stella maris, chinna waltair-530017 ......2016/12/10  · 1 merry christmas & joyful new year...

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MERRY CHRISTMAS & JOYFUL NEW YEAR 2017 STELLA MARIS, CHINNA WALTAIR-530017 VISAKHAPATNAM, Andhra Pradesh, INDIA Provincial : 0891/ 2710259 Cell : 09985860195, Fax : 0891/ 2702589 Email: [email protected], [email protected] [email protected] PC Lr. No. 10 December 2016 Contents Introduction 1. Communication from Super General 2. Appointments 3. Second Annual Retreat 4. A Brief Report 5. Congregation Retreat Team 6. Mission Forum Meeting 7. MSFS Sports Meet at Shantinagar 8. Catholic Couples Convention 9. Ross Hill Feast 10. Christmas at Central Prison 11. Pray for the sick and the Departed 12. Tentative Programme Obituary

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MERRY

CHRISTMAS

&

JOYFUL

NEW YEAR

2017

STELLA MARIS, CHINNA WALTAIR-530017VISAKHAPATNAM, Andhra Pradesh, INDIA

Provincial : 0891/ 2710259Cell : 09985860195, Fax : 0891/ 2702589

Email: [email protected], [email protected]@gmail.com

PC Lr. No. 10 December 2016

ContentsIntroduction1. Communication from Super General2. Appointments3. Second Annual Retreat4. A Brief Report5. Congregation Retreat Team6. Mission Forum Meeting

7. MSFS Sports Meet at Shantinagar8. Catholic Couples Convention9. Ross Hill Feast10. Christmas at Central Prison11. Pray for the sick and the Departed12. Tentative Programme

Obituary

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My dear Confreres,

ìDo not be afraid; for see - I am bringing you good news ofgreat joy for all the people:†11†to you is born this day in the cityof David a Savior, who is the Messiah,†the Lord.î John 3:16

More than Two thousand years ago, a baby was born in a stable.The stable was in a small town that was part of a defeated nationoccupied by the nation of Rome. The nation was Israel, the townwas Bethlehem, and the babyís name was Jesus. Five hundred yearsbefore, the prophet Micah had said, ìBut you Bethlehem, thoughyou are small, out of you will come for me, one who will be ruler overIsrael, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.î

The prophet Isaiah had written, ìA child is born to us! A son is givento us! And he will be our ruler. He will be called, ìWonderfulCounsellor,î ìMighty God,î ìEternal Father,î ìPrince of Peace.î Hisroyal power will continue to grow: his kingdom will always be atpeace.... He will rule as King Davidís successor, basing his poweron right and justice, from now until the end of time.î

In fact, this baby who was born of Virgin Mary in Bethlehem was theGod of the universe clothed in human flesh. Thatís right. Jesus isactually God, in human flesh, who came in to this world in order tosave the humankind from sin and death. Jesus became a man sothat He could reunite humankind with God. Jesus Christ paid thepenalty for our sins by dying on the cross. Three days later, He rosefrom the dead ñ proving that He is God (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Henow offers free access into Heaven to all who trust in Him and believein His death, burial, and resurrection (Romans 10:13). Thatís why; hecame and thatís why we now celebrate his birth at Christmas ñbecauseìwhile we were yet sinners, Christ died for usî (Romans 5:8). In short,he took up the human nature so that we could embrace the divinity.

The blessings of Christmas are tied to our response to the ChildJesus. When we read the Christmas story from the Bible, there areat least three ways which we can respond to Him. One responsewas given by the innkeeper when Mary and Joseph wanted to find aroom where the Child could be born. The innkeeper was not hostile;he was not opposed to them, but his inn was crowded; his handswere full; his mind was preoccupied. This is the answer that millionsare giving today. Like a Bethlehem innkeeper, they cannot find room

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for Christ. All the accommodations in their hearts are already takenup by other crowding interests. Their response is not atheism. It isnot defiance. It is preoccupation and the feeling of being able to geton reasonably well without Christianity.

