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Editorial

A Call to be Risen People, Towards a New Life�

“The message of Easter is that God's new world has been unveiled in Jesus Christ and thatyou're now invited to belong to it” – N.T. Wright. Yes, the new life in Christ signifies living inhope. The saying of Martin Luther further illustrates it; “Our Lord has written the promise ofresurrection, not in books alone but in every leaf of springtime.” All those who met the RisenLord were filled with new hope, courage and strength. They were renewed and transformedcreating a great impact in the society by their very life. The articles on ‘Easter Special’ describethe invitation to live life courageously by permitting the will of God to realize in ones life. Theproclamation of God’s kingdom takes place by the way we live and share our life with oneanother.

The province was privileged to celebrate the mega events – the induction of the new provincialleadership team (PLT) and the journey of golden miles of Aulia and Rajkot mission. We aretruly grateful to the outgoing PLT for their committed and dedicated service in the growth anddevelopment of the province. At the same time we warmly welcome the new PLT and wishGod’s blessings on their new task. The twin jubilee of our mission stations marked the goldenjourney taken by our sisters and opened the pages of the history.

The articles on ministry visibly display the outcome of our sisters’ selfless service in the missionstations. They further speak about the importance given in uplifting the women and downtroddenboth in the city as well as interior villages. We acknowledge the devoted service rendered by oursisters in accomplishing the God given task. God bless you dear sisters.

May the festivity of the ‘Easter’ help us to trust that there is life beyond hope! Let every heartexperience the new life in Christ who conquered death.

Wishing you a Blessed and Joyful ‘Easter’!!!Wishing you a Blessed and Joyful ‘Easter’!!!Wishing you a Blessed and Joyful ‘Easter’!!!Wishing you a Blessed and Joyful ‘Easter’!!!Wishing you a Blessed and Joyful ‘Easter’!!!

Sr. Ganga Rawat SSpSSr. Ganga Rawat SSpSSr. Ganga Rawat SSpSSr. Ganga Rawat SSpSSr. Ganga Rawat SSpS

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Our Provincial Speaks...Our Provincial Speaks...Our Provincial Speaks...Our Provincial Speaks...Our Provincial Speaks...�I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die,

will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die� (John 11:25-

26). The message of Easter is all about New Life in Christ. As St. Paul writes in

his Letter to the Romans (6:4), �We have been buried with Him through baptism

into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of

the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life�.

New life in Christ calls for a radical change in our way of life, and it implies a

new beginning. This is exactly what happened to the disciples who met Jesus after

his Resurrection. The disciples who ran away when Jesus was arrested as well as

Peter who was so frightened and denied Jesus three times, were filled with the

power of the Holy Spirit after their encounter with the Risen Lord. The disciples

were totally transformed and empowered by the power of the Risen Lord and they

began to announce the Good News with courage and hope. Therefore, the new life

in Christ also signifies living in hope and joy. All those who encountered the Risen

Lord were filled with a new hope and dynamism to meet the challenges of their

new mission of evangelization. The Easter celebrates this new life in Christ which

makes God�s immense love visible in the world.

May the Risen Lord bless us and give us this new life in fullness! May we personally

encounter Jesus and experience his accompanying presence in our life�s journey.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful and renew a right spirit within us

so that we can become again a new people consecrated to God. I Wish you all a

meaningful and joyful Easter celebration!!!

The budding trees, the new flowers,

And birds that sweetly sing,

Whisper to me that it�s Easter.

Sr Geeta Joseph SSpS

Provincial Leader - INC

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The 16th March, 2013 was markedwith a new chapter in the historyof the province India Central asSr. Geeta Joseph the newlyelected provincial leader and theteam for the term of 2013 to 2016;walked towards the altar seekingGod�s blessings for their newmission.

The induction ceremony beganwith the invoking of the Holy Spiritby singing the solemn �Veni-Creator�. The meaningful prayerservice was led by Sr. Elsie K. Varghese theprovincial, Sr. Lissy Jose the communityleader, Sr. Jessy Mary Paul with theassistance of Srs. Sukanthi Tirkey andShobha Ekka. The whole service wasfocused on the theme �In Trust andGratitude..�- for all that has been thanks andfor all that will be yes. Sr. Elsie K. Varghese,in her introduction, welcomed the newprovincial leadership team, Srs. GeetaJoseph and her councillors, Srs. DeepaThomas, Grace Abraham, Manju Lakraand Gracy Ruban. She briefed herexperience of leading the province for thepast six years and thanked thecongregational leadership team, her teammembers, sisters and co-partners of themission in realizing the vision of theprovince.

The reading of the appointment letter ofnew PLT and handing over the�Constitutions� to Sr. Geeta by Sr. Elsie andBible by Sr. Rajni symbolically expressed

the entrusting of the province to the newleadership team. It was a moving momentfor all when the outgoing provincialleadership team walked towards thesanctuary carrying the lighted lamps in thehalf opened coconut representing thefullness of life and handed it over to thenew PLT who came to the sanctuarywalking over the Sal leaves (Adapted fromone of the north Indian cultures used as agesture of welcome). The new PLT thenplaced the lamps on the altar in a gestureof surrendering their lives to be led anddirected by the Spirit of God.

The induction ceremony reached itsculmination with a solemn Holy Eucharistpresided over by Fr. Nicholas Martis SVDthe provincial, India Central. In his homilyhe threw light on leadership, emphasisingthe aspect of God�s intervention in choosingpersons and sustaining them with theneeded strength. Followed by the Eucharist,

Province Events

In Trust and Gratitude!!!

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Province Events

Sr. Geeta and her team were solemnlytaken to the provincial�s office andfelicitated. With the accompaniment ofSailo dance the new PLT was merrily takento the dining room for the furthercelebration.

The presence of the community leadersand the communities in Indore added joyand solemnity to the occasion. We thankthe outgoing PLT and warmly welcome thenew PLT to lead us.

Sr. Jessy Mary Paul SSpS, Indore

Big Thanks and Warm Welcome...

�The essence of all beautifulart, all great art, is gratitude�- Friedrich Nietzsche. Lifethat stems from gratitudeblossoms wonderfully andobviously, you are the artistof your life. When wewarmly and joyfullywelcome the newprovincial leadership teamfor the years 2013 � 2016we cannot overlook thehard work and selfless service rendered bythe outgoing PLT. Their dedication andcommitment in designing the life of theprovince is definitely praise worthy. We aregrateful to Sr. Elsie K. Varghese theprovincial leader for the past six years ofher dynamic and devoted leadership (andsix years as provincial councillor) togetherwith her team members Srs. Geeta Joseph(three years), Rajni Ekka (three plus sixyears), Anjali John (six years) and JaisaAntony (three years).

�At times our own light goes out and isrekindled by a spark from another person.Each of us has cause to think with deepgratitude of those who have lighted the

flame within us.� - AlbertSchweitzer. Theresponsibility of leading theprovince and to keep theoriginal fire burning isn�t aneasy task. The outgoingPLT has played a great rolein keeping the spark ofmission burning by theirloving support to eachmember and community ofthe province in

accomplishing God�s will. They havediscerned and have taken right decisionsfor the good of the province and its mission.

Indeed we the members of the province areindebted to you dear sisters for yourvaluable and unreserved animation of theprovince in its welfare. You have madedeliberate steps in realizing its vision withenthusiasm and vigour. God bless you andmay you continue to experience theunfathomable love of God directing andguiding your life in materializing thekingdom of God.

�Rays� in particular take this opportunity tothank you Sr. Elsie K. Varghese for your

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constant support and encouragement in allof her publications. It was your initiative andgenuine effort that further strengthened herlife in multicolour. A big thanks to you dearSr. Elsie. She also cordially welcome the

Province Events

new leadership team, Sr. Geeta Joseph theprovincial leader and her team members,Srs. Deepa Thomas, Grace Abraham,Manju Lakra and Gracy Ruban.

Sr. Ganga Rawat SSpS, Indore

beautifully as tomorrow�s mature citizens.In prior preparations to the jubilee theschool conducted number of competitionssuch as quiz on general knowledge,elocution, book worm, story writing andessay writing for the students and teachersand the winners of 1st and 2nd prizes wereawarded. I appreciate and acknowledge theNirmalites who put their heart and mind tomake the day truly a golden andmemorable event.

The Chief Guest, Mr. Victor Macwan I.A.S.,The Guest of Honour, Most Rev. StanislausFernandez the Archbishop of Gandhinagarand Rt. Rev. Jose Chittooparambil theBishop of Rajkot enlightened the gatheringwith their thought provoking and inspiringspeech. Moreover, the presence of Bishops,Rev. Bishop Gregory Karotembarel, Rev.Bishop Emiretus, religious priests andsisters, SSpS sisters, parents, principals, ex-nirmalites, ex-teachers, well-wishers andthousands of people from far and wideadded further joy and colour to theoccasion. The welcome address by Sr. BettyMathew the principal of the school markedthe beginning of the jubilee function.

The Golden Moments!!!

In the Life of Nirmala Convent School, Rajkot

�Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. Itturns what we have into enough andmore...� - Melody Beattie. The 18th

December, 2012 was a golden-day ofgratitude celebrated by the NCS (NirmalaConvent School) family, Rajkot. And I takethis as my great privilege to shareconcerning the commemoration of thesegolden moments in the life of NCS. Theastounding evening began with the warmwelcoming of all the guests and visitorsespecially Sr. Theresa Unzu belonging tothe congregation of Christ Jesus whoseinitiative was the birth of NCS. The birthingof NCS took place in Koyna house nearJam Tower, Gujarat with minimum facilitieson 14th June, 1963. Since then the schoolrapidly grew up in flying colours holdingfast to its Motto, �Love in Service�.

�Put your heart, mind, intellect and souleven to your smallest acts. This is the secretof success� - Swami Sivananda. Yes, thesuccess of Nirmalites lies in thewholehearted cooperation of all itsmembers � parents, students and the entirestaff. The school is a platform for theseyoung buds of the nation to bloom

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Province Events

The stage opened in multi-coloursportraying ten vibrant states of India stating� �This indeed is the voice of a river�. yes,the voice of river Nirmala�; a ballet ��Swarnim Soor- (The Golden Notation)�which was the highlight of the programme.The ballet was a monologue ingrained withChutzpah, depicting the story of ourjourney through the past 50 years. Thecharacter �River Nirmala� took us all fromthe time of its foundress, Sr. Theresa Unzuto the present day. It depicted the steadygrowth of the school, its overall functionsin moulding every child as well as the greatprogress and success of her students whopassed out. The ballet, Swarnim Soor isthe result of deep thinking spiritualexperience and artistic ingenuity of Sr.Pushpanjali SSpS. Certainly, the audiencetasted the sweetness of our tradition,cultures and the spiritual wealth that oursages had handed over to us. It was moremeaningful today as our rich traditions arebeing hijacked by what we call the modern,fast track culture. It was indeed an amazingway of telling the story of Nirmala. Furtherthe performance ranged from the youngest

Nirmalites to the senior most ones. Theircolourful creative cultural programme forsure enthralled the whole audience.

