Courses at Prerana (October 2011 - May 2012)

OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2011

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

JANUARY - MAY 2012

Jan 8-14: PRAYER - Finding God in all things

Jan 15-21: TEACHER FOR TODAY - A RENEWAL PROGRAMME FOR TEACHERS & EDUCATORS

Jan 22-28: SPIRITUALITY OF RELIGIOUS LIFE - LIFE IN THE SPIRIT

Feb 5-11: RELIGIOUS SUPERIORS AS EFFECTIVE ANIMATORS & LEADERS ACCORDING TO IGNATIAN SPIRITUALITY

Feb 15-25: REFRESHER FOR FORMATORS (Renewal for Formators & Spiritual Guides)

March 2-4: COURSE ON ECO-SPIRITUALITY

March 7-17: COURSE ON RELIGIOUS LEADERSHIP

April 12-May 14: COURSE ON RETREAT DIRECTION ( For those who are or will go into Retreat Ministry)

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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

After the Horizon competitions, the novices are filled with new experiences which they would like to share with you. One of the novices, Vasanth, writes his experiences with us - A lot of painstaking efforts went into this year’s Horizon competitions. It was a steady movement into looking at my life’s goals. The week of activities passed off like a flash. Horizon increased my confidence to face challenges. It not only increased the level of self-confidence in all of us but also helped us know our hidden talents and qualities. There was a hidden role in this year’s Horizon in building the community and creating in me the spirit of belongingness to a group. This is why I value my experiences in participating in Horizon.

Horizon 2011 – A Resume of Events

Horizon 2011 took off with a blast with a short opening ceremony. Fr Rector was the Chief Guest who warmed us up to the coming days of intense activities. The leaders of the four groups presented meaningful symbols for their group. Managing the show from behind were Novices Jaison Lobo and Infant Vivian, who have been slogging together to chart out the work plan. Competitions were underway forthwith which started off with a mime competition. Here is a list of ordinary, brilliant and bizarre competitions that made Horizon 2011 come alive. Moves of the Mouth less - Mime competition; Make Way for His Majesty - King of the Novitiate; Sing your voice out - Wishing Song; War on the Boards - Chess and Carom; The Brownie Basket - Fun Games; Saffron ball Blitzkrieg - Basketball match; The Ball in Your Court - Volleyball match; Mock the Mocking Bird - Mimicry; Breath ball Showdown - Table Footer; Orator’s Momentum - Declamation; The Icing on the Cake - Cultural Programme.

On 11 September, the curtains were down on the event, culminating in a splendid cultural programme. Fr Francis Menezes, the Rector, congratulated the Novices and wished them well. Horizon 2011 has energized us with renewed spirits and we hope to keep the energy aflame for many more days to come.

Renewal Course for the Silver Jubilarians at Prerana

(11 September - 15 October, 2011) Looking Back With Gratitude: Prerana (Ignatian Spirituality Centre) is back into action this time by hosting a renewal course for the Silver Jubilarians, lasting for a little over a Month’s duration. Life of dedication to the Lord as religious brings many a milestone which needs preparation. Sometimes, after a long journey the spirit is enervated. Hence this course, which aims to pump more fuel to keep the spirit burning with ever greater zeal. The course consists of a series of seminars engaged by experts in ‘the School of the Heart.’ A thorough brush up on the various aspects of the religious life like prayer, discernment, community life, psycho-spiritual integration, maturing in religious life, etc. is bound to scale up the temperature of the heart and provide a time of renewal and rest in the idyllic surroundings of Mount St Joseph.

A New Shoot Comes Forth from the Stem of Jesse

Nativity of our Lady: (A New Shoot Comes Forth from the Stem of Jesse) The Jesuit family at Mount St Joseph came together to celebrate the feast around the Lord’s Table in the morning. In the novitiate, we were logged in the ongoing Horizon activities. We cherished the togetherness during the Lunch with the customary vegetarian lunch with coconut milk. Fr Rector blessed the new harvest. The movie in the afternoon and a game of cricket in the evening was very relaxing. Though we missed the presence of Fr Willie our novice master, Fr Sunil made up for it by his presence. He joined us for the walking Rosary from the entrance of the house to the ‘Grotto Garden.’ The presence of the Lord and the love of Mother Mary were very palpable in the unity and the family feeling we cherished today. “For the Queen and Immaculate Bride of the Father comes forth from the stem of Jesse. Behold, no woman will ever again bear child in sorrow or anxiety, for joy has come forth in abundance, and life has filled the world.” - BYZANTINE LITURGY

The Nativity of our Beloved Mother Mary

The Mount St Joseph Community wishes you all a happy and blessed feast of the Nativity of our Lady. “Behold the Handmaid of the Lord; Be it done to me according to Your Word.” May we contemplate and imitate our Blessed Mother in our daily lives.