Another response was given by King Herod. His answer was oneof hostility. In his raging jealousy, when Herod heard that a Kinghad been born, he said, ìDestroy Him! Let Him die while He is stillin His cradle.î This answer grew and swelled until one day it becamea mad mobís terrifying roar: ìAway with Him, away with Him, crucifyHim.î But another response was totally different. It came from anold priest in the Temple by the name of Simeon. He took the ChristChild in his arms and said, ìMy eyes have seen your salvation.îSimeonís answer was the response of commitment. This is theresponse I pray you will make. The Apostle Peter was right:ìSalvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name underheaven given to men by whom we must be saved.î

Finally, I would say that Incarnation is the perfect proof of Godísimmense love for the humankind, whom God created in hisown image and likeness.

May the joy and peace of Christmas be withall throughout the New Year!

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR1. Communication from Superior General about the progress

of the Cause of our Founder Fr. Peter mermierMy dear Fathers:

Greetings to you!

I am glad to inform you that we have some good news about theCause of Father Peter Mermier. I thank God for his intervention toour prayer for the glorification of Father Mermier, which, I believe, †isglorification of God Himself for the great things accomplished throughthis Servant of God for His Church.

I have been in touch with Fr. Yves Carron who is in touch with theBishop of Annecy. I thank Fr. Carron for taking significant steps to re-open the cause of our Founder. These are the recent developments:

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1. Cardinal Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Cause ofSaints, has given ënihil obstatí to re-open the Process of the causeof Father Peter Mermier, by a letter sent to the Bishop of Annecy

2. Mgr. Yves Boivineau, Bishop of Annecy, will announce the re-opening of the Cause of Fr. Mermier on†January 24, 2017. It willbe published in the diocesan bulletin of January(We shall have special prayers in our communities to mark thereopening of the Cause. Please arrange appropriate prayerservices)

3. Bishop Boivineau has also appointed Fr. Pierre-Marie MASSONas the Delegate priest to conduct the procedures at the diocesanlevel in view of beatification and canonization of Fr. Mermier

4. The Prayer for the cause of Father Mermier is approved by theBishop of Annecy with a minor correction. Please note theCorrection in the prayer below (Mother Claudine Echernier is tobe inserted)

5. Please print this prayer for the use of People of God and for our†own use communities in whatever language is used in the place†

6. You can have your own format for printing the †prayer but it willbe good to have a picture of Father Mermier on one side and theprayer on the other side.

7. At the bottom of the picture of Father Mermier you can mentionî(Servant of God and Founder of the Missionaries of St. Francisde Sales, and of the Sisters of the Cross of Chavanod with MotherClaudine Echernier)

8. Here is the approved prayer for circulation:

PRAYER OF DEVOTION IN HONOR OFFR. PETER MARIE†MERMIER (1790 ñ 1862)

God of Love, You care for us and You guide us in numerous ways.We thank You for inflaming the heart of Fr. Peter Mermier with anintense love for You and a zeal for the salvation of souls. You blessedhim with a total trust in You and in humble surrender to Your holyWill.

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It was your will that he should found the Congregation of theMissionaries of St. Francis de Sales, and with Mother ClaudineEchernier,†the Congregation of the Sisters of the Cross of Chavanod,to spread your mercy and compassion, to all by witnessing to Yourlove and through their prophetic ministries. His life of holiness washis supreme act of glory to You.

Loving Father, while he was on earth, You blessed many throughhim, especially in the renewal of Christian faith and family throughthe spirituality of St. Francis de Sales. Your raised him to the saintlystate of Servant of God. Thereby You testify that he is Your highlyfavoured son for whom You refuse nothing. So we pray that throughhis holy intercession, You bless us now with favour we request andpray for Ö (silence)

We make this prayer through Christ Your Son who lives and reignswith You and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever Ö AMEN

Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be to the Father,

Servant of God, Father Peter Mermier: Intercede for us

Ü Mgr. Yves BOIVINEAU, Bishop of Annecy

9. At the end of the prayer, please add:

(If you receive any favor through the prayer of intercession of Servantof God, †Fr. Peter Mermier, †please report it to: name, email id,telephone number of the promoter of the Cause in your Province)†

Let me know if you have any question in this regard,Live Jesus!

Father Abraham, MSFS††

2. Appointmentsa. Appointments by Superior GeneralNew Chairman of Governing Body of Suvidya College

Rev. Fr Benny Koottanal, Provincial of South West India Province,is appointed Chairman of Suvidya Governing Body and MajorSuperior and Superior Delegate to Suvidya Local Community for aterm of three years with effect from January 24, 2017.