Nirmalites have always had a special bondand are indebted to Spain as its foundress,Sr. Theresa Unzu and her sisters originatefrom that beautiful country. Therefore aSpanish dance was performed as the tributeto a multicultural Spanish society and tokenof love especially to Sr. Theresa. The lastbut not the least a carnival dance gave aninsight on the culture. It gave us a pictureof dynamic tool, to seek out our roots, tounite the world, to discover what we allhave in common and to celebrate whatmakes us different. The life of Nirmala wasunique from the beginning of its birth andit continues to be so. To preserve thismatchless heritage a documentary wasprepared �The Nirmal Speaks�, which wasa creative and amazing work by Sr. NishaSSpS. A part of the video was viewed tothe audience.

On a significant occasion like this, is achance to recognize and appreciate thosepersons who embedded into the history

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Province Events

of NCS in a very unique and special way.Sr. Elsie K. Varghese SSpS the provincialcum president of Nirmala Societyacknowledged the contributions of manyincluding Bishops, parents, sisters,teachers and other well-wishers. Manywere fel icitated with shawls andmementoes. Also the teacher, Sophie andthe Ayaben (worker), Sumithraben whoserved the school for long time with fidelityand enthusiasm were not forgotten theywere also felicitated. Finally Sr. Elsieexpressed her thanks to all others who inone or the other way had been a supportto the school especially the benefactors ofthe school from its inception. She alsothanked the Bishops the honorable ChiefGuest, Victor Macwan IAS, Guest ofHonour, invitees and dignitaries who spenttheir valuable time to grace the occasionby their presence.

Eckhart Tolle said, �Acknowledging thegood that you already have in your life isthe foundation for all abundance.� Todayas NCS stands on her golden threshold shegratefully acknowledges all Nirmalites andcontinues her mission of lighting the lampof knowledge to wipe away the ignoranceof darkness. She cherishes thoseunforgettable memories of the past andwelcomes the unseen yet the awaitingglorious moments of the bright future.Abraham Lincoln once said �I am asuccess today because I had a friend whobelieves in me and I didn�t have the heartto let Him down�. Nirmala is a successbecause we have faith in her. We wish thatthere will be many more such occasionsand we bow our heads to the Almightythat we may have the courage and hopeto go on�. Jai Nirmal Maria.

Sr. Sylvia SSpS, Rajkot

Foundation stone for St. Raphael’s Campus II in Biccholi, Foundation stone for St. Raphael’s Campus II in Biccholi, Foundation stone for St. Raphael’s Campus II in Biccholi, Foundation stone for St. Raphael’s Campus II in Biccholi, Foundation stone for St. Raphael’s Campus II in Biccholi, Indore was laid on23rd January, 2013. The groundbreaking ceremony was performedby Most Rev. ChackoThottumarickal SVD the Bishop ofIndore. Sr. Elsie K. Varghese theprovincial leader and sisters fromall three communities of Indorewere present on the occasion.Looking forward to the launchingof the St. Raphael’s campus II the

school has already taken 66 admissions for this year. St. Raphael’s Primary Schoolwould take care of their curriculum until the construction is complete.

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Province Events

Treading the Golden Miles � Aulia!

"I have but one candle of life to burn, and Iwould rather burn it out in a land filled withdarkness than in a land flooded with light"- John Keith Falconer. Today the Auliamission at its golden threshold salutesgratefully those candles of greatmissionaries whose life made the missionto what it is today. In the year 1963 ourSrs. Anfreda, Antonilde and Francis Marypioneered the mission. Their hard work,enthusiasm and zeal paved way to a bigglow of growth and development in thelives of all the beneficiaries. The vision ofthe missionwas educationand health andit is still beingcarried out byour sisters invarious ways.The humblebeginning stepby step grewup with properfacilities for theboarding children as well as a dispensaryfor the patients. Later St. Luke�s hospitalwas established for the people sufferingfrom Hansen�s disease.

"We are debtors to every man to give himthe Gospel in the same measure in whichwe have received it." - P.F. Bresee. We areindeed debtors until we share the love ofGod that we received freely in goodmeasure and the mission in Aulia is a visiblesign for it. The daring spirit of ourpioneering sisters to walk miles with no

facilities even conveyance to share God�slove is definitely praise worthy. Today weought to fan into flame in order to revivethe same spirit in carrying out our call tolive radically and proclaim the Lord by ourlife and mission. Certainly, hardships arepart of any venture. Our sisters did reallyundergo all barriers in accomplishing theGod given task. The mission today is theresult of that passionate and altruistic effort.15th January, 2013 marked this euphoricmomentum of treading those simple yetfervent steps taken by our sisters.

The hallmarkof these goldenyears beganin the monthof June, 2012with a smallprayer inthe communityand in theparish aswell. Thisin te rcessory

prayer prepared us to celebrate the festiveyear in a spirit of faith which brought us tothe culmination of the jubilee day. Althoughthe celebration wasn�t a pompous one yetit was very meaningful and memorable.The day was still significant as it was thefeast of St. Arnold our founder. The festivemood began as everyone got involved inone or the other activities to make the daybright and remarkable like decorations,setting of the tent, putting up the banners,choir, cultural programme, etc.

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Province Events

The golden hour commenced as theprocession moved to the altar set for theEucharist with the accompaniment ofrhythmic dancers. The main celebrant Rt.Rev. A.S. Durairaj the Bishop of Khandwa,concelebrants Fr. Kuriakose the VicarGeneral, Fr. Mathew K.V. the Dean andten other priests offered the Holy Eucharist.Sr. Antonette in her introduction welcomedeveryone to the auspicious day and sharedthe magnitude of the event. The liturgy wasmade very solemn especially by themelodious singing of the choir led by sisters,aspirants, boarders and few parishioners.Rev. Bishop Durairaj in his homilyappreciated the golden miles of all thoseworked in Aulia mission and asked theyoung sisters also to opt for such difficultmission.

The Holy Mass was followed by a short andsweet cultural programme performed byboarders, youth and aspirants. The ChiefGuest, Rev. Bishop Durairaj, the pioneer,

Sr. Francis Mary, the parish priest,Fr. Sakkaidas, Fr. Kuriakose the VicarGeneral, Fr. Mathew K.V. the dean,Sr. Elsie K. Varghese the provincial leader,Sr. Elsy Kochappan representing the pastsuperiors and Sr. Antonette the presentsuperior were honoured with shawls.Sr. Elsie in her address to the gatheringthanked the pioneering as well as thepresent sisters who with much dedicationand commitment served the missiondevotedly. With gratitude she recalled allthe benefactors whose generositysupported the mission in its progress.Further a Hindi Bible for each family wasgiven as memento of the golden jubilee.The programme concluded with thethanksgiving speech by Sr. Ganga Rawatfollowed by a delicious meal for all. Thepresence of all the distinguished guests, oursisters and parishioners (about 300 people)made the day wonderful and memorable.

Sr. Antonette SSpS, Aulia

Overwhelmed with Joy I recall...

Courage, daring spirit and strong faith arethe charisma of true missionaries. On 3rd

March, 1963 I deeply felt this pinch ofwalking in faith to an unknown land, Auliawith two of my companions, Srs. Anfredaand Antonilde. We were accompanied byFr. Hoffstee SVD. There weren�t properroads or conveyance like nomads weproceeded to Aulia with no security of lifebut totally dependent on God. Dashingover the stones, shaking and jumping overpits and blocks we moved forward through

the dusty road aspiring to proclaim theGood News to the people there. Thus wereached and entered our simple housewhich was just enough to meet our needs.The people were very poor yet they werewarm at heart.

As Hudson Taylor said, "God isn't lookingfor people of great faith, but for individualsready to follow Him�. Our readiness andwilling heart to uplift the downtrodden wasimmensely blessed by Him who sent usthere. We never lacked His providence

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Province Events

especially during the mission in its infancy.Definitely, there were uphill struggles butin the course of time the mission progressedquite well by His grace. Several girl childrenwere educated and the seed of faith wassown in the hearts of the villagers. Theboarding had been an instrument in thesuccess of thousands of girl children ofwhom many are still drawing a goodamount of governmentsalary. The opening ofthe dispensary solved theissue of villagers walkingmiles to get medicationfor minor illness as well asfor the first aid in case ofemergency.

The arrival of Sr.Christabaldis was a new-birth for the people who were sufferingfrom Hansen�s disease. She reached outto them with love and compassioncleaning their stinking rotten sores andputting medicines. The people who wereconsidered out-cast and unholy began tofeel accepted as human; gradually their lifebegan to change. Her motherly carehealed their broken heart much more than

the crippled body due to the dreadeddisease.

The mission grew up steadily withdedicated and committed service of themissionaries down the years. Today whenI look at it I am wonderstruck at the way ithas grown � the good road, better boardingfacilities, access to modern technology, etc.I appreciate the creative and innovative

efforts of our sisters bothpast and the present insustaining the missionspirit. As the missioncelebrates the golden yearmy heart overwhelmswith joy and gratitude toGod and I fondlyremember two of myother companions who

left for eternal home. I also cherish the yearsI spent working for the people of Aulia evenin the later years. As I treasure all these fondmemories I thank my God who allowed meto witness this great day. I wish and praythat the mission may continue uplifting theless fortunate of our society.

Sr. Francis Mary SSpS, Dahod

Hearty Congratulations and God’s BlessingsHearty Congratulations and God’s BlessingsHearty Congratulations and God’s BlessingsHearty Congratulations and God’s BlessingsHearty Congratulations and God’s Blessings

Hearty congratulations to the newly appointed Bishop of Udaipur, MostRev. Devprasad Ganawa SVD. We wish him God’s immense blessings

in shepherding the diocese.

We also gratefully acknowledge the devoted service of our Emeritus BishopMost Rev. Joseph Patalil especially to us SSpS sisters. We are truly indebted to himfor the loving support and guidance received right through our mission in Udaipur.

