Volley Ball Match

The month of September was refulgent with sportive extravaganzas.  A sense of enhancement brought to us neck and neck competitions with the LOYOLA ITI students, the youth of IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY church, the brothers of TRINITY,  JEEVALAYA and MCBS. Each point famished the players to flaunt their skills to keep up their spirits.  

The Religious and the spectators kept on wringing their hands and cheered the players with gusto.  At the end of each match we were petered out, to regain our strength we came together keeping aside our victories and losses and had a good healthy snack.  This helped us to grow in our relationship with our neighbors.  Above all these matches and practices made us to integrate our spiritual life to the reality by positively accepting the situations as they came in the forms of winning and losing.  We grew in sensitivity towards our fellow companions and others by being available and by giving equal chances to all.

Horizon 2018-19

Horizon 2018-19 commenced with a bang on the 3rd of September.  The extravaganza with three terrific teams lasted four days, doing justice to the theme “Riding with the son and companions”.  The events were fastidiously organized by the co-ordinators.  

Fr. John Pradeep witnessed the inaugural ceremony.  In order to enliven every morning, creative mass was arranged respectively.  Curiously enough, all could dispense with their inhibitions, fear and individual complexes.  It was indeed a spectacular platform for every novice to bring out the best in them.  These gala days entailed fun games, cultural events, mind boggling games, as well as athletics.  What is more!  The competitions culminated on September 7th.  Putting up the best of hits for the community.  As all exclaimed that they had breathtaking experience, this year’s horizon will evoke nostalgia in all the hearts of novices in the days to come.

IGNIS CUP 2018

On the occasion of St. Ignatius feast, a couple of competitions were organized to enrich and enhance the Novices.  It was rather a time of exploration of talents and getting along with the companions. Having been divided into three groups all performed at their best to do justice to MAGIS. 

Fathers from the main community were the judges for the particular contests.  Seeing the active participation and creativity they appreciated us for our input.  Each activity was peculiar and the diligence of the coordinators was praise worthy.  To evoke a smile on the winners of IGNIS CUP, the prizes were distributed which egged on each Novice to strive harder in the future.

Independence day 2018

Overwhelmed with patriotic vibration, the community celebrated the 72nd INDEPENDENCE DAY in MSJ.  We began the day with the solemn Mass presided over by Fr. John Baptist wherein even the parishioners from Kalena Agrahara joined us.  Shortly after the mass the National flag was unfurled by Fr. Olvin Veigas, SJ with utmost reverence.  

The day was embellished by the well organized picnic which broadened the realm of experience and fun.  Visiting Lalbagh and Vidhana Soudha gave us a feeling of true independence.  The best part of the day was the special banquet arranged at Ashirvad where all the Novices had their fill.  The mesmerising travel by Metro blew our minds to the core. Returning home was quite painful yet it rejuvenated us all to love liberty with responsibility.

ST. IGNATIUS FEAST 2018

We were immensely pleased as the feast of ST. IGNATIUS brought about newness in our lives.  The Eucharist was solemnly presided over by Fr Josephvaz Monteiro, SJ. 

In preparation for the celebrations, we began with Novena, adding to it the community had a day’s recollection followed by the Penitential right.  The specialty of the day was doubled when we played the cricket match, to our hearts content.  The festive mood continued to be resplendent till the evening when the community cordially welcomed the guests from various neighbouring congregations.  To add beauty for our Agape the Spaniards sang the ‘NOBLE NIGHT’ hymn in Spanish.  It was indeed a day of Jubilation.

Vows Day: 21st July 2018

With deep sentiments of gratitude and nostalgic memories we bid farewell to our seniors.  Under the auspices of Fr.Freddie the six novices were found worthy through their annual retreat to pronounce their first Vows in the Society of Jesus on the feast of St. Aloysius Gonzaga.  Rev. Provincial embraced the brave men to this large family.  We had a short felicitation program organized to express our love to them.  The Navataranga was launched by our dear Fr Provincial.  As a culmination of the gathering we sung the anthem of our Society and then we relished our fellowship meal and called it a day.

FAREWELL MATCH 2018

On the occasion of our dear brothers farewell, a friendly volley ball match was organized by the Novitiate community to bid them adieu.  The fathers too joined their hands in the match.  They participated actively and fared well to our brothers.  The ball was mercilessly treated as victory, relaxation and fun.  Sportive spirit and sparkling skills were flaunted by all. Our seniors notched up the trophy with their heads held high and drew the attention of all the spectators.  Many Fathers and Sisters witnessed this exciting game and exclaimed that it was a pleasure.

