Fr Manoj for his guiding hand.

THANK YOU LORD

Interview with Fr William Sequeira, Our Rector

Fr. William is a person of the heart. His quest and zeal for Ministry describes his own personality as a Jesuit. His simplicity of lifestyle inspires us to live a simple and committed life. The core of his life is his Spiritual ministry which has been a great support to many people in this house.
What do you like most about the Society of Jesus?
The spirituality and belonging and above all, the quest and zeal for ministry and mission.
What is most satisfying being a Jesuit?
The most satisfying is joy and contentment in the ministry and our response to it should be ‘love one another with all your heart, mind and soul.’
Fr. What do you cherish being a Spiritual Director?
The way God is at work in the life of the people. Lots of changes can be seen in a person who is open and transparent to the Lord. This gives me the real joy and fulfillment.
What were some of the memorable experiences being a Novice Master?
It was a time of transition. Lot of adjustments and adaptation were being done. I preferred to prepare men for Mission.
As we celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Mount St. Joseph, what is your message for our readers?
First of all I feel happy to express my joy and gratitude towards this house because this is our mother house. Those who have passed through this house are benefited in every aspect of their life. My message for our readers is “Be strong in the life of the Spirit.”