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De Sales and Mermier (DSM) Resource Centre, HyderabadRev. Fr. Thazhathukunnel Joseph, DirectorRev. Fr. Baviri Suresh Babu, Assistant Director†

New Local Superior for Inter-provincial Local Community ofGerman Speaking Switzerland

Rev. Fr. Sunny Panthanazhivadakethil

Rector and President of Suvidya CollegeRev. Fr. Joy Mampally is re-appointed as Rector and PresidentSuvidya College for a second term of three years with effect fromJanuary 16, 2017.

b. Appointments by the ProvincialGermany-Austria (GA)Fr. Sivester Ottaplackal ñ Re-appointed as the Delegation Superior inGermany-Austria (GA)

Fr. Baby George Kalathuparambil ñ Local Superior of Wuerzburg –Bamberg

Fr. Sinto George Manackaparambil ñ Local Superior of Munster –Trier

Fr. Thumma Velangini (Rayappa) Reddy – Local Bursar in Germany

St. Aloysius Non-Formal InstituteFr. KVS Prasad ñ Superior and Director of Seva-KendraBro. Olickal Michael ñ Manager and CorrespondentBro. Kanjirathingal Sebastian - Procurator

3. Second Annual Retreat (9th to 14th January 2017)Here below are the names of those who should attend the SecondAnnual Retreat of the Province. In case of any difficult, you are obligedto call the Provincial to explain the reasons, seek the necessarypermission and inform him about the alternative arrangements madeto fulfill the obligation. The venue for the Retreat is Mary MathaDhyanashram, Ross Hill Shrine. Even the confreres from the Vizagcity are expected to stay at Ross Hill for the five full days. All theparticipants are requested to bring the Holy Bible along with themfor the Retreat.

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1. EDACHERRYPAUVATH Joseph2. ANIKALA Thomas3. MANALIL Thomas4. PULICKAL Joseph5. KIZHAKAYIL Thomas6. PARACKAL Philip7. VEMPALA Mathew8. VICHATTU Joseph9. KALAPURACKAL Mathew10. OLICKAL Augustine11. KOTTAM George12. PERUMALIL Thomas13. CHIRAYATH Jose14. PADANNAMACKAL Joseph15. VAZHAYIL Thomas16. AYILUKUNNEL Devasia17. NELLIMALAMATTAM Joseph18. PANTHANMACKEL Mathew19. THENETH Paul20. PAICATT Simon21. MARNENI Shanthaiah22. PULLAT Thomas23. MAMPALLY Joy24. KARICKAL Jose25. CHAKKALAKKAL Jolly26. GANJI Bala Joji Reddy27. KARNAM Dhaman Kumar28. PATCHALA Hrudaya Raj29. KODIGANDALA Julian30. MEKALA Sebastian Reddy31. MANDAGIRI Jojaiah32. S. Ignatius33. POLAMARASETTY Karun Kumar34. ARUL Justin Diraviam35. KAVUNGAL Joseph36. MADDINENI Anand Prasad37. MOOLEPARAMPIL Thomas38. ALLAM Pratap Reddy

39. A. Savari Rajan40. GORANTLA Joachim41. KONDALA Joseph42. JONNALAGADDA L. Ravi Kumar43. BONTU Prasad44. BAVIRI Suresh Babu45. POTHIREDDY Inna Reddy46. DANDE Benjamin47. MENDEM Bhaskar48. NUSI Konda Reddy49. XAVIER Michael50. PANTHALANICKAL Shijo51. NAGOTHU Bala Joji52. GADE Kishore Reddy53. NANNAM Ratna Swamy54. NARISETTY Joseph Kishore55. JADDU Joseph56. GUNDAPUREDDY Sandeep Reddy57. MADANU Vijaya Raju58. PALLY Dilip Chakravarthy59. PAYIKATTU Lijo Jose60. KURELLA Vijaya Sekhar61. NAGOTHU Ravi Prashanth62. KOLUKULAPALLY Devaraj63. KOLANTI Lourdu Raj64. KAVUNKAL Sabin Sebastian65. PUDOTA Sathish Kumar66. ALANGADAN Albert67. AMBALATHURUTHEL Noble68. BONELA Prasad69. KURISHUMMOOTIL Shaibin70. MAMPALLY Sunil71. NELAPUDI Balaraju72. YANNAM Jacob Reddy73. GADDAM Showry Kumar74. KAVULURI Joshi75. REGETI Anil Kumar76. YENNABOTHULA Amar

