"The Laying of Hands "

The ‘Entrance Day’ for the freshers was on 2nd July when they began their Second Probation in the Society of Jesus. We were nourished by the celebration of the Eucharist. After the Communion, a hymn was sung followed by a prayer for the descent of the Holy Spirit. The freshers then recited 'The prayer of a Novice on the Entance day.' Soon after the prayer, there was "the ceremony of the laying of hands" on the first year Novices. The imposition of hands has a 3-fold significance. Firstly, it is the gesture of invoking the gift of the Holy Spirit. Secondly, it is a symbol of welcoming a new entrant into the community. Thirdly, it reminds one of the mission s/he receives at Baptism.

Choose Life, Choose Love

(Junior Roshan shares his experiences about his footsteps into the Juniorate) The thirteen of us safely stepped into the promised land of our vocation on 24th June where we received a warm welcome from the Juniorate staff. Frs Wilson and Rachaans, both vibrant and energetic in spirit, led us into our new home where one is called to live both his intellectual and spiritual life with a renewed vigor and zeal. Soon after we had a welcome mass to the Holy Spirit followed by an inaugural function. Fr Matthew, the Rector of St Xavier’s College, gave the inaugural address presenting a historical view of the Juniorate. We are 30 Juniors from all over the South Asian Assistancy who I feel are lively and dynamic possessing a special gift of community building. There was an orientation programme for two and a half days by Fr Joe, who reset our understanding in the stream of human life. We began our Juniorate, with our gaze fixed on God, with a genuine knowledge of ourselves, a tender love for our neighbour and with a desire to be placed into the midst of the cosmos. We are indeed grateful for all that the Lord has done for us through all our formators.

Birthday Celebration of Frs William & Arock

The MSJ Community celebrated the birthday of Fr William Sequeira (Rector) and Fr Arokiasamy (Minister) on the 29th of June. It was a great and memorable day for all the members of our community. In the evening, a creative and meaningful prayer service was conducted by Fr Robert. There was a short cultural programme followed by a sumptuous meal. Fr William, our beloved Rector, celebrated his 6oth birthday. "A life dedicated to the service of humanity and a heart full of gratitude to the Lord for the wonders and miracles that God has done in their lives" - these words run through the lives of Frs William & Arock as they celebrated their birth anniversary in a meaningful and fruitful manner. "God loves a cheerful giver" - this sentence aptly sums up the lives of both Frs William & Arock as they are ever ready and available to serve the community and the society. May God grant them good health, success, fruitful ministry and many more years of joyful service.

Feast of our Parish

Our Parish in Kalena Agrahara is dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary whose feast we solemnly celebrated on Sunday, 28 June 2009. The Karnataka Jesuit Province too is consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. In an inspiring and meaningful homily, the main celebrant Fr Sebastian Fernandes SJ explained the role of Mother Mary in our lives. He highlighted the important role women play in forming today's generation as co-creators both in the family and society at large. Hundreds of people thanked God for all the blessings and gifts they have received in the past years. After the Mass, there was a grand meal provided to all people by the parishioners. In the evening, the colourful procession added more joy to our celebrations. Surely, this feast was a means to foster unity and fellowship among all people. The celebations were meaningful and devotional. Mother Mary is a powerful intercessor and "belonging to Mary is a privileged means of belonging to Christ." We greet everyone of you on this joyous occasion. Greetings also from Fr Francis Noronha, our Parish Priest.

A taste of the Universal Society

(Junior Vijay of Andhra Province shares his experience of doing his Novitiate at Mount St Joseph, Bangalore) Kamalakar and I are indeed the blessed ones to have come to Mount St Joseph, to deepen our roots in this universal Society of Jesus. It has indeed been a grace-filled time and we have truly experienced the bond of unity in the Society during this initial stage of formation. We have realized that, “We belong not to a particular Province or region but to the universal Society of Jesus i.e., the world is our home.” We are grateful for the inspiration that we have got from the members of this community particularly our Rector - Fr William, our Formators - Frs Dion, Manoj and Sunil. We cherish the friendship of our companions who accepted us and made us feel one among the group. We have gained a lot: the diverse Karnatakan culture, the gift of new languages, opportunities for service through our Saturday and Sunday ministries alongside greater exposures through camps, courses and experiments. For all this we are grateful to God Almighty, the giver of all gifts, to the Jesuits who made this opportunity as a possibility for us and to all the people whom we have come across especially in these two memorable years.