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Province Events

Ongoing Formation, 2012

A Journey to Inner-freedom

�If you do not express your own original ideas, if

you do not listen to your being, then you will have

betrayed yourself.� - Roll May. To journey inward

with a listening heart of course is a great challenge.

At the same time the failure to listen to the

deeper self is equal to betraying ourselves as said

by Roll May. This was our experience during the

�Ongoing Formation� for the age group of 45 to 55.

It was to be the first SVD � SSpS combined ongoing

formation. The programme was planned to be held

at Atma Dharshan, Mumbai but couldn�t be held as

only few priests volunteered. Therefore the

programme was

shifted to convent

Anugraha from

3rd to 7th

December, 2012.

We were twenty

SSpS from all

provinces. Five of

us from our

province namely

Srs. Bridget, Rosily P., Jona, Angel, and I took part

and benefited from it. The resource persons were

Fr. Tony D�souza SJ and Fr. Ittoop Panikulam SVD.

The theme for the programme was, �A Journey to

Inner - Freedom�

The programme commenced with Holy Eucharist

presided over by Frs. Tony SVD and Ittoop SVD.

The first day�s session by Fr. Tony D�souza SJ

enlightened us on living life with awareness. The

question �Why I do what I do?� made us ponder about

our way of life lived and shared. The thought

provoking session by Fr. Ittoop SVD further

deepened our understanding on �Inner-Freedom�.

The understanding of the call as shared by him, �To

be a person is my dignity and to exercise my freedom

for love, and becoming more and more a person is

my destiny, my first and great responsibility� in short

summarizes the whole of his session. We also had

the opportunity to have guided meditations in his

place, �Dhyan Kutir�.

As for me the seminar was a time to journey

inward to understand my person as a whole.

Moreover, I also understood why we behave the

way we behave.

The knowledge

that freedom is a

gift and it is

my birth-right lets

me to l ive the

life meaningfully.

The programme

ended with

Holy Eucharist

presided over by Fr. Ittoop in which we all offered

a symbol depicting our person. As a whole it was

very meaningful, enriching and a chance to be

together. I take this opportunity to thank Sr. Elsie

and her team, our sisters in the community who

freed us from our responsibilities and Frs. Tony

and Ittoop who accompanied us in discovering our

inner-self. We are also grateful to Srs. Ancy Jacob

and community whose loving hospitality made our

stay comfortable and for providing us with a silent

and peaceful atmosphere for our reflections and

prayer.

Sr. Shenila Thayil SSpS, Udaipur

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Province Events

My Inner Journey

I was privileged to attend the �OngoingFormation� for the age group of 45 to 55in Anugraha, Mumbai from 3rd to 7th

December, 2012. The theme �A Journeyto Inner Freedom� helped me to walk intomy shadows courageously. It was awonderful experience of inner freedomand growth. Besides, it was apersonal journey inward to tapthe potentials that I had by thegrace of God. I realized thateach one of us in one or theother way are stuck in life andare unable to travel across theroad to life. This happens tous because unconsciously weallow ourselves to function theway our mind desires to act.

�Just when I think I havelearned the way to live, lifechanges� � Hugh Prather. Yes, it is whenwe have learned the way to live our life it isthen we turn to be people who are peaceradiating. The seminar was one suchexperience for me. It helped me to obtainthe fruits of the Spirit such as peace, joy,self control and courage. The scripturalpassage, �May God strengthens your innerself through His Spirit according to theriches of His glory� (Eph. 3:16) once again

affirmed my understanding and learningabout my person.

I found the seed of God within myselfwhich needs to be nurtured, treasured andcared. Any seed that is sown requiressufficient care like water, sun, weeding,manure, etc. so also my life. My inner-being

also needs adequate love, careand acceptance. It is then Ibegin to grow like the seed withits new shoots and fresh leavesthereby bearing the right fruits.Having dealt with my shadowsI entered into the core of mybeing where the seed of Godwas simply buried to rise withnewness of love, peace and joy.The inner freedom helped meto move from fear to love - Amindful and choiceful life. The

knowledge that none can take away myfreedom but can restrict or unfold; meaningto say that nobody has the power to depriveme of my true freedom without mypermission. The gift of freedom that weenjoy is from God the author of every lifehere on earth. So I wish and pray that mayall of us have the grace to celebrate thisinner-freedom at every moment of our life.

Sr. Jona SSpS, Indore

Hearty Welcome and Best Wishes:Hearty Welcome and Best Wishes:Hearty Welcome and Best Wishes:Hearty Welcome and Best Wishes:Hearty Welcome and Best Wishes: We warmly welcome you dear Sr.Pushpa Thomas back to our province India Central. We also wish God’s

immense blessings upon you in living the call to spread the kingdom of God.

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Province Events

A Unique Celebration of the Province Day!!!

We the pre-novices, aspirants andcandidates came together along with ourdirectresses to celebrate the province dayon 6th February, 2013 at Holy SpiritConvent, Indore. The meaningful morningprayer evoked in us sincere sentiments ofgratefulness for the wonders God hasworked in the life of our SSpS in India. Withgratitude we remembered our first fourpioneer sisters who rendered theirdedicated service to the people. Some ofour companions dressed in habitrepresented the pioneering sisters whichcreated their presence amidst us.Before prayer we gathered in the lawnand then wentin processionto the chapelsinging �Veni-Creator�. Wethanked Godfor all thosemissionariesalong with ourIndian sistersw h o s ecommitment, devotion and hard work gavenew directions to our provinces and nowgrowing vibrantly.

The first get-together of all formees in theprovince was an opportunity to know theroots of our province and congregation.Besides, it was a time of being togethersharing our talents and abilities with eachother. The get-together helped us tounderstand that each of us are unique andit is in putting together these unique gifts

and talents we become bearers of GoodNews. The sharing by Sr. Pushpa Maryabout her mission experience in Brazilboosted our spirits to be future missionaries.Through competitions and being togetherwe learned to be more creative, co-operative and responsible individuals.Together each one of us accomplishedmore... and together we made a difference.�Small things happen when we are singleand Great things happen when wemingle...�

It is only a matter of faith one has in oneselfand the courage to risk one�s own life at

the service ofothers thathelps us toachieve whatwe want inlife.

Let usremember asaying ofJesus that wehave the

power to move the mountains if only wehave faith as big as the mustard seed. Wewould like to take this opportunity to thankSr. Elsie K. Varghese our provincial leaderand her team for arranging the formees get-together. We thank our directresses, Srs.Manju, Lavina, Jessy, Sukanti & Shobhafor organizing the whole programme verysystematically.

Pre-novices - Khandwa

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Easter Special

Alleluia! The Lord is Risen

Unity, intimacy and integrity are the threespiritual qualities of the resurrected life. Weare called to break through the boundariesof nationality, race, age and mentalcapacities and create a unity of love thatallows the weakest among us to live well.We are called to a spiritualintimacy that involves body,mind and heart. A call to let goof all the old ways of feelinggood about ourselves thusreach out to the many facetsof our humanity inintegration. These are the call toresurrection while anticipatingin our daily lives throughspiritual unity, intimacy andintegrity.

It was not a spectacular event forcing peopleto believe rather, it was an event for thefriends of Jesus who had known Him,listened and believed in Him. It was a veryintimate event: a word here, a gesture there� small, hardly noticed but with the potentialto CHANGE. Mary Magdalene heard hername; John and Peter saw the empty graveand Jesus� friends felt their heart�s burn inencounters. All had remained the same

while all had changed. CHANGE isessential.

I was thinking why nobody recognizedJesus immediately. They thought He is agardener or a ghost. However, when such

similar gesture repeated likebreaking of bread, inviting

them to try another catch offish, sharing a meal, etc. His

friends realized that He was therefor them. The old Jesus is gone.

They no longer can be with Himas before.

The resurrection storiesreveal the ever- presenttension between coming and

leaving, intimacy and distance, holding andletting go, indwelling and mission, presenceand absence. Resurrection of Jesus puts uson the journey to the full realization of thepromise given to us. Jesus says, �I am withyou for your task in the world, so continuewhat I have begun, for from now on youare the bearers of Good News. Yes, Mayour Risen Lord help each of us to becomeeffective agents of CHANGE.

Sr. Tresa SSpS, Indore

Kudos to Sr. Rosily Panjikaran SSpS:Kudos to Sr. Rosily Panjikaran SSpS:Kudos to Sr. Rosily Panjikaran SSpS:Kudos to Sr. Rosily Panjikaran SSpS:Kudos to Sr. Rosily Panjikaran SSpS: Shewas awarded once again for her remarkableservice to the women domestic workers cumgirl children on 6th January, 2013 at Indore.

She was honoured by ‘Madhya PradeshWelfare Association for the Blind Children’.

RAYS 15

Easter Special

EASTER � A Wake-up Call to be Risen People

EASTER is the celebration of Jesus�

resurrection. God the Father raised Jesusfrom the dead; this is the foundation of ourlife and faith, the base of Easter celebration.Easter heralds a new dawn. It is thebeginning of a new life beckoning us toresurrect. We must know our personal life

situations at times lie low and there is a needto be resurrected. It could be oursinful tendencies or certainweakness that we struggle to getrid off.

I remember an occasion in thisregard, that struck me verystrongly. One day I waswalking and meditating inthe early hours of the day.

At a particular place Istepped over some dry leaves.The dry leaves got crushedunder my feet with a sudden cry. Then Iwanted to know what would happen tothe green leaves so I deliberately stepped

on them. Neither the sound of cry nor thecrushing took place. Those leaves weretotally unaffected. It brought to my minda unique realization a point for reflection.When we are lifeless like the dry leavesevery little pressure is felt like a thunderous

bolt. If we are filled with the life-givingSpirit of God, we cannot be crushed soeasily. Mostly, hurt people tend to hurtothers. For a person who believes inintrospection and reflection, it should bea golden opportunity to actualize the

saying �know thyself�.

Every faulty behavior arises fromignorance. At times we lack properunderstanding of other person, their viewsand perspectives, beliefs and frame of mind.Without right knowledge we wrongly judgeothers. Any type of judgmental nature canbring harm to oneself. Easter is a time toexperience newness and renewal of life.Renewal is possible when we are ready and

willing to resurrect. When werealize our need for beingraised, it enables us to resurrectfrom our weaknesses like,malicious anger, hatred orjealousy. We cannot beentombed in ignorance as wellas sing Alleluia. Through ourvery profession of beingreligious we are called to berisen people.

