Do Re Mi... Sing Along With Me – Singing Classes

Starting from July 5 every Friday afternoon will see Mount St Joseph echo with the melodious voices of the Novices. Guiding the novices to take the right jump along the staves is none other than the maestro Fr Thomas Quadros (Fr Tom Q). The focus of these classes is to enable the Novices read and grasp the music notations. It will also help in picking up some basics in musical theory. To make the Novices' voices heard, exercises are selected from the beautiful collection of hymns and notations, “Cantate Domino.” With the help of the expert Fr Tom, we have set out sights on gaining mastery in music.

“Let us hear our voice in Him and His voice in us” St Augustine.

Enter into the Lord’s Courts! Entrance Day 2010

We were glad to formally welcome sixteen new novices into the community of Mount St Joseph on their Entrance Day on June 30. During the Entrance Day Mass in the morning, the 16 freshers received a copy of the Constitutions of the Society of Jesus from the Novice Director Fr Dion Vaz. The Socius, Fr Sunil Fernandes, gave them a picture of Jesus to remind them forever their life commitment as they took their very first steps as Jesuits. Fr Francis Menezes, the Rector, in a very fitting homily spoke about the implications of living as Companions of Jesus. After the Holy Mass, the community gathered in the refectory to felicitate the new Novices and the seniors gave them handmade greeting cards. The hard fought basketball match in the evening and common recreation after the supper relaxed us and increased our joy.

“Home is where the heart is” – Pliny.

Navataranga 2010 on the Speedway

On the background of the Vows day on 21 June, the Annual magazine of the Novitiate , Navataranga saw the light of day. The title of this years issue is "God's Love Made Visible". The lift-off took place during the short felicitation programme following the Vows Day Eucharist in the evening. Fr Vijay Prabhu, the Rector of St Joseph's College, inaugurated the volume which has reached to its 33rd issue. Here are the modified excerpts from the speech of the vovent, Ryan Rodrigues, the editor of the issue. "God, the author of life's journey has become part of us. Nature reveals to us the magnanimity of God's love. The modern world stresses on experience. If we have not experienced His love, we have experienced nothing. Navataranga 2010 radiates to you all our lived experience with the Triune God. We pray that our spiritual experience may be yours too". We wish that Navataranga 2010 may inspire in you a greater love for Jesus and His work. 
"If you would thoroughly know anything, teach it to others." T Edwards

Rooted in Love & Service

Twelve of our brothers strongly feel rooted in love and service to our Lord Jesus Christ. They came forward courageously to be and to go with Christ, looking on the world with His eyes, loving it with His heart and entering into its depth with His unlimited compassion. We had a two-fold celebration. First of all, twelve of our brothers (Ashwin D’Silva, Arvin Pais, Jaison D’Souza, Jason Marits, John Saldanha, Joyson Vaz, Martin Joseph, Paul Anand, Pradeep, Ruben D’souza, Ryan Rodrigues & Yesunand Karlekar) made their First Profession by placing themselves to be rooted in Christ’s love and to be the servants of His Kingdom. Secondly, we celebrated the feast of a young Saint of the Society of Jesus, St Aloysius Gonzaga - a man of great conviction who stood by the Spirit which led his faith into action. His motto: “The service of humanity is the service of God” is an inspiration for all of us.
The theme of the Eucharist was “Rooted in Love & Service.” Fr Francis Serrao, the Provincial of the Karnataka Province, presided over the Eucharist and received the Vows. Fr Dion, the Novice Director, inspired us with his moving message. Soon after the Eucharist, we had a short felicitation ceremony in the community refectory to greet the Vovents. During the Programme, the Annual bulletin of the Novitiate "Navataranga-2010" was released by Fr William Sequeira, our former Rector. The vovents feel grateful to Frs Francis Menezes (our Rector), William, Dion, Sunil & the Mount St Joseph community for their prayerful support and encouragement to commit ourselves entirely to the Lord. Above all, we thank the Lord and all of you for making this day a memorable one.

New Spring! Entry of First Years

June 16 was a special day for the Novitiate. The future of the Society seemed brighter today with the arrival of 16 new Novices. The list consists of 2 Novices from our neighbouring Andhra Province and 14 for our province.

The names of the freshers are as follows: 1.Albert Vasanth 2.Calvin George Michael 3.Chethan Anil Pinto 4.Gladwin Fernandes 5.Godwin Sequeira 6.Jaison Lobo 7.Joyal Sandeep 8.Leston Baptist Lobo 9.Nithin Coelho 10.Praveen Kiran Martis 11.Rayan Monis 12.Sameer Francis 13.Sharun Roy D’Souza 14.Sudeep Pinto 15.Vincent Vijayakumar 16.Vinod Mathias Saldanha. We wish these generous followers of Christ all the best as they begin the first run with the Lord in the Novitiate.

