Christmas Cheer for our Co-workers

Joy is doubled when it is shared with others. A joyful atmosphere took over the ambience in the roomy refectory hall on December 23 when we celebrated Christmas with our co-workers. The compere Sch Norwin Pereira along with the Novices put up a lively programme with games, carols and dances that made us all bounce off the walls! Fr Robert Cutinha’s brief and pointed words reminded us that Christmas is for everyone. He surely drove the Christmas message home! As the sprightly Santa Claus unabashedly went about playing his pranks on his embarrassed targets, Fr Francis Menezes, the Rector and Fr Tom D’Souza gifted the Christmas presents to our co-workers. Our celebration with our co-workers gave added meaning and value to our Christmas celebration.

"But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see - I am bringing you Good News of great joy for all the people..." Luke 2:10

Welcoming the Lord with Song - Carol Competition

A lively audience swayed their heads to the rhythm of Christmas music presented by ten groups during the carol competition held in the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Kalena Agrahara. Music surely touches the heart. The event became an apt occasion to celebrate the joy of Christmas. The parish became a meeting point for the members of different parishes and the neighbours of different faiths gathered to drink in the spirit of Christmas. The Novices making a group of 26 members also took part in the competitions. The team from Basavanapura parish staked claim to the trophy. A cultural programme in the evening kept us entertained. The proud hosts, Fr John D’Souza and Deacon John Pradeep and the progamme committee looked into the nitty gritty of the event. The event was a wonderful occasion to spend time in the company of the Parish family.

“Christ is the light to be lifted, the truth to be told, the peace to be promised, the love to be shared”

Christmas Cheer for the Little Ones!

No season gives the message of joy and sharing as profoundly as Christmas season. Our joy was doubled as our young parishioners rolled in a big number into our campus for a morning of games and entertainment in the second week of December. The new man on the job Deacon John Pradeep who is assisting Fr John D'Souza in the Parish ministry was the chief architect of the entire programme. Many parishioners, youth association members, sisters and brothers pooled in their assistance and carved out a successful event. It was a wonderful occasion to share the joy of Christmas with the young.

“Let the little children come to me and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the Kingdom of God belongs” Luke 18:16

Remembering the Great Jesuit - St Francis Xavier

St Francis Xavier still reigns in our inspiration today. Like the millions of devotees that flock to Goa to catch a glimpse of the saint’s incorruptible body, our community too was brought together around the Lord’s altar after a gap of a month on December 3. The Novices who were involved in the core Ignatian Experiments – The Month-retreat and the Mission Experiment were back to the community. Joy was visibly evident in the gathering and it was expressed in wholehearted participation in the Liturgy. Our knowledge of St Francis Xavier was heightened by Fr Tom Quadros’ insightful homily during the community Mass. The incredible life of St Francis Xavier continues to inspire many and captivates our attention unfailingly. Together with the pilgrims of Goa, we too journeyed closer towards understanding the saint and loving the Lord with a radical sense of faith.

“Be a life long or short, its completeness depends on what it has lived for" David Starr Jordan

Back to the Marks

“We learn to love truly when we have learnt to love all.”

The life in the Novitiate is back to full swing after a month of long experiments coming to a successful finish. Retracing the steps of St Ignatius into the cave of the heart guided by Fr Willie Sequeira, the Novice Director, the First Years completed their Month’s Retreat. Stepping out of the safe haven of Mount St Joseph to live the Spiritual Exercises in the hard reality with the Lord’s poor, the Second Years are back after their Mission Experiment. Three days of recollection to muster energy, to rest and to relive the experiences brought us all back to where we left off. The sharing of the varied experiences put us into the shoes of the other. The month-long walk with the Lord has made us stronger and closer to God and each other. We are thankful to you for your prayerful support as we took the steps of faith with the Lord.

Advent Wreath-Waiting, Watching and Burning.

A familiar symbol of the Advent season, the Advent Wreath rings the reminder of the imminent coming of the Lord. Made out of evergreen leaves, it portrays life and enthusiasm, signifying the eternal life that the Saviour shall bring. The four candles set up like pillars at the centre of the wreath, remind us about the four weeks of Advent, a time of “waiting and watching”. One candle each is lit every passing Sunday of Advent. Two Advent Wreaths prepared and decorated by the Novices are placed in the Main Chapel and the Novices' Chapel to remind everyone to await the Lord and to burn within to welcome the Lord on Christmas Day.

"Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God" Isaiah 40:3

God's Love for You and for Me!

In his poem, Novice Chethan Anil Pinto mulls and muses over the incomparable love of God. The words which strikingly show the poet's touching experience of the incomparable Love of God almost immediately take us along in its sway. Relish it!

