“PLACED WITH CHRIST YOUR SON”

(contributed by the Vovents)

Eighteen of our Novices (Derrick, Dayle, Jeevan Gomes, Jeevan James, John Baptist, Kiran, Lumnesh, Merwyn, Ronald, Sudhir and Suman in Bengaluru; Joel, Nithin and Vivian in Belgaum; Antony, Canet, Jaysheelan and Leo in Guntur) pronounced their First Vows on the 21^st of June.
“Only You, only you will I Seek,Only You, only you will I Praise, Only You, only you will I Love Because You made me to desire only You.”

This hymn was an outpouring from the depths of our hearts to the Almighty God on the day when we offered ourselves to Him. The chapel of Mount St Joseph looked heavenly amidst the angelic choir led by Fr Henry Saldanha. The presence of a large number of religious to celebrate our heart’s ‘Magnificat’ added to our joy. “Placed With Christ Your Son” was the theme of the Eucharist. Fr Vijay Kumar Prabhu, the Provincial of the Karnataka Province, presided over the Eucharist and received our vows. We express our sincere thanks to him. Fr Jossie D’Mello gave an inspiring and thought provoking homily and 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-2008” was released by Fr Simon Furtado. We owe a deep sense of gratitude to the Lord for His benevolence and love. We thank Frs William Sequeira, Dion, Manoj and Sunil for their encouragement and leading us to commit ourselves entirely to the Lord. We also thank all the Fathers of Mount St Joseph community for their prayerful support. Our Special thanks to our senior companions who lead us during the first year of our Novitiate and our junior companions who shared our life for the last one year. We thank them for making our vows day a memorable one. We will cherish and treasure this day all through our lives. We also thank all of you for your prayers.

Inauguration of Loyola Composite PU College

(Contributed by Sch. Alphonse Fernandes)
It is a moment of joy to the Community and to Karnataka Province as our Mother house climbs the ladder of glory. The inauguration of Loyola Composite PU College was held on June 11, 2008. We had the whole Institution coming together to celebrate the event. The event was witnessed by over 1200 people. Mr C Kanthraj (senior teacher of the school) was the MC for the event. Fr Henry, the Principal, introduced and welcomed the guests and the invitees. Fr John D'Souza, who worked hard in realizing the dream of starting the new college, spoke to us on his efforts and the way how things have shaped up in the past few months. The Chief guest for the occasion was Mr Puttana (MLC) who inaugurated the new building. He praised the Christian Institutions for the discipline and values they inculcate among the students. He has promised many things and we hope that he will be an instrument in fulfilling them as well. Fr Provincial graced the occasion and blessed the new building. Fr William Sequeira, the Rector, was the President and he too joined Fr Vijay Kumar Prabhu, Provincial, in thanking all those toiled in carrying out the plan and also to wish all the very best to the people who will be carrying it forward. The students who secured highest marks in Mathematics were honoured in the presence of dignitaries. Eight students received the honour. We thank the benefactor (under strict order we do not let out the name of the person). Few dances by the children also doubled the joy on the occasion. We thank the Jesuits who directly as well as indirectly made the event a grand success.

Happy Diamond Jubilee Dear Fr SHENOY

Jubilee bells of joy and gladness rang in the heart of Fr Frigidian Shenoy as he celebrated 60 years in the Society of Jesus. It was jubilation and celebration time at MSJ on the 8th of June. The Chapel which looked heavenly on this special occasion was full of Jesuits and the relatives of the Jubilarian. Fr Freddie D'Silva's homily inspired the entire congregation. During the felicitation programme, Fr Denis Coelho raised the toast in his usual inimitable style. The jubilee song, the LCD presentation and the dance by the novices was well appreciated by all. Fr Shenoy, filled with immense gratitude to the Lord and all people, expressed his heart-felt sentiments.

This is our Humble Invitation

Dear Friends,

It gives us immense joy to Welcome You for a special occasion. The Loyola Institutions at Mount St Joseph are marching ahead to start a PU College. Interested to know the date and the time? Please click on the INVITATION. Thank you.