Report of the Novices Day

WILSON: When the sun smiled our Novices danced. A day of great joy and celebration as all the Novices came together as one family to celebrate the Novices day. It was a new and splendid idea to bring with an enriching talk given by Fr Jossy Lobo, who inspired us to be a prophet and mystic in today’s world. So the whole day was very colourful and filled with lots of fun and frolics.

ASHWIN: Joy filled my heart when I think about the Novices day. What I personally enriched is the community bond. It was a time of interaction, prayer, understanding, sharing, festivity & gratitude. I enjoyed this day very much beginning with the inspiring seminar by Fr Jossy. We thanked the Lord with hymns of praise and thanksgiving by sharing the Body & Blood of Christ. The plays by the Novices were like a golden glitter in my eyes.

JOHN: 'These are my members yet one body '(1 Cor 12, 26). This was the overall experience for me on the ‘Novices day’. Yes, though we are different parts, with different mission, we fit into one body of Christ. Fire in bones blazes constantly to partake in Christ mission. The manifestation of our mission is towards the vision of Christ, “Kingdom of God.” I enjoyed my day it was a wonderful and joyful occasion to be one in Christ.

Creative Fidelity-Earn and Live Experiment

Joyson Sujay Vas: "Never avoid the struggles in life, face it, this is really God's greatest gift." Life of a religious is becoming challenging in this globalized world. It is really difficult to delay gratification, in order to embrace the values of the Gospel. I truly experienced this in my earn & live experiment. It was a golden oppurtunity given by the Society to analyse the struggles of the outside world & to realize the value of money. I worked as a kitchen steward in a resort, owned by 'Manipal Group' at Singasandra, Bangalore. This hard labour helped me to realize the value of money to earn my daily bread. I found great meaning in remaining faithful to God & to myself while working. When I failed to respond to God's love, the Spirit awakened me to walk on the right path. After this fruitful experience, I feel strengthened spiritually, emotionally & socially. I strongly feel that it is not easy for a religious to be faithful to God in today's materialistic world unless s/he is deeply rooted in Christ's love.

Ryan Savio Rodrigues: "To each according to need, from each according to capacity." I was sent on an 'Earn & Live' Experiment for two weeks. The greatest challenge I faced was to search for a job without revealing my identity. After a day's search I got a job as a helper to the painter at a garage. My employer was very generous & patient as I went about learning the job & helping him in his work. What kept me going was long hours of work that were combined with the intercessory prayers for all those who have entered into my life. I learnt a lot about myself. I managed to survive with bare minimum things & lived a simple life. In the end I could save a little money even though I had to feed myself. I realized two important things...... God is the Ultimate & everything else is temporary. I learnt tough lessons in humility & understood that only humility can foster compassion. I was assured that God is compassionate to those who humble themselves.

An Exhilarating Day Out – Novices' Picnic Day

It was Novices' day out on May 20. Our excitement peaked as we reached Manipal County, our choice destination for this year’s annual picnic. The much sought after picnic spot set in natural colours at Singasandra (Hosur Road) was an appropriate spot for us to relax and refresh. There was no stopping us to swim and enjoy when we jumped into the cool waters of the swimming pool. The enjoyment aside, we found the occasion as the best time to build our community and to cherish in the presence of each other. We are grateful to Fr Dion and Fr Sunil our formators for their presence and support during the day out.

The New Rector, Fr Francis Menezes, Takes Charge

The winds of change have blown over Mount St Joseph! On May 9, the Shepherd’s staff was handed over by Fr Willie Sequeira to the lively and dynamic new Rector of Mount St Joseph, Fr Francis Menezes. The Thanksgiving Mass was at 6:30 pm in the Main Chapel followed by the handing-over ceremony. The homily aptly reflected the sentiments of this day. The new man on the job, Fr Francis, was welcomed into the community by the veteran Fr Frigidian Shenoy. The Novices, who were just back after a month of experiments, took care of the backstage works. Our hearts are brimming with gratitude for the service that Fr Willie has rendered to the community for the past 6 years and the principal guiding role that he has played. As we welcome the changing tide, we wish Frs Willie and Francis happy and fruitful life in the new phases of their lives.

“Duty makes us do things well, but love makes us do them beautifully." Philip Brooks.

Interview with Fr Hilary Pereira SJ

(1) How do you feel being here at Mount St Joseph since one year?

I am very happy. The presence of the Novices adds for my joy.

(2) What do you like most about the Society of Jesus?

The fellowship, community life and the opportunities which help us to grow. The Spiritual Exercises is the boon from St Ignatius, to grow in the right spirit.

(3) What is more satisfying and most difficult about being a Jesuit?

More satisfying is, opportunities are given to grow, especially in spiritual as well as in intellectual life. Sometimes it may be difficult to obey and to adjust oneself to various places.