People say, God is 'Love', 'Mercy' and 'Kindness'
He is everywhere, even in a tiny atom
They say He is above all, mighty and eternal
No one can compete with Him.
All say God's Love is unconditional
He is an endless ocean of 'Love'
His mercy is everlasting,
wide enough to embrace all generations.
Everything is true and acceptable.
But if we sit with this truth
We will have nothing of it and
No fruit will emerge out of God's bounty.
It is like fetching water from a river
with a full jar refusing to be empty.
Unless we go with an empty heart
We will not be filled at all!
A humble, open and sincere heart
will overflow with the Love of God
The heart which is kind and generous
will receive much more than needed.

Interview with Fr Denis Coelho SJ

We got a good opportunity to talk to the otherwise shy and soft-spoken Fr Denis Coelho. Apart from the many ministries he has taken up in his long serving life as a Jesuit, he has also been the Rector of Mount St Joseph. Currently residing at Dhyanashrama, the veteran Fr Denis is actively involved in directing retreats. Here are the excerpts of the interview with him.

Father, how would you like to describe your life at present? What are your present involvements?

I am attached to the retreat house. So my main work is directing retreats. Time permitting, I also teach English to the II year novices and write the house diary. So it is a peaceful life, regular life and I can be faithful to my spiritual life and community exercises.

We come across you as a person charged with positive energy. Can you tell us the secret?

It is an attitude I have cultivated from the earliest days in the Society. I have had many Jesuit models in this. There have also been some who have been negative and they have irked me.

What fires your passion for teaching?

Teaching has interested me from my Regency onwards. I had opportunity to interact and learn from exemplary teachers in Juniorate, Philosophy, Theology and in schools I have worked in. I see it as an apostolate and greatly like it.

Of all ministries you have undertaken, which one do you like the most? Why?

Most of my life after Theology and Ordination has been spent in schools. But I had the unique opportunity to work as a parish priest in a small parish of Bellary Diocese. (Now it is a part of Gulbarga Diocese). Those 6 months in Chittapur were the happiest of my life as a Priest.

You are person who likes change and innovation. How have you seen the Society change over the years? Has this change been for the better or for the worse?

I firmly believe that the change in the Church and the Society is inspired by Vatican II. It is the response to the call to “See the signs of the times.” With the Church, the Society too has been responding to the call of Vatican II, to go back to the sources and heed the signs of the times. St Ignatius himself called for a change, an ongoing change, a “MAGIS” – don’t stop, keep on doing better.

What is 'the important thing' that the Society of Jesus has taught to you as a life lesson?

It will take long to enumerate what the Society has taught me. We have to be torch-bearers. We have to work for promoting faith that does justice. We have to love the poor.

If you are given a second chance to live, what will be your choice?
Hard to say. The choice for me would be schools or distant missions like Afghanistan, Guyana or even Bijapur and Pannur-Manvi. Thank You Father.

O Man, Where are you?

Novice Leston Baptist Lobo has employed his creative energy in composing a short poem about 'he' which means the human person and 'He' who is God. In a symbolic and crisp style, Leston tries to portray the ill effects of abusing God's creation. Creation is more than an artwork - it is God's gift to us. We have failed to protect it. It is high time that we do something about it.

He dreamt an impossible dream,
Risking a creation of another 'He',
Had trust in the skies and hope in the clouds,
Still, He did create a 'he', a problem.
He thought, "How good 'he' would be?
How great 'he' will become?"
But in the end, 'he' failed to be another 'He'
to fulfil 'His' plans for 'him'.
'he' stamped all that 'He' created,
he coloured in dark hues 'His' naturality,
he repeatedly stepped backwards.
Still, 'he' feels that 'He' did it all!

Eco Treasures at Mount St Joseph

Finding God in all things Mount St Joseph is an abode of rich flora and fauna, awash with a variety of plant and animal species. A spider spotted in one of our gardens and captured in frame by Novices Noel Dias and Nithin Coelho shows this very vividly. Every creature and every plant in our campus tells 'a fascinating news...God still loves the world!' Noel writes about his experience with his 'friend, the spider' as follows

Noel Stephen Dias: I was walking across the natural gardens of Mount when I spotted a huge spider hanging over my head. I was wonder struck to observe God’s creation so beautiful and unique. Every creature teaches me something or the other to cherish for life. Likewise, the spider was patient enough to wait for its food and that’s the value I learnt from my new friend – PATIENCE. To remind me of my new friend, I decided to keep its memory and the value of the lesson it taught me forever in a photograph. I want to thank God for His wonderful creation. “Everyone is created unique. It is we who learn something from others and make the best of our lives."