Forty days of sincerepreparation for Easter must help us torecognize our real identity as the image ofGod. Accordingly His wisdom andintelligence are bestowed on us. Like therays of the sun envelop the earth excepton cloudy days we are enveloped by thelight and life of God. The clouds of negativethoughts and attitude block the rays of Godfrom flowing to us. Every time we celebratethe feast of Easter, it should be a wake-upcall to be risen people and a time to re-claim our divinity within and around us.May the grace and peace of the Risen Lordhelp us to be Resurrected people.

Sr. Vimla Jacob SSpS, Indore

16 RAYS

Easter Special

Save me Father

On 16th January, 2013 the Holy Spirit School, Khandwa had the blessingand inauguration of its new building, English medium section. HeartyHeartyHeartyHeartyHearty

Congratulations Congratulations Congratulations Congratulations Congratulations to our Sisters and all those who are involved ingetting the building complete.

more important than the life of His onlySon. The man in the story chose to savethousands while his son died under his nosemiserably. If an earthly father could go tothat extend in order to save many lives, howmuch more will our Heavenly Father do

for His beloved children?Jesus died and gave us newlife. The cry of His son,�Father, why have youforsaken me?� still echoes inHis ears. Yes, at the sheddingof Jesus� blood the heavenlybridge is left open for us whooften fails to know andunderstand the depth ofAbba�s love.

In this modern individualisticage it is rather amazing that we still findpeople like the man at the bridge. The worldmoves smoothly with the presence of suchpeople who readily sacrifice their ownpersonal interest for the sake of others.When �LOVE� begin to reign things change.May this season that prepares us tocelebrate the joy of our salvation help us togrow in the awareness of that profound lovewhich dwells deep in us.

Sr. Sheela D�silva SSpS, Pune

In one of my theology classes the professorshared a story about a man who sacrificedhis son for thousands of passengers and Iwas deeply moved by it. The man was themonitor of Pumpen Bridge (built across thesea) in Chennai. On that fateful day he hadto close the bridge as soon asthe ship crossed so that thetrain could pass by. As he wasstruggling to turn the wheelhis son arrived with meal andaccidently the child wascaught up in the giant wheelcrying, �Save me father�. Nowbeing a father he had todecide to let his son die beforehim or let thousands die. Hechose to save the lives ofthousands and watched theson being totally crushed under the hugewheel. The cry of his son, �Save me father�continued to echo in his ears.

The story of the man conveys the messageof God�s unfathomable love for Hiscreatures. He could have saved His onlySon - Jesus when He cried out, �Father, ifpossible take this cup away from me��(Mk. 14: 36) but He chose to save us. Theredemption of the whole humanity was

RAYS 17

Easter Special

Endurance Paves the Way to Glory�

There are only two ways to live your life.One is as though nothing is a miracle. Theother is as though everything is a miracle.�� Albert Einstein. Life indeed is a greatmiracle when we begin to understand thisconcept of life. As my name portrays,�Rose�, meaning the flower with lovelyfragrance invites me to take life in the samespirit. The call to spread the fragrance oflove, peace and joy as SSpS makes me feelthat every moment of my life is a miracle.However, when weare faced with painand suffering it is achallenge at thesame time aninvitation to accept itin faith. I understoodthis very fact deeplyin the year 2008when my back leftme with discomfortand aches caused due to a fall. In the courseof time especially in the year 2010 it furtheraggravated with an accident and gave mean opportunity to know the depth of myfaith in Jesus.

Although I was anxious and rather worriedI went ahead with my life believing thatGod knows it better until that day when Iwas told to undergo a small surgery. �Justwhen you think it can't get any worse, itcan. And just when you think it can't getany better, it can.� - Nicholas Sparks. Howtrue is the saying! I thought that it wouldbe ok but it wasn�t and it caused me notjust a small surgery but a major one. The

12th September, 2012 was the day wheremy faith was greatly tested. In the surgicalroom of Holy Spirit Hospital, Mumbai withpowerful lights on me, I lie lifeless,vulnerable and defenceless leaving my lifeto the hands of those doctors. �Not a hairwill perish from your head without myknowledge� (Lk. 21: 18). Yes, He did takecare of every aspect and gifted me withnew life. Definitely, every surgery andespecially when it is a major one the pain

and aches arebeyond one�sability. However,�Life is like riding abicycle. To keepyour balance, youmust keep moving.�- Albert Einstein. Ihad to move onamidst thevulnerability and

confusions about life and its meaning. Thepain was terrible that I could no moretolerate it and I cried loudly squeezing thehands of those around me in support.

The unanswerable questions like, why meand why do I have to go through suchtorture; began to hover over my head likebees on the flowers. The total dependencyon others, the uncertainty of the future,lifeless and terribly aching body made mefeel frustrated and often upset. There camemany voices whispering into my ears:�Through your suffering others will behealed�, �It�s your cross you have to carryit� and �Surrender everything into God�s

18 RAYS

Easter Special

hand�; was it all answer to my physical,mental and spiritual agony sobbed myheart. While wrestling with all these chaos Icould sense the still-voice of my Lord,�Trust, all shall be well again� left me withhope and courage to get on to my feetagain. Behind every suffering there is anawaiting greater joy and the Easter morningis the visible example for it. It was theCalvary experience of Jesus that broughtglory to Him and through Him our ownredemption.

God didn't promise days without pain,laughter without sorrow, or sun withoutrain, but He did promise strength for theday, comfort for the tears, and light for theway. �If God brings you to it, He will bringyou through it�. Yes, He brought me outvery safe and sound through all those hightides. But it was not all over, the test of faithcontinued even after reaching my home inIndore. With enthusiasm and vigour Imoved around doing exercises and meetingsisters. I know not how it all began againbut the pain was so intense that I couldn�tbear it. I was taken to Bombay Hospital,Indore where the doctor suspected havinginfection in the operated area. This wasanother storm that tested my faith.

�Nothing is more honorable than a gratefulheart� says Seneca. My heart is indebtedto my God, my sisters, doctors, nurses, mypeople at home and all who supported mein prayer. I would like to thank very speciallySr. Elsie K. Varghese the provincial leaderand her team, Srs. Lissy Devassy, Lydia,Monica, Jona, Geeta Veera, Ancy andcommunity. I too am grateful to Sr. Marionwho was an instrument in keeping my spiritalive by sharing her own life and giving mecommunion everyday.

Life teaches us various lessons in bothevents of pleasant and unpleasant. Allowingthese graces to transform our inner-self andradiate it to others is how we become trulyfruitful and life-giving persons. Jesus boreour suffering and freed us 2000 years agoand continues to free us from all that bindsus with His profound love. This is the�Easter� message; the message to be patientand endure all the hardships believing thatHe would one day glorify it. So I wish thatthe greetings of Paschal Mystery resonateto everyone especially who are in difficultsituations. The Lord is Risen!!! Alleluia..Alleluia..

Sr. Antony Rose SSpS, Indore

Habemus Papam – We Have a New PopeHabemus Papam – We Have a New PopeHabemus Papam – We Have a New PopeHabemus Papam – We Have a New PopeHabemus Papam – We Have a New PopePope Francis, the first Latin American Pope (Argentinean)

made his first public appearance on 13th March, 2013wearing simple white robes and bending low seeking

blessings from people gathered at St. Peter’s Square beforehe extended the papal blessings. The Church rejoices andseeks God’s immense blessings upon her new Shepherd.

RAYS 19

Easter Special

Glory to Him who rescued me!

A supper so delicious and gorgeousThe meal of love, the life of God

Broken and shared to His creatures

Generously and in abundance.

On that day so preciousHe set an example by washing the feet

The feet of His disciples the inheritorsThus showed His zenith love so very dear

To be practiced down the ages to come.

Then came the decisive hour so dreadfulIn the garden of Gethsemane so fortunate

To hold the heavy heart of its Creator

And assure shelter for a whileTo be in communion with His Father dear

For the hour was so crucial and fearsome.

Sweat of blood wet the rock that heldHis sacred hand in folded palms

Tears of anxiety and insecurity

Rolled, down the cheek so holy and tender�Father� let it pass away if you will�

Cried the celestial heart in bitterness.

Oh! The time of darkness is herebyAlarmed the earth in shudder

But fast asleep were the chosen onesFor they knew not the tempest

The reign of evil so horrifying.

�Rise, let�s be going..�

Came the voice so gentleRubbing the sleepy eyes they woke

Just to see their MasterDragged by a crowd in rage

Chain bound, pushed and pulled.

Scattered were they in fear of deathAnd watched Him tortured from distanceOne betrayed the other deniedYet did He love them just as they areFor He had known the glory awaitingThe glory foretold by ancient prophets.

Thus the spotless lamb was sacrificedUpon Calvary on cross a sign of shameBrutal soldiers nailed and killedThe savior the author of creationThe end of passion led to gloryGiving hope for all who struggle in lifeWas the message for all ages to come.

When my ailing body feels so downAnd I see no ray of hope ahead in lifeAnxiety, frustration takes my peace awayI recall the path treaded by my LordFor He has promised me peace eternalThe joy that every soul longs for.

Thanks to my Lord who redeemed meGlory to Him the author of my life�For He is worthy of all my praise�Glory to Him who rescued me!Glory to Him who set me free!

Sr. Cini George SSpS, Indore

20 RAYS

UDAY News

Uday Community Development Project, Badi Dhamini

Self Help Groups (SHGs) Meeting

with Aajeevika � NRLM: Aajeevika �NRLAM (National Rural LivelihoodMission) under the ministry of ruraldevelopment had a meeting with our SHGsin the month of February, 2013. Themission aims at creating efficient andeffective institutional platformsfor the rural poor enablingthem to increase householdincome through sustainablelivelihood enhancements andimproved access to financialand selected public services.NRLM has been set with anagenda to reach out andmobilize 7.0 Crore BPLhouseholds, across 600districts, 6000 blocks, 2.5 lakhGram Panchayats, 6.0 lakhvillages in the country, into self-managedSHGs and federated institutions andsupport them for livelihoods collectives. Inaddition, the poor would be helped toachieve increased access to their rights,entitlements and public services, diversifiedrisk and better social indicators ofempowerment.