(4) How can our young Jesuits become more creative?

Make use of the opportunities fully that you have in the Society of Jesus. Give more importance for reading good books and also listening to the experienced Jesuits who know about our way of life.

(5) What are your happiest memories?

My joining to the Society of Jesus & my day of Ordination. It was a great joy for me to serve in the schools and colleges and the opportunity of helping the most needy and backward students.

(6) What is your message for us, Novices?

Be a man of simplicity, integrity and hard work. Live one day at a time, work hard, pray much and always, & leave the result into God’s hands. Aim everything for the Greater Glory of God.

"Called to be a Prophet & a Mystic" (Novices' Day)

The Novices' Day (for the novices of the CRI Bannerughatta zone) was well organized at Mount St Joseph by Sr Ajitha and team. Br Felix (De LaSalle) was the overall Co-ordinator of the Novices’ program for this year. It was a memorable and enjoyable day for all. "Called to be a Prophet and a Mystic” was the theme of the day. In the morning session, Fr Jossie Lobo SJ gave an inspiring talk on the day's theme followed by a group discussion. The highlight of the talk was to compare ourselves to a child as we find in a child both the prophetic and the mystical dimensions. Surely, the talk geared us to be a prophet and a mystic.

The cultural program in the afternoon brought out the talents of all the novices. The program was entertaining, enthralling and gave a strong message to the novices i.e., “To be United always to face life courageously.” The novices were nourished in all the aspects of life. Programs of this kind give us an opportunity to interact with the novices of other religious congregations. The Novices' Day was held at Mount St Joseph this year as a part of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations. Memories and special moments of this day lingers on .....

"Aatma Poorna Anubhaava" (Ashram Experiment)

NOEL: “Still water runs deep.” This was my thought after relishing the richness and beauty of Indian Spirituality. “Atma,Purna,Anubhava” was the important aspect of my experience in the Ashram. It has enabled me to be in touch with God, oneself, others and the whole of the cosmos. "Anjali Ashram" in Mysore is a very quiet, serene and prayerful place with its vast greenery. Mother Nature had a greater role to play in my life during the experience. I felt in the core of my being that God’s Creation flows into action in our reality through prayer. Truly, an experience of intense depth to be an integrated person.

WILSON: “God is the only reality; our only activity is to be aware of this reality.” To become aware of oneself and surrender oneself to God completely was the experience I cherished during my Ashram experiment. One of my special learnings which inspired me from the Indian Spirituality was the 3-ways of life (the path of knowledge-Jnana marga, actions-Karma marga and loving devotion-Bhakti marga) to reach God. Some people have been in this search of the Spirit from ancient times and Indian spirituality is the result of this. There is only one God & any kind of Spirituality must lead us to God. Ultimately, what matters the most is that each one of us should have a deep God-experience to relate with oneself, others and the whole Universe. Om Shanthi Shanthi Shanthi - Let the peace of God surround us always in our lives!

Unforgettable Memories to Cherish (Home Experiment)

ANAND: What I cherished the most in my home experiment is the love and affection of my family members. My main objective was to spend quality time with my family members & to discern about my vocation. Many rich experiences have challenged & strengthened me to leave everything & follow God whole-heartedly. The dream of my parents is fulfilled and it is difficult to express my feelings in words but I can boldly say that my vocation has strengthened through this experiment. I am ready "to love and serve the needy."
YESU: I had a fruitful time during my home experiment to discern and to be a witness to my vocation. At the end of the experiment, I was able to achieve my goals that I had set before me. It was indeed very challenging but with my full efforts and the grace of God I had pretty wonderful experiences. The word ‘Home’ reminds me about the beginning of life. I went back to the first memories of my life. My memories and experiences renewed my life again. My openness with others helped me to broaden my circle of friendship and to understand them deeply. “Be true to yourself because your happiness is in your trueself but not in the hidden.”
JAISON: “East or West; home is the best.” Home experiment was the best occasion for me to reflect on my vocation and to say a generous ‘yes’ to God. I was eager to see my family members. As I reached the house, they received me with open arms. It was the time to integrate my life and work. This experience has touched & inspired me the most; in awe & wonder I express words of gratitude to God, my parents, relatives, formators and many more people who have shaped my life.
JOYSON: It is from our homes our brightest dreams take root. Indeed this was a unique and different experience of going home as a Jesuit Novice. First of all, I am grateful to God for giving me this great opportunity to spend my quality time with my family members. This experience of living & being with them has given a new meaning to my way of life. The nostalgic memories carried me to a different world; where I realized the role of the family in building a new society. These 7 days I was grateful to my parents in many ways. When I equipped myself fully in praying, loving, understanding & working with them, I understood the richness & beauty in life.