“Mary’s response is the most momentous word in history.” - Reinhold Schneider

My Experience of the Pilgrimage

Gladwin Fernandes: The pilgrimage was a time for me to confirm my own faith in God. As a pilgrim, my heart was longing to well up with the love of God. Then, as I floated along the way to the shrine of Mother Mary, I had a slight glimpse into the “monuments of the busy souls.” Though my heart was perpetually jumping for God’s love, I noticed that the people were busy with their daily activities and at at the same time some people were eagerly awaiting to receive the love of their heavenly Mother. These scenes stunned me. I realized my own devotion to the creator as a path to check the rootedness of my faith in God. I reckon that my longing for God has borne many fruits in my life.

Pilgrimage to the Basilica - Walking with our Lady

Walking with our Lady to her Abode - Pilgrimage to the Basilica of our Lady of Good Health: The Novitiate was into the mood of recollection on the 6^th of September when the novices took to their feet early at the start of the day and headed to the Basilica for the pilgrimage. It was a unique experience to walk to the shrine where the faithful of all religions flock. The pilgrimage was made in silence together with praying the Rosary. It helped us prepare for the feast of the birth of our blessed Mother Mary. As we let the faith of the simple people touch and influence us, we experienced a renewal and strengthening of our personal faith in the Lord.
“Like pilgrims to the appointed place we tend; the world’s an inn, and death the journey's end.” - John Dryden

Shooting to the Skies - HORIZON 2011

Horizon 2011, a series of competitions and activities for the novices of Mount St. Joseph will kick start today. Four groups will compete with each other beginning with a mime competition to be held today. A potpourri of intellectually challenging activities and fun games are interspersed with the regular timetable over a good span of ten days. By giving ourselves fully during the preparations we wish to come out stronger, faster and built into a cohesive group which is better prepared to face the challenges of the mission head on.

Young Priests' Meeting - Prerana, MSJ.

Youthful vibrancy and enthusiasm was evident in the ambience of Mount St Joseph when the young priests of our Province gathered at Prerana for the Young Priests’ Meet. It was time to unwind with the Lord and our companions. “It is the love and acceptance of others that make us the unique persons that we are!” The meeting was held on 27 & 28 August and was attended by almost all. The schedule included talk, sharing and discussion with Fr Willie Sequeira. In his inimitable style, Fr Freddie D’Silva highlighted the need to be priests of depth, creativity and spirituality in today’s context. Of course, Fr Freddie has challenged us to be loyal, happy and creative Jesuits. Our dear Provincial, Fr Francis Serrao, banking on his immense experience offered us some important guiding principles to be faithful and fruitful priests in our ministries.

The First meeting of the young Priests was relaxing and refreshing. All felt that it was memorable and meaningful. We are grateful to Fr Freddie for accompanying us on our life journey. Fr Sunil Fernandes, the Coordinator of the event left no stones unturned to effectively marshal the activities meticulously. We express our heart-felt gratitude for the cordial and bountiful hospitality to the Mount St Joseph Community. Frs Francis Menezes and Maxim Misquith merit our special thanks for making our stay enjoyable and revitalizing. (The next meeting of the Young Priests will be held in Jnana Jyothi, Anekal on 4 & 5 of February, 2012.)

Novena in Honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Feast of the Birth of Mary on 8 September is a special one. The Themes of the novena help us to prepare to celebrate this family feast. The Nativity of our Lady provides us with an occasion for praise and thanksgiving in honour of the personal sanctity and vocation of the Blessed Virgin Mary as the mother of the Lord Jesus. The 7 S’s of Mary - see, search, surrender, service, struggle, sacrifice and song - speak of the vicissitudes of her vocation. Br Roger Schutz says, “The more the Church models her life on Mary, the more maternal she becomes and the more a believer can be reborn of God in her and achieve reconciliation.” Mary is our mother because Christ the Lord gave her to us as a mother. We may call upon her and ask her to intercede with God.