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77. BOYAPATI Sandeep Reddy78. DARA Joji (Ramesh Babu)79. ERUVA C. Vijaya Peter

80. JANGAM Ravi Kumar81. MOTAKATLA Joji (Praveen)82. PASALA Praveen

Brothers : 83. OLICKAL Michael 86. ETTACKAKUNNEL George

84. EDAKAROT Thomas 87. THUDIANPLACKAL Mathew

85. VATTACHIRA Jacob 88. KANJIRATHINGAL Sebastian

4. A Brief report of the Visit to East AfricaWe, the two Councillors of Visakhapatnam Province namely, Fr. J.L.Ravikumar Msfs, Fr. G. Sandeep Reddy Msfs had the privilege ofvisiting The MSFS East Africa Province from 23rd November to 16thDecember 2016. It was really a great experience for both of us andwe were very impressed by the life style of our Confreres workingover there. The community life and the pastoral life of the confreresthere had touched both of us and it was a pleasant experience tosee their zeal and commitment about their ministry and workentrusted to them by the Provincial Administration. It was very niceto observe an enormous amount of work is done by every confreredue to lack of sufficient personnel in the place.

We were very much taken up by the devotion of the faithful overthere. it was gracious to see the generosity of the people towardsGod and to the Church. Although they look poor and are poor, theyhave a large heart towards God and the Church. The liturgy is veryalive with lot of singing and dancing. The orderliness on the roads,the clean and neat surroundings, the awareness of traffic rules andthe labor rules to safe guard the class four workers are our deep feltobservations.†

We were extremely happy to note the good community life over there,and well maintained community chapels. We express our deep feltgratitude and thanks to Very Rev Fr. Johnson, the Provincial fortaking so much trouble and care to make our visit very fruitful. Weare extremely grateful to all our dear confreres for their sweethospitality, love and care. They have taken so much interest andpersonal care wherever we have visited. We had traveled almost5000 kms and visited many missions and communities, thanks tothe generosity of the East Africa Province and our Provincialadministration.

- Reported by Fr. J.L. Ravi Kumar MSFS

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5. Congregation Retreat Team (CRT) Meeting at Pune

On 26th November 2016 at MSFS Provincial House in Pune, the firstmeeting of the Core Team for the ëCongregation Retreatí wasconvened by Fr. Mario DíSouza the Convenor of the Retreat Team.Those attended for the meeting were: Fr. Francis Thadathil, Fr.Suresh Babu, Fr. Stephen Avilou, Fr. Joby and Fr. Austin Joy. Fr.Binu Edathumparampil could not attend as he is now in Abroad.Very Rev. Fr. Thumma Mariadas Reddy, the Assistant SuperiorGeneral and the Coordinator of the Team was gave us the muchneeded guidance and instructions to us the team members. Rev. Fr.Vincent Lourduswamy, the Provincial of Pune Province, welcomedthe Team members and made sure that all the necessaryarrangements were in place for this important meeting.

Rev. Fr. Thumma Mariadas Reddy expressed his delight and thanked,on behalf of the Superior General and the General Curia, the CRTmembers for accepting this sacred responsibility. He opined thatthis is a noble and sacred task entrusted on Godís behalf and onbehalf of the whole Congregation. The subject matter of the retreatwould be Our Consecrated Life for Mission. And the whole Retreatwould be named as: ìWALK THE WAY AND LIVE THE GRACEî.

The Congregational Retreats will begin from 7th October 2017. Thefirst Congregational retreat will be conducted for the Superior Generaland his Curia, Provincials and the CRT members from 7th to 13th

October 2017 at Poondi, Tamil Nadu. The dates of the CongregationalRetreats for the Vizag Province are already fixed. The first retreatwill be from 23rd to 28th October 2017 and the second will be from 8th

to 13th January 2018.- Reported by Fr. B. Suresh Babu MSFS

6. Mission Forum Meeting †Mission Forum Meeting of the Vizag Province was conducted on23rd November 2016 at MSFS Study House, Janampet. There were47 confreres from the missions for the meeting. Fr. Mandagiri Jojaiah,Councilor†in-Charge of Mission, welcomed the gathering.† HisExcellency, Jayarao Polimerea, Bishop of Eluru Diocese, was theresource person. And he addressed the gathering on the topic: ìThePastoral Ministry and its relevance with MSFS Charism †& Amoris

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Laetitia (The Joy of Love).î He also presided over the EucharisticCelebration. In the afternoon section, Fr. Agnelo Fernandes spokeon the relevance and objectives of the Parish Mission Preaching(PMP). The meeting † concluded with the discussion in general withFr. Provincial. The meeting was fruitful as the confreres activelyparticipated and shared their views on the various issues of the mission.