SAHODAYA - 2008

(Contributed by Sch. Jason Furtado SJ)
Sahodaya (the Annual Get-together of the Scholastics) took place at Mount St. Joseph from 22nd to 27th May. Every Sahodaya makes the entire MSJ campus vibrate with life and laughter. The MSJ community is proud to host Sahodaya for the fifth consecutive year! 83 scholastics took active part whereas some of the scholastics could not participate in this programme due to their University exams. Sch. Jason Furtado organised the 5-days programme along with the other RTEC scholastics. Fr William Sequeira (Rector of MSJ), Fr John D’Souza (Administrator of Prerana) and Fr Francis Menezes (PCF) inaugurated Sahodaya-2008. The Jesuits of MSJ community witnessed the momentous inauguration programme. Speaking on the occasion, Fr Rector gave clarion call to the youngsters to be men of GC 35. Fr Francis asked us to be seekers and to find answers for the questions raised by the competitive world.
“World of today and being a Jesuit Today” was the topic for our reflection on the 23rd. Fr Cyril Desbruslais SJ conducted the session for us. He gave us many reasons why one should not be a religious, after which he divided us into groups and told us to reflect why one is still a religious. In the evening, we felicitated the new priests who were part of our fold and now gone ahead of us. Fr Sunil Ranjar offered the Holy Eucharist for us and Fr Sunil Fernandes preached a meaningful homily. Fr Melwyn Lobo gave us his priestly blessing.
On the 24th we dwelt on the topic “Jesuit Community-A community in Tension.” Fr Pradeep Sequeira enlightened us about Jesuit Community life and tried to reason out why tension exists in it. We celebrated the golden jubilee of Br Gabriel in the evening. His presence increased the beauty of the whole celebration.
“Where does a Modern Jesuit fit in, in a Rapidly Globalising World Heading Towards Mono Culture” was the topic for our panel discussion on the 25th. Fr Prashanth Madtha addressed us on the topic after which a number of questions were raised. Fr Cyril Desbruslais and Fr Pradeep Sequeira along with Fr Prashanth Madtha were present on the panel. Sch Jerald D’Souza ably moderated the discussion. Our Province delegate for GC 35 Fr. Jerome D’Souza took us to Rome through his sharing about the GC proceedings. Listening to him made us all feel proud about our mother Society.
26th was the picnic day. It was a memorable picnic to Kalathur Gardens, everyone enjoyed the day. Fr. Provincial celebrated the Eucharist for the scholastics on 27th; he also addressed us and answered our queries. The five days programme rejuvenated the spirit of companionship among the scholastics. It energised them body and spirit and all took leave to their respective places with a lot of vigour and hope though their hearts were heavy.

Welcome and Farewell

June 2^nd was a significant day for the school. We thanked Fr John for his services as a manager of the school. For the past two years he has brought about several changes. In his farewell speech, Fr John thanked all the people for joining hands to carry out the mission of Christ. Fr Rector (William Sequeira) thanked Fr John and welcomed the new Principal. The man of the hour Fr Henry took over the reign while promising to carry on the good works that are already undertaken. The children put up some cultural programme to mark the occasion.

New Beginnings!

The academic year for 2008-2009 began on 30^th May. Over 130 students for class 8^th and new faces for 9^th and 10^th standard has brought cheer to the school. Fr Henry, the Headmaster, extended a warm welcome to newly recruited staff members and the students while thanking Fr John SJ and others. This year we have three Jesuits working in Loyola High school. Fr Frankie Noronha besides teaching has accepted to render his services as a counsellor.

The New Principal at Work

Loyola High School and PU composite College has a new dynamic, active and creative leader- Fr Henry Saldanha SJ. He is the first Jesuit Headmaster and Principal of this school from its inception. Congratulations Fr Henry and wish you all the very best.

Thank you Sr Theresa

Last 10 years Sr Theresa to the best of her ability served the school with utmost dedication. We thank her for her selfless service and wish her well in her future endeavours. Thank you Sr Theresa.