Farewell Brothers

Our glorious days are at an end
Our parting hour is coming soon
We pray how swift the moments past
How delightful has been our friendships boon
Brothers you have been so good to us
Ever mindful of our welfare
We pray that God may be generous
And help us our parting to bear
Farwell to you, Farewell to you
Our glorious days are at an end
And we will hope for brighter days to come
When we will meet again

Yes, indeed it was a tearful yet exciting day for all of us. The time had finally arrived to say Adieu to our Juniors as they move ahead to Trivandrum for their next stage of formation. We, the Novices arranged a short sendoff programme to bid goodbye to them. Fr William, our Rector, gave his message to the Juniors and they in turn blended their melodious voices in singing a song of gratitude to God and to the entire Mount St Joseph family. Novice Martin, the toastmaster, stole the show with his short and crisp words of encouragement to all the Juniors. Fr Arockswamy, our beloved Minister had prepared a splendid dinner for all of us. All good things must come to an end and so did this memorable day and companionship with our Junior friends. We wish them well in the Jesuit journey ahead of them.

“Golden Gleams” NAVATARANGA-2009

The Annual bulletin of Navataranga-2009” of the Novitiate was released by our former Provincial, Fr Vijay Kumar Prabhu SJ. Editor (Novice Roshan) Speaks: Every single second is a new day with a “Golden Gleam” in it, if only we consider each single second as a gift of God with opportunities submerged in it. We need to discover these Golden Gleams each day we live, to say “yes” to serve the Lord and the world. The essential quality of diffraction is very much necessary for our lustrous life. Diffraction in our life adds to creativity and magnanimity, which enkindle our darkened world. The search in our lives leads us for these Golden Gleams of love, patience, peace and joy to transcend our thinking and action. The more we discover our personal gleams, the more efficient we become in forming ourselves and others. So dear friends, this master-piece of Golden Gleams of Navataranga-2009 blooms by paying tribute to Mount St Joseph for its fifty years of outstanding and selfless service through various ministries and for forming the Jesuits of tomorrow. Navataranga-2009 brings forth rich and precious experiences of the Novices as we go about finding God in all things and all things in God. If you need a copy of Navataranga (limited copies available), Kindly contact us.

“Chosen to Labour with Christ, the Son"

Thirteen of our brothers (two of them for Andhra Province and Eleven for Karnataka) have responded generously to the invitation of our Lord Jesus “To Labour with Him.” That is to be rooted and grounded in love and to be witnesses to His values, to establish the Reign of God. They feel assured of His comforting presence, and vibrate with Him while He says, “I will be with you always.” We had a two-fold celebration. First of all, thirteen of our brothers (Karri Kamalakar, Vijay Kumar Surthani for Andhra Province; Ashwin Praveen Cordeiro, Avinash Ajay Lobo, John Rayan Pereira, Lestan D’Souza, Venancius Naveen Fernandes, Olwin Arun Fernandes, Prashanth Kumar, Roshan Pinto, Royston Pinto, Vincent Jaison, Wilson Fernandes) placed themselves at the service of the Kingdom. Secondly, we celebrated the feast of a young saint of the Society of Jesus, St Aloysius Gonzaga who showed us that it is not important how long we live but how lovingly we live. Our Vovents made perpetual vows of Poverty (i.e., to be completely dependant on God’s providence, care and protection), Chastity (i.e., an act of emptying oneself totally to Christ our spouse) and Obedience (i.e., to be sent on a Mission in the Church and for the world). Our Vovents placed lamps as a symbol of their lives at the feet of the Sacred Heart of Jesus promising to continue His work of sacrificial love in today’s broken and wounded world. The theme of the Eucharist was “Chosen to Labour with Him” 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-2009" was released by Fr Vijay Prabhu, our former Provincial. The vovents feel grateful to Frs William (our Rector), Dion, Manoj and Sunil for their encouragement and leading us to commit ourselves entirely to the Lord. They remember with gratitude all the Fathers of Mount St Joseph community for their prayerful support. Above all, we thank the Lord and all of you for making this day a memorable one.

Retreat Cum Orientation Programme

"There is no use of running fast when you are on the wrong road... so, first you choose a correct way and then move fast." In order to have a proper vision all through the year we had a retreat on 10th and 11th of this month for the catholics while orientation programme for the others under the able leadership of Fr Robert
and a few Jesuit brothers. At the end of the second day the children felt that "life is an art of drawing without an eraser, so we need to be more vigilant while taking any small decisions about valuable pages of our life." This programme has indeed put our children in the right mood as they begin yet another crucial year of their lives.