Very Rev. Fr. P. Chinnappa Reddy, Provincial, in his speechappreciated the hard work and commitment of the confreres for thegood of the mission. Fr. Jojaiah thanked all the confreres for theiractive participation in the Mission Forum. He thanked the Rector,the Staff and the scholastics for making the necessary arrangementsfor the meetings and for all their contribution for the success of thesame.

- Reported by Fr. M. Jojaiah the Mission in charge

7. First Telangana and Rayalaseema MSFS Sports Meetat SFS School, Shantinagar

It is indeed a great joy to share with you all about the Mega Eventthat took place from 13th to 15th October 2016, at SFS School,Shanthinagar. This is the First MSFS Telangana and RayalseemaSports Games and Cultural Meet 2016 held after the formation ofNew Telangana State This is a memorable Event in the history ofVizag Province, under the silent leadership of Rev. Fr. ChinnappaReddy, The Provincial of Vizag Province and the dynamic leadershipof Rev.Fr. Sandeep Reddy the Councilor in-charge of Education VizagProvince. On that colourful inaugural day the Chief Guest was veryRev. Fr. Abraham Vettuvelil and all his Councilors together with ourProvincial and two of his Councilors. The Dias was beautified by allthese dignitaries. There were nearly 870 participants from 8 MSFSSchool, both from Telangana and Rayalaseema. Rev. Fr. AbrahamVettuvelil, Superior General gave a fitting message and boosted thechildren to have an all round development of the personality. Rev Fr.Chinnappa Reddy, The Provincial declared the Sports Meet 2016open. By Gods grace, everything was well organized and arranged.Many Sports Games and Cultural Competitions were held. Therewas not even a single problem or difficulty during those days of event.On the concluding day Very. Rev. Fr. Thumma Maria Das our AsstSuperior General gave an inspiring message and gave away the

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Certificates, Mementos Medals to all the Prize Winners, Runnersand overall Champion Trophy to the winners. We are proud to say.We have won the overall Championship and also God has blessedus in such a way that there was very good weather and the concludingceremony was very grand and joyful. Rev. Fr. Lijo Jose had thankedall the invitees, participants, students and parents.

It was indeed A Memorable and a Joyful Event.Thanks to One and All.

- Reported by Fr. K. Dhaman Kumar MSFS

8. Catholic Couplesí Convention

A prayer convention for the Catholic Couples was organised by theBallepalli, Arogya Matha Parish, on the 20th November 2016, underthe Dynamic leadership of the Parish Priest Fr. Joseph Kondala,and other Community Fathers and their collaborative team of theCatechist and the Parish Council. The invitation was extended tothe neighbouring parishes to avail his unique opportunity of spiritualrenewal. The event has gained special moments as it consideredwith the closing of the ëYear of Mercyí on Christ the King Feast daywas orientated towards the spiritual renewal of the families. Theconvention started with Prayers and Worship Holy Rosary and theEucharistic Adoration. Rev. Fr. Isaac, the Editor of Bharathamithram,a Catholic Telugu monthly, was the preacher for the day. His talkswere made on the Sacrament of Matrimony, the covenantalrelationship between the couple and the responsibilities of the parentsin bringing up their children in the Christian faith. The couple havinglistened to the preacherís instructions about the sacredness of themarriage promises and ensuring bounds among the members in thefamily, they felt the experience of the convention to be a profoundspiritual renewal. The couples felt honoured by this uniqueexperience. We thank for Isaac for animating the dayís programme.

After the talks the participants made confessions and preparedthemselves for the worthy reception of the Lord.

In the afternoon our Khammam Bishop, Rt. Rev. Fr. Paul Maipan,celebrated the Holy Mass in which he spoke of Christ as the MercifulKing and Redeemer. The convention was made active and prayerful,thanks to Fr. Vinay who led the choir and helped us to pray better.