We came to know about the missionthrough Mr. Peter, Mr. Mukesh Patidhar

and Miss. Seema of the NGOs working inthe district of Jhabua. Although theydiscussed with us we weren�t convincedabout it. Hence we arranged a meeting withthem in the presence of Sr. Lizy Thomas,Fr. Jacob Péénikaparambil CMI andAnimators of nine SHGs. Thereafter the

Ajeevika personnel met all the nine SHGsof the village separately. Finally in themonth of February Aajeevika group metall the members of SHGs in Gram Sabhawhere all unanimously agreed to open onebank account for all the nine SHGs. Theprogramme is already in the process ofcompletion.

Sr. Nirmala Marandi SSpS,

Badi Dhamini

On 7th March, 2013 at Gurudwara, Indore the Sikh Community honouredvarious religious women working for the women empowerment.

Srs. Rosily Panjikaran and Geeta Joseph were also chosen for this award.Congratulations to our sisters!!!ongratulations to our sisters!!!ongratulations to our sisters!!!ongratulations to our sisters!!!ongratulations to our sisters!!!

RAYS 21

UDAY News

Uday Community Development Project, Dharampuri

Seminar on Sex Education: Common sayingslike, ‘Health is wealth’ and ‘Prevention is betterthan cure’ say about giving importance to health.Considering this very fact we organized a seminaron ‘Sex Education’ on 11th January, 2013. Theresource person was Mrs. Raj Kishori the stafffrom Khandwa Diocese Social Service. Theseminar was precisely meant for the drop out girlsfrom the villages of Dharampuri, Pathara andSarai. The awareness programme was to assistthe girls to know about their body and its functions.Thirty three girls from the villages and 8th standardgirls from the Government Middle School,Dharmapuri attended and benefitted from theseminar.

Mrs. Raj Kishori through her thought-provokingsession made the girls become aware of theimportance of having dignity. She enlightened thegirls as to how they are abused, exploited andbattered in their own homes, society and countryat large. They were given time to discuss in groupsalso to share their personal experiences of beingvictimized to any such torture. Besides these,there were also group activities to help them comeout with their ideas and insights. All of them werehappy about the seminar and expressed that itwas very helpful and meaningful session.

Awareness Class on Health and Hygiene forSHGs: Health and hygiene can never beunderstated. Good hygienic practices assure goodhealth and it ensures social acceptance and self-confidence in persons. In the interior villagespeople hardly give importance to health andhygiene as they are illiterate and lack properfacilities. Hence they are easily prone to get manydiseases and make them further vulnerable to

poverty. Realizing the significance of hygiene inthe lives of villagers, an awareness class on‘Health and Hygiene’ was conducted on the sameday for the SHGs.

The session was made very interesting andattractive with documentaries on womenempowerment. Twenty two members from thethree SHGs participated and benefitted from it.They were made to become aware of theirpotentials as women who have the power to makedifference in the families and societies. Mrs. RajKishori stressed the necessity to attend the ‘GramSabha’ meetings which would enable them toknow the available schemes and the right use oftheir power as citizens of the country. The shortfilm on ‘Health and Hygiene’ helped the womenbecome aware of the importance of hygienic life.As a result they decided to make toilet facility forevery house and some of them have alreadybegun the work. The session further proved goodby the result on 26th January, 2013 as few of themattended the Gram Sabha meeting and demandedthe available government scheme for the toiletfacilities.

Sr. Brigit John SSpS, Dharampuri

22 RAYS

UDAY News

Uday Slum Development Project, Bhopal

Public Hearing: Every governmentdepartment which serves the public oughtto have a functional public hearingdepartment. This takes place on Tuesdayin the presence of all the concernedauthorities of the department. It gives thepublic an opportunity to get solutions totheir concerns especially when they aredenied of the available schemes andservices. After the hearing, the officialsanswer in written form to the applicationssubmitted.

The above said provisions were made useby the women in Jatkhedi and Bagmugalia.The municipalityr e s p o n d e dquickly to theireight applicationsregarding thesewage blockage.Besides this, therequest for newtoilets is also onthe process of itscompletion. The self-help groups of womenalso submitted their applications for wastecontainers in different areas of the slum. Inresponse to their requests three wastecontainers were provided along with twomain places for the waste collectionsmoreover, provision is also made for theremoval of waste. The remainingapplications were for life insurance schemesto people belonging to below poverty line,contingency employment and medical aidwhich would be answered in a month time.

Children�s Parliament: The school goingchildren from Jatkhedi slum were motivatedto form a group of their own. This was tohelp them find solutions to the problemsthey frequently face. There, they wereintroduced to C.P - �Children�s Parliament�in which they showed lot of interest. Thus�Children�s Parliament� was initiated andthey elected ministers among themselvesfor health, education, sports and all rounddevelopment.

Thereafter the respective ministers tookoath to be faithful to their responsibilitiesand work for the development of the

children in theslum. They alsodecided to holdthe meeting of allthe electedministers onevery Saturday.This is beingp r a c t i c e dregularly by the

group.

The outcome of their meeting was wellportrayed on Republic Day. The childrenbelonging to C.P wrote and enacted ashort play. It depicted the importance ofbasic education as well as the reality ofthousands of children being forced to childlabour in order to support their familyinstead of exercising his/her right toeducation. The programme was wellappreciated by all.

Sr. Rosina Joseph SSpS, Bhopal

RAYS 23

UDAY News

Indore Domestic Workers Solidarity (Uday)Eliza … A Child, Deprived of Parental Care:

The pain or agony know notLooks so gloomy and sad

Lonesome for sure was sheLonging to have someone

Someone to comfort and careSomeone to say as her own:

The poem clearly portrays the life of Eliza(fictitious name) a fifteen year old girl. Shewas an illegitimate child who becameorphan as her mother became mentally ill.When she was just three years her motherrequested Mrs. Annakutti a nursing tutor inMaharaja YashvandsinghHospital, Indore to give thema shelter. The good womanwas kind enough so sheaccommodated them in theworker�s quarters. The childgrew up there taking care ofMrs. Annakutti�s grand child.Her mother Mercy (fictitiousname) used to go out at anytime of the day and nightwhich didn�t please Annakutti. Knowing thiswould affect the child she put her in thehostel run by Augustinian Sisters andeducated her until 6th class in NirmalaConvent School, Sendwa. Thereafter sheput her in government school, Pipliyana inIndore where she did her 7th to 9th classes.Meanwhile Mercy became mentally ill andwas with Mother Theresa ashram inAshadam, Khandwa.

Although the child received all the care tocome up in life but she didn�t. She was

depressed and misbehaving. She began todevelop friendship with slum boys andstarted to lead an unhealthy life. It was atthis stage Annakutti got retired and wasappointed by the same medical departmentto train the village health workers. SinceEliza�s character was rapidly changingAnnakutti didn�t want to take risk thus shesent her to the remand home, Baakhaghar,Indore where the victims of domesticviolence stay.

In January 2013 one of our staff happenedto visit Baakhaghar and thereshe met her. We decided to findthe whereabouts of the childand it took weeks for us to findout all details about her asmentioned above. Althoughnobody is allowed to talk to theinmates there they permitted usas the child was catholic and Iwas a religious sister. Since oneyear she stays there without

any further studies. It is quite saddening tosee her living a life of uncertainty. How coulda child grow normal when he/she is deprivedof parental love and joy-filled childhood?One could easily read in the eyes of Elizathe pain and longing for someone�saffectionate touch which she elicits bymisbehaving. We are still trying to help herfind a place. And we are hopeful to find asuitable place where she could grow tomaturity and achieve her heart�s desire.

Sr. Rosily Panjikaran SSpS, Indore

24 RAYS

Ministries

Empowerment of Women

Empowerment of women has emerged as animportant issue in our society in the recent years.There is a greater awareness about women’srights among all sections of the society.Empowering girls is the key to breaking the cyclesof discrimination and violence experienced bywomen. Our boarding and hostels are the meansto empower women. We focus on their wholesomedevelopment by providing them with the trainingon leadership and Karate. The variouscompetitions on several topics help them grow withcourage and self confidence. They are also givenfaith formation and characterbuilding sessions. Weencourage them to grow asgood citizens, house wives,mothers, teachers and leaders.

Vishwas, Khandwa carries outyet another ministry in the samecampus that focuses on womenempowerment. Women, to a great extent areencouraged to participate in legal counseling,income generation activities, support group ofwomen at the village level, mutual support groupand linking women to banks and other schemesavailable for them. A lot many opportunities areprovided like education for their children,networking with other NGOs and awarenesssessions on heath issues especially reproductivehealth and HIV /AIDS.

God created woman in his own image andlikeness and that God saw her very good. Whenwe work with girl children and women I feel it isa journey back to the part of the history ofhumanity which is expressed in the scripture. Weread about Judith, Esther, Ruth, Samaritanwoman and Mother Mary who shaped the history

of the church. The Magnificat is an example forwomen:

My soul glorifies the LordMy spirit rejoices in God my SaviorFor He has looked with favor on His lowly servantAnd from this day on all generation will call me

Blessed.”

It is not merely a spiritual song, but Mary roseabove the barriers into a political and social realm.She realized that she is able to contribute to theMission of the Lord. Nehru said once: “I am quite

sure that the future of India willprobably depend ultimatelymore upon the women than themen”. If women areencouraged to think, to learnand to come out of theirdependence, the family will beawakened and then the village

will move, the country and the world as well.

Hence all forms of violence such as physical,mental, psychological and sexual violence againstgirls and women must be condemned. As we workfor the development of girls in our hostels, womenstaff and domestic workers we focus towards asociety where the women live with dignity andrespect. What we need is not some moredocuments denouncing injustice against womenbut a firm practical commitment eliminatingviolence against them that is so widespread inour society. If this takes place their lives would bebeautiful with the feminine nature having betterunderstanding of each other with love andcompassion. Then we, women become amessage…..a blessing for all …..

Sr. Vinita Joseph SSpS, Khandwa

RAYS 25

Ministries

Rally on World AIDS Day 2012, Khandwa

Vishwas, Khandwa celebratedthe �World AIDS Day�, 2012 ina unique way by taking out arally through the city. Theobjective of the rally was tocreate awareness on HIV/AIDSamong the students as well ason the general public.Therefore, a special effort wasmade to gather students from asmany schools as possible. Thesupport of 14 schools of the city,Industrial Technical Institute,Education Department, PoliceDepartment, the CityMagistrate, Khandwa diocese and manywell-wishers made the rally a successfulone.