Entrance Day of the Novices to the Novitiate

Entrancing new candidates for the sparks of inventive frontiers.  Leaving our homes we joined the holy family of MSJ.  Being guided and formed by the superiors as angels we were led into ‘our way of proceeding’, beginning with probation and then our vocations were bolstered by Triduum.  On 16th of June we solemnly entered into the Novitiate which was a milestone in our journey of priesthood.  A formal cultural program was organized after the Eucharistic celebration along with the sumptuous meal.

MISSION EXPERIMENT - 2018

THE REAL VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY CONSISTS NOT IN SEEING NEW LANDSCAPES BUT IN HAVING NEW EYES

The spiritual exercises is a solid foundation where a Jesuit becomes Christo-centric.  It is here that one looks deeply into the eyes of Christ and gets rooted and grounded in his love, to think, to act, and speak like Christ in the contemporary world.

Fr. PETER HANS kolvenbach says in his letter spiritual formation in Novitiate, the aim is not to do something extraordinary, but to make the novices gain firsthand knowledge of the life that awaits them as a JESUIT. After the spiritual exercises we were like saplings growing beside an ever flowing stream. Now, as a sapling deepens on its roots for growth, so we too are rooted our faith in God and build our trust on him.

‘HERE I AM SEND ME’ was the immediate response of the second year novices, as we showed our missionary zeal to serve  Christ’s people. We were spread out in the different villages of BIJAPUR, MUNGOD and MANVI-PANUR. In every struggle we underwent, each of us were able to say “BEHOLD THE HANDMAID OF THE LORD, LET IT DONE TO ME ACCORDING TO YOUR WILL”.

Mission experiment was a good opportunity for us to fulfill our desire and to taste our future mission.

INNER HEALING WORK SHOP

ONCE ONE BECOMES A FALSE SELF, ONE CEASES TO EXIST PSYCHOLOGYCALLY.

I believe that this is one of my greatest learning’s and more than that understanding till this very day of my life. This healing the inner child workshop  was  taken by Fr. Joy Puducherry which was interesting and enlightening. I was very much entreated to go through these classes. It was change of guidance for me I felt very much open and moreover an interesting one as it was with our neighboring novices. I have often heard many agonizing  experiences of my companion but it was a chance to have deep  impact on women and I was able to understand the troubles faced by women. I to had dealt with this topic  earlier, but this time i rediscovered  myself in more deeper and with a holistic content. At last we surrendered everything at the feet of the Lord by having a fruitful recollection and concluded our course 

Lenten Pilgrimage to the Tomb of Fr Rajendra Swami, SJ (1672-1719)

It was indeed an exciting and inspiring as we went on a pilgrimage to Fr. Rajendra Swami Shrine.  We as one Mount St. Joseph community went to the tomb turned shrine of Jesuit Fr. Rajendra Swami. It is located in a place called Chickkaarasenakere in Maddur.  As it was a pilgrimage we maintained silence and went in a recollection mood.  We were very delighted and inspired to hear from the parish priest Fr William Pinto of Mysore Diocese about the life history of Fr. Rajendra Swami, SJ and also many miracles taken place in his name.  We took part in the Mass at the shrine thanking God for Fr. Rajendra Swami and all his good deeds as a missionary.  Thus, nourished by the Body of Christ and also praying at his tomb, we returned from our pilgrimage.

INTER- NOVITIATE DAY 2018

We don’t forget anybody in this world, especially those who played vital role in our life.  Our parents, freedom fighters, actors, friends, near and dear ones. So as we keep in our memory their birthdays, other dates, likes and dislikes and so on.  In the same way as we are  in the novitiate  we do remember our days in the novitiate; our superiors  arrange every year – inter-novitiate day. Here all the Bannerghatta zone novitiates come to gather as one community to celebrate this day. This year it was on 2/3/18.  "Accompanying the youth in faith and discernment of vocations".  This was the theme for our day. There was a lot of input given by Fr. Tommai Rajan, SDB, the resource person. In the afternoon, there was fun filled games and to enrich our knowledge quiz was conducted on the Gospel of Matthew.  At the end of the programme, with lots of memories, we carried in hearts to praise.