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This event, in which 1500 hundred couple took active part would nothave been possible but for the support of the community of MCBrothers and MSMI Sisters. My heartfelt thanks are to them. Ourthanks are also due to the catechists, the Parish Council elders andother members who motivated the people from other parishes too totake part in the convention.

- Reported by Fr. Kondala Joseph MSFS

9. Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Feast at Ross HillThe Annual Celebrations of the Solemnity of Immaculate Conceptionof Mary started off with the nine-day Spiritual preparation, i.e. Novena,which began on 29th November 2016 with the flag-hoisting andoffering of the Holy Eucharist at 4.30 p.m. at Ross Hill by HisExcellency Rt. Rev. Dr. Joseph Raja Rao Thelagathoti, Bishop ofVijayawada in the esteemed presence of Very Rev. Fr. ChinnappaReddy, the Provincial Superior of Visakhapatnam Province. AllChristís faithful in the city, along with their parish priests and religioustook active part, in the Novena Masses and prayers. On the eve ofthe Feast, i.e., 7th December 2016, at 5 p.m. the Statue of DivineMercy (13.5 ft high) was unveiled and blessed by His Grace MostRev. Dr. Prakash Mallavarapu, Archbishop of Visakhapatnam in thepresence of our Provincial, Clergy, Religiousand all other Christísfaithful to mark the Year of Mercy. Fr. George Kottam, who initiatedthis work and Mr. Rajana Bhushanam, the donor of the statuewere appreciated by the Archbishop. On 8th December 2016, theSolemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary began with pilgrimscoming up the hill from 4 a.m. onwards. Holy masses were offeredin Telugu and English at the Grotto and the Church simultaneouslyfrom 5 a.m. onwards. At 7.30 a.m. the Solemn Pontifical High Masswas offered by the Archbishop of Visakhapatnam concelebrated byourProvincial and other priests. The Holy Masses were offered at theGrotto till 12 noon. At 2 p.m. the Solemn Procession with the statueof Our Lady started at St. Aloysius High School and reached thegrotto at 3.45 p.m. followed by Benediction during which Fr. SarisaPratap, parish priest of Vizianagaram, preached sermon on theImmaculate Conception of Mary. Holy Masses continued till 7 p.m.All devotees from the city, irrespective of religion, came and prayedto Godand the campus was with pilgrims till midnight. Fr. DolaVelangani Rao, thanked the Archbishop,and Provincial for theircontinued support. He thanked all the priests, religious, volunteers,

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Portauthorities, Police personnel, domestic staff and all others fortheir meticulous planning and tremendous efforts in making this eventtotally a pilgrim-friendly one providing an atmosphere of prayer forall to pray and receive the Blessings of the Almighty through theintercession of Visakhapuri Mary Matha. He also thanked Divya VaniTV Channel for the live coverage of the entire day. Highlights of theFeast were ñ Divine Mercy Statue, a well-furnished new Hall belowthe statue, New Public Toilets and Bathrooms (for Gents and Ladiesseparately), a new Hall onthe top of it (opposite to Religious stallentrance door) and a New Store Room behind the Grotto. A specialthanks to Mr. Joseph Bhushanam, the Architect and Mr. I. Ravi Babu,the contractor. We continue to pray for all those who worked for thedevout celebration of our annual feast. Blessed be God forever.

Reported by Fr. Dola Velangani Rao,Director, Hill Chapel

10. Prison Ministry India Celebrates Christmas inCentral Prison, Visakhapatnam

On 18th December 2016, Sunday, PMI celebrated Christmas for allthe prisoners, both men and women, in Central Prison under theleadership of Fr. N. Balaraju MSFS, the Coordinator for theVisakhapatnam Archdiocese. The cultural programs and theChristmas skit were performed by the students of Kendriya Vidyalaya,an institution run by Nirmala Sisters, Steel Plant. The Christmasmessage was given by Rev. Fr. Reddy Joseph MSFS, the chief guest.Also one of the prison authorities spoke about the nativity of theLord and acknowledged the services rendered by the Prison Ministryfor the welfare of the prisoners. About 800 inmates and 60 people,including religious sisters and volunteers, participated in thecelebrations. Cakes and gifts were distributed to all the inmates andjail authorities. It was a wonderful experience for all those whoparticipated in the celebration of Christmas.

