"Alone with the Alone"

Greetings from Mount St Joseph Novitiate, Bangalore. We, the Sixteen First Year Novices, are deeply joyful to inform you that we are beginning our Month’s Retreat on 01 November 2010 under the guidance of Fr Dion Vaz, our Novice Director. We humbly request you to pray for our inner journey as we walk with the Lord to be deeply rooted in His love and service.
Please do remember to pray for our Twelve Second Year Brothers as they are going for their Mission Experiment, an outward journey in faith. During this grace-filled time, we too assure you of our prayers for your Mission.

Seeking Your Prayers and Blessings,
Yours in Christ Jesus
First Year Novices

On We Go.....Pilgrimage to Anekal

The morning of 29 October saw the first year Novices leave to the Anekal Mission on a pilgrimage prior to the Month’s Retreat. After alighting from the bus at Bannerghatta, we took the long road to Anekal on foot. The trees along the road and the cool weather helped very much. The pilgrimage was done in silence and reciting the Rosary personally. We reached Anekal after a long walk of over twenty kilometers which we covered in a little over than three hours.
We were warmly welcomed by Fr Anil D'Mello and the community members. The Eucharist for the novices was celebrated by Fr. Jerome D’Souza. After Lunch, we proceeded towards the Parish - St. Joseph’s Church. Fr. Benedict warmly received us and we prayed the Rosary together. We returned to Mount ST Joseph in the evening spiritually strengthened, renewed and enriched.

Intensive Journal - A Journey into Oneself

The course on Intensive Journal helped us in our inward journey to integrate the Body, Heart, Mind and Spirit. Surely, the inner journey has enriched our lives!

The first year Novices who are gearing up for the Month’s Retreat were given a course on Intensive Journal from 25 to 27 of October by our Rector, Fr Francis Menezes. The course was adapted according to the needs of the novices as they are preparing for the Long Retreat. For three days there was silence in the Novitiate as the course required an atmosphere of silence and recollection. Despite the silence in the house the entire house was abuzz with activity, which brought a lot of liveliness and silent joy in the house.

Mother Mary – Our Lady of the Rosary

Mother Mary is a perfect model for us to imitate here on earth. Thomas A Kempis writes, “Mary is the friend of poverty, the way of humility, the model of patience and perfect in all things.” Therefore we must fix the gaze of our soul constantly on her for our spiritual interests and imitation. For us, Mary’s children, the Rosary should be the most loving, prayerful turning, a most tender appeal to our mother, convinced that her help and support is an absolute necessity in our lives. The Church is ever presenting to us for our contemplation, study and our imitation, Mary our mother and model. If we wish to walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, to imitate him, we must model ourselves on Mother Mary.

Feedback: An ongoing Process of Growth

A life unreflected is not worth living. God speaks to us through events, persons and things. Feedback was the time when God spoke to us through our companions. We got a chance to be personally involved in the growth of each other. Two of our Brothers are happy to share their experience with us.

Joyal Sandeep: Feedback is a time to know more about my own life. It is a time to look at the lights and shadows i.e., positives and negatives of my life. It is a time to give and to receive an authentic feedback. It challenges us to work on our negatives and improve on our positives. It helps us to deepen our relationship with everyone and to be a person of discernment and consistency. This process is very important as it increases our self-awareness. I realized that I can become a better person and bring in the necessary changes in my life through the feedback session.

Calvin George: "An unreflected life is not worth living" said the great philosopher Socrates. Feedback is a process where we look into our lives from the point of view of others. It is an instrument from which we can look into our own past lives deeply and improve in our future life. By becoming aware of our strengths and weaknesses, we can be better persons and grow in our religious life. Truly, feedback is an ongoing process which leads to growth.