Retreats (January - May 2012)

Retreats - Dhyanashrama (Mount St Joseph)

03-11 Jan: Come and rest awhile (Fr Hilario Fernandes)

13-21 Jan: God is my Shepherd (Fr John Baptist)

23-31 Jan: Walking with the Lord (Fr Simon Furtado)

02-10 Feb: Lord, let me see your face (Fr John Baptist)

12-20 Feb: Called to be a disciple of Jesus (Fr Francis Menezes)

21-29 Feb: Call to Conversion (Fr Denis Coelho)

02-10 Mar: Walking with Him to Calvary (Fr Hilario Fernandes)

12-20 Mar: Love of the suffering Lord (Fr Denis Coelho)

22-30 Mar: “Behold the Wood of the Cross” (Fr Tom Quadros)

01-08 Apr: Body Broken, Blood Shed (Fr William Sequeira)

11-19 Apr: Walking with the Risen Lord (Fr John Baptist)

22-30 Apr: ‘then their eyes were opened’ (Fr Tom Quadros)

02-10 May: Relishing His presence (Fr John Baptist)

12-20 May: Basking in the Lord’s love (Fr Simon Furtado)

12-20 May: Eco-Spirituality retreat (Fr Leo D’Souza)

MONTH’S RETREATS

02-31 Mar: 30-Day Retreat (Fr John Baptist)

For further details, contact:

The Director
Mount St Joseph (Dhyanashrama)
IIMB PO, Kalena Agrahara,
Bannerghatta Road
Bangalore - 560 076.
Tel: 080-26580441, 26585464
E-mail: dhyanashrama@gmail.com
Blog: www.msjnov.blogspot.com

The Depth of my Being

From the depth of his heart Novice Rohan Prakash D'Souza has penned a touching poem which might well be his encounter experience with the Lord. It is amazing to see how God who resides in the depth of our being brings a change of heart once we become convinced of His presence. Let us get into deeper waters with the sentiments expressed in this work of love.

The uncountable stars of the sky,
The expanse of the vast sea,
The unrelenting dryness of the desert.
All these show me the depth of my being.
I was amazed to see my own life.
The empty desires of my heart,
I understood that my love for God was distant.
How difficult it is to surrender to Him!
I lived with my many disquieting questions.
My fears and struggles were without answers.
I was not satisfied or clear about my life journey.
My heart, still, desired for the Truth.
The mystery of God had remained as history,
The burden of life still a burden.
Then He called me in the depth of my being,
To see the wooden cross at Calvary.
He left me surprised and speechless,
And let me see Him carrying my burden.
Now, I just trust Him in the depth of my being,
Because it is the only place where I "Rest in my Being."

ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ರಾಜ್ಯೋತ್ಸವ - ನನ್ನ ಪ್ರೀತಿಯ ಕನ್ನಡ ನಾಡು

ಪ್ರೀತಿಯ ರಾಜ್ಯೋತ್ಸವ - ಈ ದಿನವು ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರಿಗೆ ವಿಶೇಷವಾದ ದಿನ. ಕನ್ನಡ ನಾಡು, ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಿಯನ್ನು ಹೊಗಳಿ ಗೌರವಿಸುವ ದಿನವಿದು. ನವಶಿಷ್ಯ ರೋಹನ್ ಈ ದಿನದ ವಿಶೇಷತೆಯನ್ನು "ನನ್ನ ಪ್ರೀತಿಯ ಕನ್ನಡ ನಾಡು" ಮುಖಾಂತರ ಸುಂದರವಾಗಿ ವರ್ಣಿಸುತ್ತಾನೆ.

ಕನ್ನಡದ ವೀರ ಪುತ್ರಪುತ್ರಿಯರೇ, ಭರತ ಮಣ್ಣಿನ ವೀರಪ್ರಜೆಗಳೇ, ಬನ್ನಿ ನಾವೆಲ್ಲರೂ ಸೇರಿ ಹಾಡೋಣ "ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ರಾಜ್ಯೋತ್ಸವ." ಕಾಡು, ಜಲ ಸಂಪತ್ತು ಬೆಳೆಸಿರುವ ನಾಡಿದು, ಮಲೆನಾಡು, ಆಗುಂಬೆಗಳಂತಹ ಭವ್ಯ ತಾಣವಿದು, ಕನ್ನಡ ಮಾತೆಯ ಪೂಜಿಸಿ ಆರಾಧಿಸುವ ದೇಗುಲವಿದು, ಭರತ ಲೋಕದ ಪ್ರಕೃತಿಯ ಪ್ರೀತಿಯ ಕಣ್ಮಣಿಯಿದು. ಬೇಲೂರು, ಹಳೇಬೀಡುಗಳಂತಹ ಶಿಲ್ಪಗಳ ದೇಗುಲವಿದು, ಸಮುದ್ರಗಳ ಅಲೆಗಳ ಮೇಲೆ ಜೀವನ ನಡೆಸುವ ಬೆಸ್ತರ ನಾಡಿದು, ಕವಿ ಋಷಿಗಳು ಬೆಳೆಸಿ, ನೆಲೆಸಿರುವ ಪುಣ್ಯಕೋಟಿ ಕವನದ, ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರ ಹೋರಾಟದ ಫಲವಿದು "ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ರಾಜ್ಯೋತ್ಸವ."