"Jewel of India" awarded to Sr. Pushpalatha

Loyola Primary School seems to be making a lot of news this year. Last time, the seventh std. boy won the second place in the national level kho-kho. But this time, it is the Headmistress of the school, Sr. Pushpalatha who has taken the fame of the school to the national level. She has been awarded the prestigious "Jewel of India" honour for her distinguished contribution in the field of education. She was one of the 150 outstanding people chosen for their unique contribution in different fields of activity. Sr. Pushpalatha, a tireless, hardworking, talented and committed person has given a new look to the school. Unfortunately, she is on transfer this year from the school. Though the school misses her, her loving service to the school will always remain in the memory of the students, staff and the management.

Retreat Directors' Course

The month-long Retreat Directors' Course began on the 12^th of April and concluded on the 13^th of May at Dhyanashrama, Mount St Joseph. A Heterogeneous group of 40 Religious (Priests, Scholastics and Sisters) and a lay person participated in this course. The group was a fine blend of men and women religious, both young and seniors.
The course focused on the Ignatian Spirituality. Various topics like the dynamics of the Spiritual Exercises, the Discernment of the Spirit etc were dealt with. Fr. Freddie D'Silva explained lucidly the dynamics of the Spiritual Exercises. Fr. Terence Farias gave the nuances of Ignatian discernment highlighting the importance of discernment in one's own life. Some inputs were also given in Counselling, Spiritual Direction and Retreat Direction. Soon after the theory classes, the practical classes enhanced the skills (i.e., in Counselling, Spiritual Direction & Retreat Direction) of the participants. These skills were drilled into us by Frs. William Sequeira, Hilario Fernandes, Dion Vaz, Joseph Rodrigues, Francis Menezes and Sr. Theresa.
The course included an 8-day Ignatian Retreat wherein the participants had to guide each other. Most of the participants said that the course was well planned, balanced both in theory and practical classes and aimed at "learning-by-doing". This was also a time to renew one's own spiritual life and to get enriched with the Ignatian Spirituality. All are participants are looking forward to direct retreats and put into practice what they have learnt in the past one month. Yes, it was surely a time of renewal and a wonderful experience to all the participants.

English Course organized by the JCSA

An intensive English Course for training the Jesuit English Language Teachers was organized by the JCSA at the Assistancy level. The course was conducted at Satyodayam Retreat House (Secunderabad) from the 14th of April till the 3rd of May, 2008.
This course was arranged for the Pre-Novitiate Teachers (dealing with post-SSC & post-Inter students) and the English Teachers of the Novitiate & the Juniorate. Prof. Mohanraj of the EFLU was the Co-ordinator of the English course and Fr Packiaraj, the Director of Satyodayam, made all the arrangements in an efficient way.
36 Jesuits working in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Afghanistan participated in the course. Fr Sunil Fernandes, the Socius to the Novice Director of Karnataka Province, was one of the participants. The facilitators included a galaxy of reputed professors from the English and Foreign Language University (EFLU), Hyderabad. They dealt with topics like Communicative English, Spoken English, Grammar, Phonetics, Study Skills and Class-room Management. With the aid of audio-visuals, they taught different techniques/methods of how to make both i.e., learning and teaching English more effective and interesting.
The course concluded on the 3rd of May. Prof. Abhai Maurya, the Vice-Chancellor of EFLU delivered the valedictory address and gave away the certificates to the participants. A large number of EFLU officials and the Andhra Jesuits were present for the valedictory function. All the participants are grateful to their respective Superiors for arranging this course.

Work Camp in Sirnur, Gulbarga

The summer camp for the first year novices commenced on the 11th of April in Sirnur, Gulbarga. It is a new mission station of the Karnataka Jesuit Province which is a ray of hope in the Diocese of Gulbarga.

Fr Joseph Monteiro gave a red carpet welcome to the novices as they arrived at the railway station with a lot of expectations.

Our dynamic young men are working hard inspite of the weather conditions. The people of this place are taken up to see these young men working with a lot of enthusiasm in the scorching sun.

No doubt, the novices are steadfast and striving hard to accomplish the objectives set by themselves at the beginning of the camp. They have learnt to integrate prayer and work. They have also learnt to strike a balance between the different activities which they undertake daily. The novices are happy that they are contributing something for the betterment of the poor people in the new mission station.