Entirely Yours O Lord - Final Vows of Fr Ivan Mendonca

The final commitment of Fr Ivan Mendonca made June 12 as a special day in our calendars. It was an occasion for the province members to gather together in joining Fr Ivan in thanking the Lord. The venue was Ashirvad, Bangalore. The entire programme included a very meaningful Eucharistic celebration and a memorable felicitation programme. The first year Novices added sheen to the Eucharistic celebration by taking care of the choir. The sisters from the neighbourhood also pitched in to brighten the Liturgy. During the Homily, Fr Stanislaus D'Souza (Fr Stany) aptly spoke on the significance of the day in the life of Fr Ivan. With joy shining in his face, Fr Ivan fought his shyness to address the gathering and thanked the Lord and all who were instrumental in helping him reach the milestone. We join our voices with the province in wishing Fr Ivan a happy and fulfilling life ahead.
"I do not give lectures or a little charity when I give myself" - Walt Whitman

A Red Carpet Welcome to Fr Willie!

A Red Carpet Welcome for our New Novice Director Fr Willie Sequeira: June 11 was a day of mixed feelings in the Novitiate as the long serving Fr Dion Vaz handed over the Novice Director’s Files to the incoming Fr Willie. But joy soon overtook the moods in the Novitiate as Fr Willie embarked on his new mission. A handing-over ceremony was held in the presence of the community in the evening. During the handing-over ceremony, Fr Willie expressed his gratitude to Fr Dion for the pains he has taken to accompany the Novices in the ways of our Lord and the Society. Fr Willie expressed his desire to continue the formation in the same lines of his predecessor. Our beloved Rector, Fr Francis Menezes, spoke on behalf of the community and the Novices sang their hearts out to welcome the New Novice Director.

Farewell Fr Dion; Welcome Fr Willie.....

“If a blade of grass refuses to bend when it is green, it can never be made straight when it is dry.” It was indeed a very sad moment for us all when we said good bye to our dear Fr Master. After completing seven years of fruitful mission as the director of novices in Mount St Joseph, Fr Dion Vaz has been appointed as the mission Superior of Bijapur mission. It behoved us to give him a grand farewell, which was held on 11 June together with the senior community. On the same day, Fr Willie Sequeira was welcomed into the novitiate community as our new Novice Director. As we bid farewell to Fr Dion and welcome Fr Willie as our new Novice Director, we wish them all the best and pray that their future mission will be very fulfilling. Adieu Fr Dion and Welcome Fr Willie.

Courses at Prerana, Mount St Joseph

12 June - 23 July: RENEWAL FOR PRIESTS AND RELIGIOUS

11 Sep - 15 Oct: RENEWAL COURSE FOR SILVER JUBILARIANS

Oct 17 - 27: RELIGIOUS LEADERSHIP

Nov 6 - 12: COURSE ON NLP (Only 16 seats)

Nov 13 - 22: IGNATIAN-GUIDED NLP RETREAT (Only 16 seats)

Dec 4 - 10: DISCERNMENT OF SPIRITS APPLIED TO PROVINCE/GENERAL CHAPTERS AND DECISION MAKING

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For further details, contact:
The Programme Coordinator
Mount St Joseph (Prerana)
IIMB PO, Kalena Agrahara,
Bannerghatta Road
Bangalore - 560 076.
Tel: 080-26485778, 25979499, 32402408
E-mail: preranaisc@gmail.com
Blog: www.msjnov.blogspot.com

Happy Birthday and God Bless You Fr Sunil

Cheerful expressions burst out in Fr Sunil Fernandes' face on his birthday on June 1. It was a big day of celebration for all the Novices, who were all smiles all through the day. Fr Sunil celebrated the Mass with the Novices in the morning and thanked the Lord for the gift of His love which he had experienced through many persons and incidents. It seemed to us that all the phone lines to Mount got jammed with so many people trying to call Fr Sunil. Nevertheless, he found time to be with the Novices and watch the movie – My Name is Khan. Fr Dion conducted a very meaningful prayer service in the evening. As gratitude pours out of Fr Sunil’s heart today, we join him in thanking the Lord and ask Him to bless him abundantly.

The Apostles Head Out - Sunday Pastoral Ministry

May 29 saw all the Novices sally out on their Sunday Pastoral Ministry. For the seniors, it was their last ministry of their Novitiate. It was time for the freshers into the Sunday Ministry to step into the shoes of their predecessors and learn from their experiences. This year, we are heading to New Shores. The advantage of a larger number (16 II Years) compared to the last year (12 II Years), has made us look for two new Parishes, namely Doresanipalya and Jigani. In our formation, the two days of active ministry in and around Mount St Joseph on weekends is of great importance. It enriches us spiritually and gradually makes us men for others. As the new apostles embark on their mission in the pastoral field, we wish them all success.

