Happy Independence Day

Fr Terence Colaco is no more.

Fr Terence Colaco passed on to the Lord peacefully at the age of 80 years having spent 60 years in the Society of Jesus. With the passing away of Fr Terry on 12th August, the Karnataka Province of the Society of Jesus loses a great Jesuit who was restless for Christ all his life. He was a man of deep faith, intense prayerfulness and total trust in divine providence. On the 13^th morning, the funeral mass was celebrated at the Chapel of St Joseph’s Boys’ High School. Fr Ambrose Pinto preached the homily and Fr Claude D'Souza gave the funeral oration. The funeral service took place at the cemetery of Mount St Joseph. Along with the relatives and friends, a large number of Jesuits bid goodbye to the mortal remains of Fr Terry. May his soul rest in peace & may he enjoy the bliss prepared by the Lord for his faithful servant.

Blessing & Inauguration of the new BasketBall Court

Last week, the new basket ball court was blessed and inaugurated. Our new Basketball court received its inaugural blessings from the hands of our Rector, Fr. William Sequeira, on 7^th August. There was a short prayer service conducted by the novices in which all the people (Architect, Contractor, Labourers, Painters etc) responsible for the completion of the work were remembered with gratitude. Thanks to the painstaking efforts of Schs. John Paul & Jossie Rodrigues who took up the supervision of the work under the guidance of Fr Dion Vaz. The novices organized a basketball match on this special occasion. A spectacular, thrilling, exciting and nail biting match was held between the novices and the senior community. Certainly, the novices were amazed to see the playing skills of the senior Fathers and Scholastics. Both the teams competed very well to give a splendid performance. The novices were on their toes cheering both the teams. The match ended with an exciting tie with 24 points each. The hero of the day was none other than Fr Jossie D’Mello as he received the man of the match award for his terrific and fabulous performance. It was a grand gala match at Mount St Joseph - the inaugural match in the new basketball court. The novices are not only elated but also delighted to have a new basketball court. Their dream to have a new basketball court has become a reality now! They are already working on their skills and strategies to become better players. All the best in your endeavour dear novices.

Young Priests’ Gathering at Prerana(MSJ)

The hot blood of the Karnataka Jesuit Province came together for sharing and reflection on 2nd and 3rd of August at Prerana (Ignatian Spirituality Centre). The gathering began with a talk by Fr Freddie D’Silva on Priestly Mission in the Society of Jesus which led us into reflection and group sharing on the joys and challenges of a young priest in modern world. In the afternoon, we had a sharing by Dr Rajaram who spoke to us about his impression about the Jesuits which made us realize that we need to be authentic to our Call. On the 3rd, Fr William Sequeira enlightened us on Psycho-Spiritual Integration through an interactive session. No doubt the need of the hour is to be integrated Jesuits. Then our Provincial, Fr Vijay Prabhu, in his address gave us some guidelines so that we may be effective and efficient in our ministries. He also shared the dreams and challenges of the Province with the young priests. Many felt that it is worth coming together for sharing and reflection & the credit goes to Fr Melwyn Mendonca who meticulously planned out every detail of the programme. All the participants thanked the community of Mount St Joseph and the members of Prerana for the warmth and hospitality.

Feast of St Ignatius of Loyola (31 July 2008)

The preparation for the feast of St Ignatius of Loyola began on a spiritual note with the novena which was meaningful, devotional, creative and participative. The themes that were especially chosen from GC 35 inspired all of us. Fr Jossie D’Mello guided the community members and the novices with the recollection points that helped us march in the footsteps of the Pilgrim Saint. On the 31^st of July, Fr William (our Rector) celebrated the Eucharist in the morning. Fr Sunil preached an inspiring homily. The beautifully decorated chapel and meaningfully arranged liturgy with the theme “Many Sparks, One Fire” set the spiritual tone for the day. Later, the novices had to sharpen their intellect which was tested by a thrilling quiz competition based on the life of St Ignatius and the Society of Jesus. In the afternoon, a Benediction service was conducted by Fr Hilario Fernandes and Sch. Alphonse for all the neighbouring Religious, well-wishers and the Diocesan Clergy. For the dinner, a large gathering of our well wishers and neighbouring Religious was present. In his brief welcome speech, the Rector introduced the new members of the community and the new ventures in the campus. Later in the evening a spectacular volleyball match was held between the Novices and the senior community. Indeed, the Novices were surprised to see the playing skills of the senior Fathers. The celebration of the feast of our Founder has certainly helped the novices to grow spiritually, emotionally, intellectually and physically. It was a grand celebration at Mount St. Joseph - the celebration of the feast of St Ignatius.

Get-together of the Loyola Institutions

It was a family get-together of the Loyola institutions (Primary, High School, PUC and ITI) at Mount St. Joseph on the occasion of the Feast of St Ignatius of Loyola. The programme began with a short prayer service conducted by the novices. Fr Freddie gave a short reflection on the Scriptural passage which was meaningful and full of insights. The Rector, Fr William Sequeira, warmly welcomed the gathering. He highlighted the role of the laity in our Institutions as collaborators and partners. Fr Sunil gave a thought provoking message and asked the staff to be partners to carry forward the vision and mission of St Ignatius. Mr Kanthraj, one of the teachers in the High School, gave the festal message on behalf of all the teachers. The whole ceremony was well compered by Sch. Alphonse Fernandes.