Golden Jubilee Year of Mount St Joseph - How it all began…..

November 7, 1956 proved to be a dream-come-true for the Province of Karnataka in having its own training college, as Fr Boniface D’Souza SJ, the Provincial, cut the first sod for the huge stone building of Mount St Joseph. It was Fr Cantoni, an Italian Jesuit known for his magnificent construction skills, who designed the building. The work started and the building was constructed over the next two years having the capacity to accommodate 40 novices, as many juniors in its two wings and a long Chapel, a refectory and some rooms for the stay of the Jesuits and the guests. Then the long-awaited novices first stepped into the house on May 1, 1959 on the feast of St Joseph the Worker to whom the house has been dedicated with Fr Cyril Pereira as the new Rector and Fr Apoline D’Souza as the Novice Director. The patronage of the head of the family of Nazareth was sought so that he might not only help to make the big house a true home but also in fond and firm hope that he would provide the necessary funds. And he did not fail. The blessing and inauguration of the house was solemnized by Archbishop Thomas Pothacumary of Bangalore on 22 August 1959, on the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to whom the Province is consecrated. Thus the nursery of the Karnataka Province made its auspicious start under the protective mantle of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the patronage of her spouse St Joseph - a dwelling place for the companions of Jesus. (Courtesy: My God, My Land, My People by Fr A P Menezes SJ and The Story of the Karnataka Jesuit Province by Fr Denis Pinto SJ)

Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

The Karnataka Jesuit Province is consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary whose feast we celebrate today. Mount St Joseph community is involved in a number of ministries - one among them being the Parish apostolate. Our Parish in Kalena Agrahara is dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary whose feast will be solemnly celebrated on Sunday, 28 June 2009 in the Parish. Mother Mary is a powerful intercessor and "belonging to Mary is a privileged means of belonging to Christ." We greet everyone of you on this joyous occasion.

Buds to Blossom - 14 join the MSJ Family

The Karnataka Jesuit Province is blessed with a good number of vocations. On 19 June 2009, 14 of God's generous gifts (Arvind Royce, Ashwin Rebello, Avinash D'Souza, Dolwin Cutinha, George Pinto, Jaison Pais, Lawrence D'Souza, Mark Pereira, Noel Nazareth, Praveen Gonsalves, Rocky D'Souza, Roshan D'Souza, Shanthraj and Wilson Saldanha) safely arrived to the nursery (MSJ Novitiate) of our Province. We can see them bubbling with eagerness, joy and enthusiasm as they are beginning a new phase in their journey of life. Each of them is very promising and special; they are indeed God's precious gift to us. A short welcoming ceremony was held in the Aula followed by an Ice-breaker session which made all of us feel at home. A meaningful Eucharistic celebration commemorating the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus nourished our spirits. We wish that their stay in the Novitiate will help them to discover God, discover themselves, discover the love the Society of Jesus has for them and that they may reach out as shining stars to touch the lives of people they come across.

Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

June is the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart and today is the day on which we commemorate the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This Feast has been a Solemnity in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar since 1856, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost.

The most significant source for the devotion to the Sacred Heart in the form it is known today was revelation to St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690), who received visions of Jesus Christ. St Margaret Mary Alacoque, a nun of the Visitation Order, was praying in the Chapel (Paray le Monial) of her convent. Jesus appeared to her several times and opened up to her the revelations about the devotion to the Sacred Heart. One of the important revelations is the devotion to the Sacred Heart. Jesus opened His heart wide and invited Margaret to see the heart which loved people so much and yet in return it received only ingratitude.

In another apparition, Jesus wanted Margaret Mary to open up to people to devotion to His Sacred Heart. Jesus told Margaret Mary that Jesuits would be entrusted with the work of spreading this devotion. He wanted the feast of the Sacred Heart to be celebrated by the whole Church on a Friday after the Octave of the feast of the Corpus Christi. Margaret Mary was told by Jesus that St. Claude de la Colombière (Superior of the small Jesuit house at Paray) was His trusted friend and faithful witness. These revelations are the foundation on which the devotion to the Sacred Heart is based. The Church has approved of these apparitions and revelations. And therefore, today all over the world the Jesuits celebrate the feast as a means of spreading this devotion to the Sacred Heart all over the world. As the Church celebrates the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the wounded heart of Christ symbolizes love that God has shown to us through Jesus and is an example for us to love God and fellow human beings in return.