METANOIA - 2024

Lent is a time of inward journey where one finds God in the silence of one’s heart. With this same spirit, we commenced our Inter-Novitiate recollection day, Metanoia. 

Novices from different congregations gathered together under one roof, with one heart, and one intention: to learn to live their lives with that profound change or Metanoia, which allows us to live fully and die empty in the service of our Lord and God, Jesus Christ. 

There were 42 novices belonging to 6 different novitiates who actively participated during the entire day. We had two insightful sessions by Fr. John Pradeep, SJ, the Novice Director, who spoke on the theme of the day, ‘Live Fully; Die empty.’ 

Additionally, Sr. Navamani, SSpS, shared a testimony that was bone-chilling. The novices were divided into groups and in group they shared their reflections on the day's theme, enriching each other's faith. 

It was a good day to come together and share the active work of God's hand in our lives. The recollection day reached its climax with the thanksgiving Eucharist celebrated by Fr. Edward Rodrigues, which focused on the topic of emptying oneself fully in the service of God and His people in order to live fully.

 This was a day to remember because we learned a lot about giving ourselves fully for the service, reverence and praise of God.

Independence Day Celebrations at Mount St Joseph - 2023

Let our Country awake!

Novice Edmund shared the significance of the day with the message above during the flag-hoisting ceremony. He also emphasized how the current political leaders are bound by corruption. 

Mr. Srinivas, a co-worker of the MSJ community, served as the chief guest for the ceremony. A considerable number of religious individuals and faithful attendees joined the novices in singing the national anthem.

The commemoration commenced with the Eucharistic celebration, highlighting the solemnity of the Assumption of Mary, under the theme "Mary Bless Manipur!" 

This added a deeper meaning to the day, creating a prayerful atmosphere. Father Mohan Joseph, SJ, presided over the highest form of sacrifice. 

In the evening, Novice Jackson took the initiative to lead a creative rosary. The novices ascended the stairs in remembrance of Mother Mary's assumption. 

Throughout the day, all novices were immersed in an atmosphere of freedom, marked by responsibility, creativity, faithfulness, and prayerfulness. The sense of unity, or "we feeling," remained with us all day and never left us forlorn. We were filled with renewed vigor and zeal.

Work Experiment of Novices

“Every morning, it bestows upon you a captivating allure, altering your disposition, alleviating stress, and fostering youthfulness and optimism." Throughout our fifteen-day endeavor in Mundgod, the essence of the aforementioned quote reverberated in our ears and echoed within our hearts. Despite our modest numbers, our collective impact was noteworthy. 

Every individual among us embraced their true selves and fulfilled their potential. "We radiated like luminescent artwork, though not akin to stars, our efforts emulated the resilience of pulleys, even if not comparable to a train." A multitude of tasks lay before us, fortifying us as we completed each one. We embarked on new experiences, gaining knowledge and mastering skills such as leveling the ground, tidying the hostels, harvesting coconuts and palm leaves, and categorizing objects made of metal, wood, and plastic. 

Beyond our assigned duties, we were privileged to explore into the world of Mundgod, plunging ourselves in their culture. Interacting with the Siddhi tribe and participating in their wedding anniversary bestowed upon us a sense of kinship, making us feel like cherished members of their extended family. 

This laborious endeavor served to refine our aspirations, teaching us the importance of resolute decision-making in times of crisis. We extend boundless gratitude to Fr. Nithin Machado and Sch Merwin Mathias, our guiding lights, and offer a special appreciation to Fr. Melvin, the Superior, and Fr. Jeevan Gomes for their seamless coordination of our work experiment. 

Celebration of 4th Centenary of Canonisation of Saints Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier

 The Ignatian year prayer service by Fr John Pradeep, the coordinator and his team was an explicit message for the Jesuits to remember the celebration of the canonisation of Saints Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier. The celebration of the 4^th Centenary of the Canonisation of Saints Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier on 13 March was an outstanding event. The Holy Eucharist was celebrated by Fr Dionysius Vaz, the Provincial and the homily delivered by Fr Xavier Savarimuthu set the hearts of the Jesuits on fire. The event was complete with a drama by the Novices on the life of St Francis Xavier. Jesuits from the Bangalore zone had gathered for this remarkable event at MSJ. Fr Anthony Joseph, the Rector and Fr Gilbert Saldanha, the minister of MSJ set up a grand festal meal for all the Jesuits. The novices took care of the decorations and the liturgy. The MSJ community was bubbling with great joy as all the Jesuits had their cherishing experiences shared with each other.

Reported by Fr. Merwyn Fernandes

Feliz Navidad-2021

 “Go tell it on the mountains, over the hills and everywhere.”

The novices at MSJ prepared both internally and externally to celebrate Christmas. We were infected with God’s love and we went on to spread his infection with one another. Indeed, the fear of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 did not deter our spirit from spreading this infection-cum-vaccine of God’s love. We celebrated Christmas with our co-workers. The staff of Loyola institutions also shared their joy with us. It was a pleasure to sing carols and share the Gospel of love with the people in the old-age homes in the Holy Spirit convent and Alverna Bhavan. Christmas joy was complete during the exchange of gifts. 

- Reported by MF

Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola

“Love ought to be shown in deeds than in words” says Ignatius of Loyola in the Spiritual Exercises. The entire MSJ community was bursting with love for St Ignatius on his feast day. It all began with spiritual preparation during the nine days of the novena, a talk on the pilgrim saint by Fr Charles and the service of the penitential rite. Along with this, we had a great time knowing ourselves, our companions and the fathers during different activities like quiz, hymn composition, funny skits and many more under the banner ‘Fiesta 2021’. The show stopper was the drama on the life of St Ignatius, focussing his conversion. It was appreciated by all. It was a wonderful opportunity for the novices to exhibit their talents for the greater glory of God.

Reported By MF

ENTRANCE DAY -2021

 After an intense spiritual preparation during the first probation, under the leadership of Fr Merwyn, the Socius and the guidance of the head guide, Amith and other guardian angels – Darwin, Denver and Noel, our first-year novices were all set to enter into the second probation and regular novitiate life. They entered formally on July 12, 2021, after the solemn Eucharist, celebrated by Fr. Anthony Joseph, the Rector, concelebrated by Fr John Pradeep, the Novice Director, Fr Merwyn and other priests of the MSJ community. The main celebrant, Fr Anthony urged all, especially the first-year novices to be proud of the Society of Jesus. The day’s theme was ‘Love the Lord’. The MSJ community welcomed the first-year novices with a welcome song and a word of encouragement for their future in the novitiate.

MF

Vows Day and Farewell

 

It was indeed a proud moment on June 21, 2021, for the entire Karnataka Province of the Society of Jesus, when seven of her novices – Abraham, Anson, Joel, Mathew, Saul, Sohan and Steven – made their first commitment at Mount St Joseph, to lead their lives strengthened by the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, there was radiance amidst obscurity. The glow on the novices’ faces surpassed the gloom of the weather. The Eucharist was presided over by Fr. Provincial. The vovents were sure to have been inspired by the homily of Fr. Balaraju, the parish priest of Kalenaagrahara. After a short felicitation programme, all marched to the refectory for a sumptuous meal.
The juniors were given a farewell programme by the Mount St Joseph Community on the following day. It was quite an emotional programme with dance and funny skits. The juniors expressed their feelings of gratitude to their formators and companions and the second-year novices responded with a farewell song sung in their melodious voices.

MF