“We are not human beings on a spiritual journey. We are spiritual beings on a human journey.” Stephen R. Covey

Witnessing the Labouring Christ in Pannur

Witnessing the Labouring Christ in Pannur - Work Camp 2011: As our train to Raichur chugged out of the Majestic station well past the time for dusk on the special day, 25^th of April, excitement gripped us. The very next day we were in Raichur. We resided at the hostel in the premises of St Peter’s Parish, Pannur. The presence of the children in the hostel doubled our joy and it provided us ample opportunity to freely interact with them and learn about their lives. Our work for the next 25 days included shifting loads of sand and solid blocks for the yet to be built kindergarten in Pannur. We also gathered firewood for the hostel. In the evenings, we tried to get a glimpse into the lives of the ordinary folk by visiting them in their houses and also by organizing street plays and programmes in the neighbouring villages. Walking with us in this part of our formation were our dear Fr Sunil Fernandes, the Assistant Novice Director and Sch Pradeep Avil Crasta, the Camp Co-ordinator. The curtains came down on the work camp experience on the 21^st of May. We are grateful to the Jesuit community at Manvi, especially Fr Terence Farias, the Superior, Fr Maxim Rasquinha, Fr Eric Mathias, Fr Rohan D'Almeida and Fr Prem Kumar. The reward of a thing well done, is to have done it. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Happy Easter

"We are an Easter People; Alleluia is our Song"
May the Risen Lord bless you all
JESUS IS RISEN, ALLELUIA!
The story of Easter is the story of God's wonderful window of divine surprise.
~ Carl Knudsen

Holy Week Services in the Parish (21-24 April 2011)

Maundy Thursday (21/04/2011)
5.00 pm : Mass of the Lord’s Supper in the Parish (Kannada)
7.00 pm : Mass of the Lord’s Supper in the Parish (English)
Good Friday (22/04/2011)
8.30 am : Stations of the Cross in the Parish (English)
3.00 pm : Stations of the Cross in the Parish (Kannada)
4.00 pm : Celebration of the Lord’s Passion (Kannada)
6.30 pm : Celebration of the Lord’s Passion (English)
Holy Saturday (23/04/2011)
8.30 am : Keeping Vigil with Mother Mary (The Seven Sorrows)
7.00 pm : Easter Vigil Service in the Parish (Kannada)
9.30 pm : Easter Vigil Service in the Parish (English)
Easter Sunday (24/04/2011)
7.00 am : Easter Mass in the Parish (English)
8.30 am : Easter Mass in the Parish (Kannada)

FOURTH ANNIVERSARY of our Blog...

Going Strong, staying connected - Hip hip hurrah!!! It is the FOURTH ANNIVERSARY of our Blog. The blog of Mount St Joseph (www.msjnov.blogspot.com) has made a successful leap into its fifth year of connecting the world inside Mount St Joseph to the world outside. A brainchild of Fr Manoj Joseph D’Souza, it made its debut on 10 April 2007 when he was the Assistant Novice Director here in the Novitiate. Under the able hands of the dynamic Fr Sunil Cletus Fernandes, the current blog administrator, the blog is gaining fresh doses of moxie. At this juncture, we express our gratitude to the builders of the blog, Frs Manoj & Sunil and the novices who have worked hand in hand with the blog administrators and placed the first bricks in building the blog. We thank you for your support and encouragement in keeping our blog going and for giving value and meaning to our work.

“The most important hour is always the present; the most significant person is precisely the one who is sitting across from you right now; the most necessary work is always love” – Meister Eckhart

Celebrating Fellowship - On the Novitiate Picnic

Nothing could suppress the boisterous spirits when we, the Novices, headed to Sangam (a picnic spot near Kanakapura Taluk, Bangalore) on March 8. The picnic was not only a time to relax and enjoy, but also an opportunity to build our community and fellowship. We had a jolly good time, relaxing in the cool waters of Talakaveri. The scenic beauty resplendent with nature’s choicest colours was a sight to admire. The shallow waters provided a wonderful occasion to enjoy water sports and also to take a light swim. We also shared our food with some unprivileged people around the place. The afternoon was spent in playing picnic games and cricket. As we headed home in the evening, in spite of the tiredness, our spirits were bolstered up. The picnic was a witness to fraternal love and fellowship which we built through the guidance of Fr Dion, our Novice Director and Fr Sunil, the Assistant Novice Director.

He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while” Mark 6:31

Novices' Day 2011

With Gratitude and Hope in our Hearts! Novices Day 2011 was held on 6 March, in Mount St. Joseph Novitiate, which brought together for the last time in this academic year the Novices of six different religious houses namely- FSI sisters, Sisters of the Holy Spirit, Trinitarian brothers, Guanellian sisters, Franciscan sisters of Alverna Bhavan and the Jesuits. The day’s programme included a talk session by Fr Bitaju of the Trinity Ashram in the morning and a cultural programme in the afternoon.. He elaborated on the condition of the young generation based on the message of Pope Benedict XVI. The theme for the talk was “Planted and built up in Christ, firm in the faith”(Col 2:7). Six members of Jesus Youth were present to give a witness to their faith. After the sessions, we gathered around the Lord’s Table for the Eucharist. The afternoon saw an enthralling cultural programme by the novices. All through the fun and entertainment, they kept close to the theme of the day, “Dare to be different”, a clarion call which invites us to be creative and always new. The events of the day centered their focus on the modern youth, bringing out their joys, aspirations and struggles through skit, dance and songs. The photo session in the evening brought down the curtains on another fruitful academic year and a successful Novices' Day.

The Memory of Fr General in Frame

An unforgettable event of Fr General’s visit for us in Mount St Joseph would be to stand for a group photograph with Fr Adolfo Nicholas. It is an event that will be etched permanently in our collective memories. On March 4, Fr General came for the first and the last time to the Novitiate and Dhyanashrama. In the lush green grass carpeted garden of Dhyanashrama, a group photo of the community with Fr General was shot. Fr General was very free and jovial. He joined his hands as he greeted the senior members of the community individually. The picture has become a treasured possession of all in the house which immortalized the memory of the visit of Fr General.