The different themes of the Novena in honour of our beloved Mother Mary are as follows:

Day 01: Mother Mary, Our Mother and Mother of the Church

Day 02: Mother Mary, A Model of Obedience

Day 03: Mother Mary, The First and Most Perfect Disciple

Day 04: Mother Mary, Mother of the Poor

Day 05: Mother Mary, The Queen and Mother of the Society

Day 06: Mother Mary, A Model of Humility

Day 07: Mother Mary, The Model of Courage and Confidence

Day 08: Mother Mary, A Model for all Religious

Day 09: Mother Mary, A Courageous Woman

ಭಾರತ ಅಂದು-ಇಂದು

ಒಂದಾನೊಂದು ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಭರತನು ಕಟ್ಟಿದ ನಾಡು
ಹಲವು ಜಾತಿ, ಧರ್ಮ, ಭಾಷೆಗಳ ಬೀಡು
ಎಲ್ಲರ ಮೈಮನ ಸೆಳೆಯುವ ಈ ಸುಂದರ ನಾಡು
ಅದುವೇ ಈ ನಮ್ಮ ಭಾರತ ನಾಡು

ಶಾಂತಿ-ಕ್ರಾಂತಿ, ಹಿಂಸೆ-ಅಹಿಂಸೆ ಎಂಬ ಬಲಿಷ್ಠ ಅಸ್ತ್ರದಿಂದ
ಹೊರದಬ್ಬಿದರು ಪರಕೀಯರನ್ನು ಈ ನಾಡಿನಿಂದ
ಸ್ವಾತಂತ್ರ್ಯವನ್ನು ಕೊಡುಗೆಯಾಗಿ ನೀಡಿದರು ನಮಗೆ
ಕಾಪಾಡಿ, ರಕ್ಷಿಸಿ ಆಡಳಿತವ ಮಾಡಿ ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಿದರುನಮಗೆ

ನಿಶಕ್ತಿಯಿಂದ ಬಳಲುತ್ತಿದೆ ಈ ನಾಡು ಭ್ರಷ್ಟಾಚಾರ ಎಂಬ ರೋಗದಿಂದ
ಈ ರೋಗ ಸೃಷ್ಟಿಯಾಗಿ ಹರಡುತ್ತಿರುವುದು ಯಾರಿಂದ?
ನಮ್ಮೆಲ್ಲರ ದುರಾಸೆ, ಸ್ವಾರ್ಥಕತೆಯ ಪಾಪದ ಕೊಡದಿಂದ
ನಮ್ಮಿಂದ ಭರ್ತಿಯಾದ ಈ ಪಾಪದ ಕೊಡ ನಾವೇ ದೂರ ಚೆಲ್ಲಬೇಕು
ಬನ್ನಿ, ಕೈ ಜೋಡಿಸಿ ಈ ಭ್ರಷ್ಟಾಚಾರ ಎಂಬ ಪಾಪದ ಕೊಡವನ್ನು ಕಿತ್ತೊಗೆಯಬೇಕು
ಪುನಃ ನಮ್ಮ ನಾಡಿನ ವೈಭವ ಸರ್ವದಿಕ್ಕುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಜ್ವಲಿಸಬೇಕು.
(ಈ ಕವನವನ್ನು ಬರೆದವರು ಜೋಯಲ್ ಸಂದೀಪ್)

I Will Sing His Praise

With overflowing joy and gratitude, Fr Henry (Hank) Nunn celebrated his Diamond Jubilee in the Society of Jesus on 19 August 2011. Surely another feather in his cap. The Jubilee Mass was celebrated in the main chapel at 6.00 PM. Fr Willie Sequeira, the Novice Director, gave an inspiring homily fitting the mission of Fr Hank. The community sang together to wish him “Ad Multos Annos.” during the felicitation programme. The energetic and ever lively Fr Ronnie Prabhu, the toast master, steered fast into the nostalgic old days exploring the life of Fr Hank. The presence of our neighbouring religious, well wishers and friends added to our joy. “O give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His steadfast love endures forever.” - Psalm 118:1