The preparations to take the rally beganwell in advance. Since the day was declaredwith rule � 144 we also had to go throughnumber of procedures in order to get thepermission. The Chief Guest of the eventwas Dr. R.C. Panika (CHMO) of Khandwaand the Guest of Honor was Rt. Rev.Bishop A. S. Durairaj SVD and other guestswere Fr. Philip the Public Relations Officerof Khandwa diocese and the Parish Priest,Fr. Sebi the Director of Khadnwa DioceseSocial Service and Sr. Arpita the Principalof St. Joseph�s School.

The inaugural session was held at St.Joseph�s School ground with a prayer songsung by the students of Holy Spirit School,Khandwa. Sr. Deepa the director ofVishwas, Khandwa gave a brief introduction

about Vishwas, its origin and vision. Dr.Panika appreciated the work of Vishwasand promised his continual support for thepatients. Words of appreciation andencouragement were expressed by Rev.Bishop Durairaj and other guests. Thedistribution of red-ribbon showed thesignificance and solidarity with the peoplesuffering from HIV/AIDS.

The rally began as Dr. RC. Panika unfurledthe green flag. There were around 1100students who participated in the rally andalong with them were the teachers, NCCcadres, volunteers, sisters and fathers fromthe nearby institutions. The studentsmarched shouting slogans and holdingbanners. The rally ended in UtkrushtVidyalay with a short puppet show on HIV/AIDS and refreshment for all theparticipants.

Sr. Deepa Thomas SSpS, Khandwa

26 RAYS

Ministries

In the Effort to Protect HIV +ve

Antenatal Mothers

Vishwas made a zonal supervisory visitto the seven districts of MadhyaPradesh such as Indore, Khandwa,Burhanpur, Neemuch, Ujjain,Mansour, and Gwalior on 5th February,2013. The purpose of the visit was toassess our involvement in theprevention of HIV transmission frommother to child. Presently we have twodistrict coordinators and eighteen out-reach workers actively working for thesame cause. About 220 HIV+veantenatal mothers were registeredunder Vishwas. Therefore the visit meantto enhance the coordination andnetworking with Government ART (AntiRetro Viral Therapy) centers, DLNs (DistrictLevel Networks) and DICs (Drop inCenters) also to evaluate the performanceof the ORWs (Out Reach Workers).

It was my first experience of supervisoryvisit along with Sr. Geeta, the director ofVishwas, Fr. Jobesh, the director of Saathiand coordinator community care center ofUjjain diocese, Mr. Kripal, the districtcoordinator of Ujjain, Mansour, andNeemuch. We visited the centers withwhom we are already in network with suchas district hospitals, ICTCs (Testing centers),and DLNs (District Level Network of peopleliving with HIV). The study showed that thelinkage with government agencies wascomparatively good and that we were 96%successful in preventing the HIVtransmission from mother to child in the

said areas. However, the local out-reachworkers were found lacking adequateeducation and required training. There wasalso verifying of the records. Meetings wereorganized to discuss various problems facedby the staff in motivating the beneficiaries.Having learnt the concerns it was decidedthat out-reach workers would be sent forcapacity building and the districtcoordinators would visit the houses ofpatients at least once a year.

We are appreciative of all the work beingdone by our staff, coordinators, out-reachworkers and all the others in one or theother way involved in supporting theproject. The success of Vishwas lies in theirhard work and valuable efforts. We lookforward to reaching out to many moremothers who are infected and affectedthereby become vulnerable in saving theirchild from the deadly disease.

Sr. Roseline P. SSpS, Indore

RAYS 27

Ministries

Faith is like a radar that sees through the fog!

�Every tomorrow has two handles. We cantake hold of it by the handle of anxiety, orby the handle of faith� � Author Unknown.The life of Giria and Gowri (fictitiousname) depicts the said quote. The couplewas orphan and married since three yearsyet both led a happy l i fe unti l thecatastrophic day. Giria was illiterate whileGowri completed B.A. first year. Giria wasworking and lost all his savings in amysterious way. At this juncture theyvisited Masih Vidhya Bhawan and met Fr.Prasad SVD, the director. I came to knowfrom father about the couple and tookinitiative to meet both of them personally.When I prayed over Gowri she began tosay aloud the Bible quotes which surprisedme. Their faith in Jesus was tremendousthough they were non-catholics. AlthoughGiria was uneducated he could read Bibleand carried one along with him. �Faith islike a radar that sees through the fog� �Corrie Ten Boom. Their life was filled withhardships yet their trust and confidencein the power of God was amazing. Theywere able to see through the fog ofsuffering, isn�t it something that weCatholics need to ponder on?

Having seen their faith in Jesus I alsointroduced to them the Biblecorrespondence course. As I was talkingto the couple I became aware that Gowriwas in her seventh month of pregnancyand had no medical investigation donedue to financial difficulties. She looked tome anaemic so I advised her to do somecheck-up. Since Fr. Prasad knew some of

the staff in Maharaja Yeshvandsingh(Government) Hospital, Indore he directedthem there so that they could get freecheck-up. However, he also gave somemoney. Moreover, he called up few of hisknown people to support them withfinance, nutritious food, free check-up, etc.Further we also came to know that theylived in a rented house and had not paidrent for the past six months. He hadborrowed money from many and they toowere asking them to return it. We werehelpless but assured our prayerful supportand asked them to hold on to their faithand forgive those who cheated them.

After a month Gowri gave birth to apremature baby and I went to visit heralong with Fr. Prasad. We had carriedsome food and things for them. God bepraise! for there weren�t muchcomplications. Later Fr. Prasad helpedGiria to get a job through some bankagencies which is again just bare minimumto meet all their expenses. Now they arehappy and continue to walk in faith. Inthis year of faith, the life of this couple mayinspire all of us to trust the unknownrealities of life and let us support themthrough our prayers. Rabindranath Tagoresaid, �Faith is the bird that sings when thedawn is still dark�. Yes, the trust in Godwhen there is no ray of hope is faith andbelieving in it is the identity of everyChristian.

Sr. Elsy Chiriyankandath SSpS,

Indore

28 RAYS

Ministries

Life is Precious �

Life indeed is a precious gift of God. Weoften fail to realize its worth until we facewith certain trauma. This realization gotconfirmed during one of my family visitsalong with Srs. Sylvia and Pushpa. Thedriver of the auto we hired was talking overthe mobile saying, �Please save my child..�We could see him wiping his tears andrealized that he was in great trouble. So,we enquired and came to know that hisonly son was to undergo an emergencyheart operation for which he had to depositRs. 20, 000/- Any human being in dire needwill look for the nearest possibility to getthings done and for him the only available

thing was his auto. He shared with us thathe has to sell the auto to meet the expense.Assuring our prayerful support we wentahead. However, we kept in touch withhim.

God�s ways are not our ways. Yes, the boydied after few days leaving the family sadand empty. This incident depicts the realityof God�s will in the life of human beingswhich we are called to see and accept infaith. However, it is a break throughexperience. The life calls us to accept thereality as it comes.

Sr. Marie SSpS, Rajkot

Prison Ministry�.

Prison ministry inIndore diocese has gottwelve volunteers whoserve the prisoners invarious capacities.Every Wednesday Sr.Jessy and I visit thewomen�s section andspend about two hours with the inmates.They are allowed to do their studies andappear for exams. Many of them take thisopportunity seriously and do their studies.There are women doing their studies fromprimary to higher classes and one of themhas reached up to B.A 1st year. ExceptSaturday and Sunday there are sisters andnovices from different convents to helpthem with their studies. Jail authorities arevery much appreciative of our work.

I consider this ministryas a golden opportunityto reach out to thesedesolates. We arerestricted to enter intotheir deeper reality butbeing with them itself isvery touching and

inspiring. They wait for our presence withthem and show lot of enthusiasm in learningdespite their pathetic situation. When weleave jail they ask us, �You are going� willyou also take us out?� Their inner desire tobe liberated is very visible in the aboveexpression. Caring for them without anyjudgment is our mission � the mission oflove filled with compassion.

Sr. Sushila Garwal SSpS, Indore

RAYS 29

Ministries

Once there was a melancholic old womanliving in a nursing home. She wouldn�tspeak to anyone but enjoyed rocking on arocking chair. Later on a nurse used to visither daily. Without saying a word she wouldpull out another rocking chair and wouldrock with the woman forsometime. Months laterthe old lady said to thenurse, �Thank you forrocking with me�. Yes,our loving presence canmake a great differenceto the lives of othersespecially the neglectedones of our society.

The Hindi movie, �Thare Jamin Par�- Starson Earth depicted the importance ofpersonal touch in the lives of peopleespecially the children. In the movie theloving understanding of the teacherchanged the life of the eight year old boy.He rocked with the child and stood by himas a strong pillar of support. The film visiblyexplains that there are stars even on earthif we really care for the other. Today I feelthat I too am called to be like the teacher inthe film and the nurse who rocked with theold lady. God lights up the stars in the skyand it is our duty to light up the stars on theearth. Through the ministry of education Iam given an opportunity to identify and

promote the innate talents of the kidsentrusted to me. I see the struggles of theseunderprivileged children whose parentshardly care for their education and welfare.As a teacher I make every effort to instill inthem the significance of having a dream or

a vision for life.Certainly, they are thestars of tomorrow. Thegrowth as well as thedevelopment of thevillage depends onthem.

I take pride in theireagerness to learn thingsand it boosts me to give

my best in creating a bright future for them.Being a teacher I learnt that it is not that Iwho teach them rather I learn from them. Iwas frustrated with few who refuse to studyand I realized that being hard on themwouldn�t help. It is only my lovingunderstanding of their weaknesses andinabilities that help them grow gracefully. Ihave learnt to rock with them by my being,playing, laughing and learning together. Iwish that these children grow upunderstanding their self-worth hencebecome the stars on the earth.

Sr. Punam Dung dung SSpS,

Dharampuri

Tare Zamin Par � Stars on Earth �

Hearty Congratulations Hearty Congratulations Hearty Congratulations Hearty Congratulations Hearty Congratulations to our pre-novices, aspirants and candidates promoted tothe next stage of their formation. And congrats to their directresses under whose

guidance they were moulded and shaped.

30 RAYS

Ministries

St. Raphael Co-Ed School wore afestive look, illuminating with shiningfaces as the school celebrated itsAnnual Day on 8th December, 2012.The annual day celebration was abefitting occasion for thespontaneous outburst of highspiritedness in a wide range ofcreativity. The celebrations started asscheduled in the evening with thewarm welcome of the Chief Guest,Shri B. Raja Gopal Naidu IPS the principalsecretary of Madhya Pradesh women andchild development department. Specialguest on the occasion was Most Rev. Dr.Leo Cornelio SVD the Archbishop ofBhopal.