Reported by Fr. N. Balaraju MSFS

11. Let us pray for the sickRev. Fr. Bernard Caszo, who has been serving the English Province,is seriously ill.Rev. Fr. Ephrem Velaparambil of Vizag Province is seriously sickand is admitted in St. Josephís Hospital since few weeks.

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Let us pray for the DepartedRev. Fr. John De Vore MSFS, of the US Vice-Province passed awayon 21st November 2016. He was 91 years old.Rev. Fr. Louis BRUGGER, of the Franco-Suisse Province, passedaway on 30th Nov. 2016 at Annecy Hospital. He ws 96 years old.Please do favour our departed confrere with the suffragesprescribed in our constitutions.Mr. Varkey Pathipallil, 76 years old, Father of Fr. Manoj Pathipallil,passed away on 28th November 2016.Mrs. Mary Perumalil, 93 years old, Mother of Fr. Thomas Perumalil,died on 17th December 2016.Mr. Jacob Malana, 95 years old, father of Fr. Mani Malana, died on19th December 2016.

May the souls of the departed rest in peace!

12.Tentative ProgrammeJanuary 2017

1 First Holy Communion at Soldierpet9-14 Retreat15 Thubadu18 Ibrahimpatnam21 Pamidi School Day24 Diaconate at Eluru28 Diaconate at Pune29 SFS Feast at Shantinagar

Yours fraternally in Christ,

Fr. P. Chinnappa Reddy msfs Provincial Superior

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HappyChristmas

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HappyNew Year

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Rev. Bro. Job Poovathumootil MSFSBro. Job was born on 2nd January 1930 of Joseph Job andMariamma at Koothrapally, Chenganacherry Diocese in KeralaState. After completing his secondary School education at St. JohnísHigh School, Nedukunnum, he joined the MSFS in theVisakhapatnam Mission. He was sent to Pune to do his Novitiate inpreparation for his religious profession which he made on 5th June1958 and he made his final commitment in 5th June 1961.

Then, he was first appointed at Parlakamidi in 1958. From there hewas transferred to Parvathipuram in 1962 where he worked for 4years. Thereafter he worked in the following places: Bishopís House,Vizag from 1966-1970; Pedda Boddepalli from 1970-1972;Vizianagaram from 1972-1974; Madugula from 1974-1976;Philipnagar from 1976-1978; Tanuku from 1978-1982; Penugondafrom 1982-1987; Tekkalipatnam from 1987-1998 where he renderedhis services as Director of Devadan Home for 11 years. Then hewas transferred to Mary Matha Shrine in 1998. He fell seriously ill2013 and was admitted in St. Josephís Hospital. After some monthsof treatment he was finally shifted to Stella Maris and was underconstant care. He was admitted time and again in the Hospital ashis health kept deteriorating for the last few months. Finally hebreathed his last on 26th November 2016 at 3.45 p.m. He was 86years old.

On 29th Novemeber 2016, at 9 a.m the Funeral Mass was celebrated.It was presided over by His Excellency, Most Rev. Dr. T. JosephRaja Rao, Bishop of Vijayawada Diocese, Andhra Pradesh,accompanied by the Provincial of Visakhapatnam, number of MSFSConfreres and Diocesan Priests of the Visakhapatnam Arch Diocese.It was well attended by a good number of Brothers, Religious Sisters,relatives and family members of Bro. Job and other faithful.

For the most part of his life worked in the mission centres and wasalways appreciated for his availability, patience and care for thepoor. He was a missionary to the core and was a prayerful person.He was very strict with his spiritual obligations too. His personalityand physical stature always drew people to him. As we grieve hisdeath, let us pray for his soul that God may grant him eternal rewardas promised to those who believe in Him.

MMMMMay his soul reay his soul reay his soul reay his soul reay his soul ressssst it it it it in pn pn pn pn peeeeeacacacacaceeeee!!!!!

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SALESIAN THOUGHTLove is the primary passion of our emotional desires, and aprimary element in that emotional faculty which is the will. Sothat to will is nothing more than to love what is good, and love isthe willing or desiring what is good. If we desire good for ourselveswe have what is called self-love; if we desire good for another wehave the love of friendship.” - St. Francis de Sales

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