The performance by the pre-primarysection �Wonder of Creation� enthralled theaudience. Annual report was presented bythe principal, Sr. Grace focusing theachievements of the school. The thematicpresentation on the �Feminine Face of God�left spectators mesmerized. The Hindi skitwas an exclusive presentation which waslaudable indeed.

The inspiration for the thematicpresentation � that is the �Sobs of a GirlChild�, the �Greatness of a Mother�, the�Need for National Integration� -was drawn

from the song album of two CDs - Arzoo

Ke Diye (Throbbing of Heart) and Manzil

Ki Or (Pulsations of Life) compiled by Sr.Nisha SSpS. These CDs were also releasedduring the function and acknowledged theartists.

The most awaited event of the function wasthe Prize distribution ceremony to thosestudents whose performance wasstupendous in the academic year.Achievers were honored by the ChiefGuest. The performance of the grand finaleby the seniors on fusion music added charmto the spectacular evening. The dayconcluded with the vote of thanks followedby the national anthem leaving behind thepromise of a handful of brighter hues ofthe year.

Sr. Grace Abraham SSpS, Bhopal

An Inspirational Annual Function at

St. Raphael Co-Ed School, Bhopal

Accolades to Sr. Vimla Jacob SSpS :Accolades to Sr. Vimla Jacob SSpS :Accolades to Sr. Vimla Jacob SSpS :Accolades to Sr. Vimla Jacob SSpS :Accolades to Sr. Vimla Jacob SSpS : Sister has published a book by name,‘Concern for Holistic Education’. This motivational and inspiring

documentation is the result of the whispers of her heart.

RAYS 31

Ministries

�Every child is an artist�This saying of PabloPicasso is indeed a greattruth and it was wellproved on the �ART-DECO 2013� (art andcraft exhibition) of St.Raphael�s PrimarySchool on 29th January.�Imagination is moreimportant thanknowledge� said, AlbertEinstein. Yes, just gaining the bookishknowledge isn�t sufficient for children�s overall growth; they ought to develop theirinnate quality of imagination. It is then theybegin to cultivate the inborn nature ofcreative thinking brightening their awaitingfuture. The �ART-DECO 2013� was onesuch platform where the children had theirchance to portray their creativeimaginations.

The Chief Guest, Mr. Dilip Chinchalkar arenowned artist inaugurated the exhibitionby cutting the ribbon in the presence ofGuest of Honour, Sr. Geeta Joseph SSpSthe Vice- provincial, Sr. Vimla Jacob theprincipal of the school, other guests,teachers and students. Thereafter the guestswere taken to explore the great artistic workof the young minds. Mr. Dilip was amazedto see their enormous giftedness and levelof imagination.

Then the lush green premises of the primarysection soon became the center of attractionfor all the art lovers of the city. The

artistically decorated �galleria� and therooms which were assigned for exhibitionof craft items, spoke volumes about the hardwork, dedication and aesthetic sense of thechildren. The topics ranged from free handsketches, paintings of all kinds, clay andwood work, artifacts made by wastematerial, crafts and flower decorations.Jewellery items, rangolies, mandanas,

puppets and needle work reflected thetraditional arts which are still prevalent inour �Incredible India�. The nation�s richcultural heritage came alive in theexhibition.

The parents as well as the visitors laudedthe efforts of the students and teachers. Theexhibition exhibited the hidden talents andinnovative ideas in the most unique waywhich left the visitors enthralled. Thespellbound press appreciated and recordedthe event which proved that �Art is anexpression of the inner soul which strikeschord in various tunes�.

Sr. Sini Joseph SSpS, Indore

ART- DECO - 2013

32 RAYS

My Views

Those nine days �

Love and greetings from Formosa means�Beautiful Island� now known as Taiwan.

I would like to share with you in gist aboutmy life in Taiwan. The celebration of theChinese New Year was truly amazing. Thepeople in China celebrate both calendaryear as well as Chinese Year. Theycelebrate it very grand by decorating thehouses and streets with colourful lights,frightening ghost, firecrackers and varietiesof glittering decorations and as for me itwas like our �Diwali�. It starts with the firstmoon of the NewYear and goes upto full moonwhich is fifteendays. Each NewYear is markedby thecharacteristics ofone of the 12zodiacal animals:the rat, ox, tiger,rabbit, dragon,snake, horse,sheep, monkey,rooster, dog and pig. So according to thepeople�s belief this year is considered assnake year.

The Taiwanese celebrate it in honour ofheaven and earth, the gods of thehousehold and the ancestors. On New Yeareve, family members come together tocelebrate and enjoy meal with solemnthanksgiving prayers. Here, Red is a colourof good luck because it scares away evil

spirits and bad fortune. Red envelopes areusually given from elder to younger, smallgifts generally food or money areexchanged between friends and relativesof different families. The 15th day of the NewYear is called 'lantern festival', which iscelebrated at night and children go inparade carrying their lantern. Those ninedays of holidays, were special for me, I hadlot of opportunities to go around and seethe beautiful places. Being in Taipei 101floor famous building was amazing andimplausible for me. The world�s fastest

elevator within notime took me to91st floor high andI felt that thewhole Taiwan isin front of me.There is always abig crowd to havea glimpse of thisgreat wonder.

Without knowingthe Chineseculture or history,

it's difficult to understand its values andimportance. In national palace museumthere are most precious objects whichsignify Chinese arts and cultures. And I wassurprised to know that there are collectionsof more than 680,000 of such objects. Themuseum is so vast that it would take threehours to visit the whole of it. InternationalGlass Art is another worth watching sightand it portrays Taiwanese culture as wellas the great work of its artist. One of the

RAYS 33

My Views

Taoist temples has got traditional garden,natural bridges, beautiful ponds with wholelot of fishes and tortoises. I also found fewIndian snakes and I said my hello to them.

I am really grateful to my sisters here whoavail themselves to take me around. Afterthe holiday, I am back again to my regularChinese classes as usual. It is reallyinteresting to learn Chinese like: listening

to its tones, reading and writing thecharacters. I would like to share with youtwo good news, firstly I already got mymissionary visa secondly I am able tocommunicate in Chinese. So once againthanks to one and all for your prayerfulsupport in accomplishing the mission ofGod.

Sr. Lima Rosalia Tete SSpS, Taiwan

What can help the deprived children

obtain their rights?

Every child born on this earth will have adream to fulfil. They deserve to have theirbasic needs met like good health, food,shelter and clothing. Each child must be freefrom physical, mental, emotional andspiritual hazards.The child has to beprotected frombeing abused andmust be providedwith goodatmosphere inorder to grow anddevelop as freecitizens of thecountry. But thefact is that there arenumber of children who don�t get theserequirements. Yes, the disparity among therich and poor in our country is quitealarming. The rich children enjoy everyfacility but the poor children are deniedeven their own basic needs. Every day andevery minute they struggle for hand to

mouth. Isn�t it something saddening?

The poor children are forced to work andearn for their families. At times their parentsabuse them while the rich or the land

owners exploit.The young girls aremisused, abusedand persecuted fortheir very birth.They becomevulnerable andvoiceless. If onlyour ears are openwe can hear the cryof these childrenbeing crushed in

the quarries to carry stones, cleaning inhotels, picking up rags and plastics. Theydon�t even get the deserved wages. Someof these children are also sold for labour orprostitution. I have seen the elder ones whoare so young at age taking care of theiryoung ones. I was often moved by the

34 RAYS

My Views

struggles of these children of whom I havespecially seen while working in interiorvillages. I asked myself, �What can I do tohelp them obtain their rights?� The answeris, �Where there is a will there is a way�.

The mission of uplifting the shatteredsociety towards a peaceful world byworking with the deprived children standsbefore us as a great challenge of the time.To become the voice of the voiceless forsure requires a lot of guts. It is the call ofthe hour to reach out to these deprivedchildren and raise them to the status ofdignified citizens of our country. To attainthis, the best medium would be �Children�sParliament� where they get all arounddevelopment. It provides them withsustainable and meaningful opportunities

to grow and mature. Besides, it�s a platformwhere they have the freedom to expresstheir views, concerns and find the rightsolutions to all the issues of their life.

We have already begun number of activitiesfor these children especially in some of ourmissions but would that be enough? Don�twe need to launch into this importantmission in a wider level? "Perhaps wecannot prevent this world from being aworld in which children are tortured. Butwe can reduce the number of torturedchildren" � Albert Camus. May the wordsof Albert strengthen our desire and visionto foresee above all to materialize a peacefulworld!

Sr. Jona SSpS, Indore

The joy of selfless giving

is the joy of living life authentically!

�The most treasured andsacred moments of ourlives are those filled withthe spirit of love. Thegreater the measure ofour love, the greater isour joy�.� says JosephB. Wirhlin. A person filledwith love givesgenerously himself/herself without expecting anything in return.Jesus on the cross visibly explains this veryfact. �God loves a cheerful giver� (2 Cor.9/7) Yes, a cheerful giver is a person full oflove and compassion. Today there are

number of people livingin poverty anddeprivation. How manyof us think or are movedby them when we seethem on the streets witha begging bowl.Definitely, it is a seriousconcern to ponder.

I remember an incident that I readsometime ago in the news paper about ayoung boy who died in an accident. Onthe site there were many onlookers butnone dared as they were afraid of the legal

RAYS 35

My Views

consequences. The onlookers could havesaved the boy�s life if they were motivatedby love. Where there is love there is nofear. Our service that comes from lovebears better result than the service thatstems from duty. The sayings of MotherTheresa, �It�s not how much we give buthow much love we put into giving�describes the above fact.

When I was in Rajkot taking care of thenursery kids I remember a boy by nameAsif who wiped the tears of another childBerkha saying, �Don�t cry mummy willcome soon� and gave his own play toys to

console her. What an innocent giving! Hardto believe that at this age the child could beso selfless. Our call to reach out to the needydemands this GIVING � Giving selflesslywithout expecting anything in return. Oftenwe may not get any positive outcome stillwe serve the society in love. Certainly, it ischallenging and demands patience filledwith courage and convictions of one�sability to go ahead. And it is in this givingone finds joy and satisfaction of living lifejoyfully. So, ultimately the joy of selflessgiving is the joy of living life authentically.

Sr. Antonette SSpS, Aulia

Embrace the Precious Ancient Days

Will I ever get chance to see ancient days?The celestial awesome nature

Sparkling in pearls of morning dew

Caressed by scented breeze of east

The myriad lively birds chirping

Fluttering from branch to branch

Hunting little creatures to gulp itSwinging the sway of east wind

The seagulls in chase of prey

Flying about the endless waves

Golden moments indeed

Captures any turbulent heart

Gone are those gorgeous ancient daysThe peaceful and peace-loving days

No more do I hear the sweet birds

Or do I have time to relax and enjoy

Time is hurrying and I ought no delay

Catch-up with the world so hurrying

Noisy, foul, yet no time to bother

For life is just a rushing vehicle

At the end of the day tired and weary

Of course no time again but rest

Yet again to the anxious dawn

To run the race of another day

Do I hear the knock of the hour

To pause and know my inner voice

The voice of the deep so deep

Get back you dear get back

Ha! Where am I rushing?

Or where are we rushing?

Don�t we need to pause a while

To hear that voice so deep

To embrace the precious ancient days

And rebuild that gorgeous ancient days

Sr. Elizabeth Rani SSpS, Delhi.

36 RAYS

My Views

�Watch and pray that you may not enterinto temptation, the spirit indeed is willingbut the flesh is weak.� (Mt. 26:41) In thesaid quote Jesus discloses the significanceof prayer. The willingness of the spirit andthe weakness of the flesh in accomplishingGod�s will in one�s life are portrayed in it.The everyday life is exposed to events bothgood and bad. Hence it demands a personto be attuned to God in prayer which isbased on faith blessed with grace. I stress�blessed with grace�because the strength ofevery prayer is faith andthe fruit of faith is grace.Accordingly, faith andgrace are like the twosides of the same coin sowithout one the other hasno meaning or purpose.�In him we haveredemption through hisblood, the forgiveness of our trespassesaccording to the riches of his grace whichhe has lavished upon us.� (Eph. 1: 7) Thepassage elucidates both the aspects of faithand grace. Jesus cleanses us of ourtrespasses however, it is in the gift of gracewe receive inner healing.

Daily realities of life often challenge ourinner desire to be successful in life. Thewhole lot of chores and errands in life, timeand again disconnect us from our truerbeing. People running from one post to theother have hardly any time to know theirdepth. Frustrations, disappointments mixedwith some light moments makes the day

for them. At the close of the day they findthemselves with down-syndrome. Tiredand broken yet hopeful at the deeper selfthey go to rest just to wake up with furtheranxiety of making the day meaningful andpurposeful. I believe this happens due tothe lack of faith in self and in God. It couldalso be the inability of the person in allowingthe grace to enter into the life of him/herespecially in such hours of life. In this �Yearof Faith� it is good to reflect on these aspects

of our life which is verymuch connected to ourcore being.

The question here is whatcould help us attain faithand grace? The answercould probably bepersonal prayer. I woulddefine personal prayer as,�Stilling of the mind to

know the depth and so to function fromdepth�. Why should one still the mind? Themind is something which is always busythrough out the day. Whether the personis sitting idle or working hard the mind isbusy planning, discerning or thinking. Thereality of faith and grace cannot make itsway into life because the mind keepsreasoning. For example the mindquestions, why should you pray? Work isprayer and so on. Obviously, if this isprayer then faith and grace can hardly findany place in our life. The rising number ofsuicides, rape, murders on burst of suddenrage, family break up, Religious leavingthe Societies, etc, candidly explain it.

Still the Mind so to Live in Depth

RAYS 37

My Views

Stilling of the mind helps one to get intouch with the inner self. There are anumber of methods today in getting itaccomplished like meditation, yoga, andmany more. Will any of these be useful topeople during the working days or hours?Most probably it isn�t practical for manyof them although they are some of the bestmethods to stay connected. Then whatcan be helpful? The �Here and Now� orthe practice of living in the present. In thisthe person stops working for a while andenters into a deeper silence by taking fewdeep breaths. This few seconds of stayingaway or being cut off from the workconnects us back to our truer self. A GreekPhilosopher, Epictetus once said, �It is notwhat happens to you, but how you reactto it that matters�. In our working hoursseveral times we get into conflict with theco-partners, subjects, even authorities.Have we ever asked why does it happen?Perhaps we are not connected to ourdepth. The stilling of the mind then comesas handy for us. It helps our inner-beingto remain attuned to our feelings and giftsus with the grace to be in control with oursudden reactions or emotions. Flow ofsuch energy eliminates those unwantedcreated frustrations and we feel goodabout ourselves as well as the other. Thus

our relationship takes a u-turn and webegin to enjoy the work even if it is heavyor taxing.

A person in touch with the depth can beeasily identified for she/he is graceful orjoyful. They are in total control of theirbeing and handle all issues well. They areefficient in their work and produce goodoutput. I personally feel that the churchesmust take initiative in introducing suchquick awareness exercises which wouldhelp the faithful stay connected to theircore being. Lord Budha was a person whowent in search of the truth and found itnowhere but deep in him. The hiddentreasure of love, peace and joy dwells rightwithin every human being all what onerequires to do is to delve into the depth.The search for truth reaches the acmewhen one discovers she/he is at the depth.If this has to happen we ought to makedeliberate steps to stay with the depth bystilling the mind. These attempts will forsure be blessed with grace in abundance.It will help us become new persons whoare graceful and peace radiating. In ourendeavor to still the mind so to live indepth may the life of Jesus, saints andgreat people be our inspiration.

Sr. Cini George SSpS, Indore

A calendar of ‘Sirpur ki Ma Mariam’ (Our Lady of Sirpur)was released by Rt. Rev. Durai Raj SVD the Bishop of Khandwa

on 2nd February, 2013. It was designed byMr. John Oswal. May Ma Mariam bless every house

in which her image is exposed and honoured.

38 RAYS

Formation Events

From the Files of Aspirancy

One Month Community Experience: Inthe month of December 2012 we theaspirants had our one month missionexperience in different communities of theprovince. It was a wonderful opportunity toknow and understand the mission that oursisters are involved in. We were glad to bepart of their mission and serve the Lord inour own little ways. When we received ourappointments to different communities wewere rather worried and anxious about it.But the moment we reached ourcommunities the experience was alldifferent. Although it took us few daysto know the place and work wepicked up and began to feelgood and confident. Someof us had the chance to bepart of the golden jubileecelebration of Aulia Mission.We too contributed ourtalents in getting ready withthe programme like decorations, choir,cultural programme, etc.

All of us were taken up by the mission carriedout by our sisters in interior villages. Suchmission demands lot of courage andconvictions along with faith in the Lord whocalled each of us. We felt cared, acceptedand understood by our sisters moreover, ithelped us to look forward to our dream asmissionaries with enthusiasm and vigour inthe years to come.

The Formees Get-together: The formees(pre-novices, aspirants and candidates) get-together held in our provincial house on 6th

February, 2013 was indeed a great event.

Our formators planned our schedules verymeticulously. On 5th evening we weredivided into four groups and spent sometimeto know each other.

The dawn of �Province Day� brought insentiments of wonder, gratitude andmissionary zeal as our pre-novices led us intomeaningful morning worship. Theresponsibility of the liturgy of the Eucharistwas taken by us aspirants and candidates.

The most exciting part of theprogramme was thecompetitions in four basicgroups. The competitionswere quiz on Bible, generalknowledge, foundinggeneration, four Indianprovinces (there were funnyand tricky questions too),group dance, group singing,creative Biblical fashion

show, throw ball match and a skit - �SSpSCommunities Today and Tomorrow�. Thewinners were awarded with prizes.

In the evening we, formees and ourformators put up a short cultural programme.During the programme we acknowledgedand thanked Sr. Elsie K. Varghese ourprovincial leader and her team for their solidcontribution to the province for the past sixyears in various fields particularly in theformation field. We are grateful to Srs. Elsie,Lissy, the formation team and provincialhouse community for giving us thiswonderful opportunity to come together asone SSpS family.

The Aspirants, Indore

RAYS 39

Formation Events

Visit to Provincial House

It�s since long did we waitFor that journey so very precious

Ha! the day finally cameA wonderful journey indeed

Into that dream houseThe house our mother house

The poem above clearly describes our

hearts desire to see our provincial house in

Indore. We had been longing and were

excited to see it and at last on 5th February,

2013 we reached there by afternoon. To

our surprise there were our elder sisters �

pre-novices and aspirants. Their presence

made us feel comfortable and at ease. It

was a great opportunity to meet our sisters

and to celebrate our �Province Day� with

them.

We went around and were fascinated and

inspired to see the number of activities that

our sisters are involved in. The golden

chance to celebrate the �Province Day�

helped us to understand the depth of our

founding generation. It was an opportunity

to know how our sisters began the mission

in India and how it progressed to what it is

today. We also had the competition in

mixed groups like quiz, skit, dance, singing,

throw ball, etc. The evening was still

wonderful as we had put up a short cultural

programme. We performed two disco

dances and one action song. The evening

was truly wonderful and unforgettable.

We take this opportunity to thank our

formators whose initiative gave us this

wonderful get-together. Also we thank our

sisters in provincial house especially

Sr. Elsie K. Varghese our provincial leader

who supported and encouraged us by her

valuable presence through out our stay

there. We are grateful to our directress, Sr.

Manju Lakra for taking us. We cherish the

beautiful memories of the days spent and

wish God�s blessings on all our sisters in

mission.Candidates, Alirajpur

40 RAYS

Formation Events

Who is a Formator ?

Who is a formator?Is she a person of love and kindness?Is she someone who listensOr suggests and defends?Is she our very best friend?

Who can define her?With whom can she be compared?Oh! Yea, Formator is one who mouldsMoulds the formees to serve the Lord

A person with a loving heartA source of strength and supportA guide who shows the right wayThe way to attain the goal of life

None can substitute herFor she knows us throughShe is proud when we grow matureShe corrects gently when things go wrong

Printed and published by

�The Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit � India Central�.

Address:HOLY SPIRIT CONVENT, POST BOX 530, KHANDWA ROAD, INDORE � 452001 (M.P.) INDIA

Email � inc_rays@yahoo.com

Printed at: Sat Prachar Press, Indore

Cover Page: Anju Offset Press, Indore

Rays congratulates and appreciates all who have contributed to make herpresence meaningful, informative and colourful. Kindly continue to

enrich her with articles, insights, new ventures and events in your ministry.

Her love forms us so very wellHer patient and calm natureAllows in us a genuine growth

We love you for what you areWe thank you for being so goodFor you made us what we are todayThank you for being you.

Miss. Philomena Kisku (Candidate)

Alirajpur