Lent - 2017

Leaving

Ego

Not

Things behind                 

What are you leaving or giving up this lent? Chocolate, food, clothing style or movies. It is true we need to give up to discipline ourselves to follow our Lord in His passion. But is lent only giving up material thing and accumulating 

unwanted guests like pride, anger, hate, jealousy and ego in our lives? Giving up material things and accumulating these things, our lives in no ways lightens the weight of the cross of Jesus.What profits us if we keep hatred and anger within us and give up chocolates and meat? Do not the pagan do the same? Let us then as the children of the one Gather venture into the adventure of LENT. Let us give up complaining and start appreciating. 
Give up hate - start forgiving
Give up gossiping - start being grateful
Give up judging - start understanding.
        Then we can truly say we had a transforming encounter with my crucified Christ this LENT.

     

                                 - Sr.Smitha Gonsalves (Second Year Novice)

Visit to Sula Wine

 A Visit to SULA Wine 

On 18th January the community visited the Sula Wine

in Nashik the city of Grapes. It was a nice experience to know how the wine is made in different types. Fr. Jacob sdb too accompanied us to this place. We were given a wonderful explanation of how the wine is made and its procedure by our own parisher Sheril who is working in the same place.

After the visit to the Sula Wine we visited a park on the way where we spent some time in each others company.

We are Family

We are Family

“We are family”. The theme of our community gratitude day 2016 -2017 .We are a  family, each member and her presence makes a complete family and we are called as one family.

           We began our gratitude day preparation on 7^th Jan praying for all the members of the community, Mother Provincial Sr. Rita Dora Thomas, sisters of Maria Vihar, Salesians of neighboring communities who support us spiritually and materially and all the helpers of the community and all those who reach out to us in different ways.

We began our celebration with a beautiful vigil service where in we entered into the house of God with sentiments of gratitude and appreciation in our hearts and also reconciling oneself with one another. After the beautiful vigil service we then escorted our superior towards the room of surprise and gifts prepared by the novices. We then entered the refectory with surprising gifts and sumptuous supper.

With the breaking of the dawn we began our community gratitude day raising our grateful hearts to God our king praising and thanking Him for each member of our community with our morning prayer. After the Morning Prayer we then celebrated the Mystery of the Eucharist we all entered the house of God with flowers and placing them in the vase representing the beauty of the vase. Fr. Robert Pen SDB celebrated the Eucharist.  He brought out many aspects of community and family life.  We then headed towards the refectory for cutting of the cake followed by delicious breakfast. Day was good.  As we celebrated Family day the afternoon was spent in Divyadan for symposium on Family, topic “The Philosophical understanding of Family, Genesis, Exodus and Revelation.

            In the evening we had short cultural program where in we brought out the different temptations faced by the Novice whose desire was to serve the Good Shepherd. We ended with a beautiful thank you song on the Family.  The day concluded with the good night talk bySr. Salome D’sousa where she thanked God for each other.

         We thanked Lord for His presence which is the only bond and the sap of unity that brings us together to share moments of joys and sorrows as in one family.  Together we have reached the goal loving Him in our sisters with a love that is caring, respectful and gratuitous. 

General Councillor Rev. Fr.Ivo Coelho's short visit

On 3rd August we were very happy to have Fr.Ivo Coelho S.D.B ( General Councillor of Formation Sector). for a short visit to our novitiate. He was accompanied by Fr.Robert Pen the rector of Divyadan in the afternoon. We the novices sang hymns and song in different language and made him feel at home with us.At 6.30 p.m once again he came to give a talk and share some experience with the novices. This is to be admired by all of us, a Councillor General sitting down on the floor for nearly 45 minutes with the novices.

This is what all of experience after he spoke to us - a different experience where we first share our feelings and thought on formation and then he was able to guide us and inspire us.We thank God for such a wonderful person gifted to our Salesian family. We ask God to be with him and accompany him in the mission entrusted to him of being the General Councillor for formation sector inorder to bring many more souls closer to God.

For the love of Mary

    “Woman behold your son, son behold your mother.”

Inauguration of the Marian Month by Sr.Salome D'souza

At the foot of the cross, Mother Mary was given to be our mother. Our founder       St .John Bosco is one such individual, who had the joy and privilege of having Mother Mary as his teacher and guide, especially given to Him by Jesus at the age of nine in a dream. Don Bosco loved our lady all through his life, tried to spread the devotion among people and his boy’s in the oratory by keeping up all Marian Feasts and Marian Month.On 18^th July we sisters and Novices of Sacred Heart Training Centre began our Marian Month with fervor and joy to express our love for our Blessed Mother during this Marian Month. Ours is an institute that belongs entirely to Mary and each one of us are called to be living monuments of Mary Help Of Christians .We began by lighting of the lamp by SR.SALOME D’SOUZA as a sign of our pledge and willingness to enter into the spirit of this month, a salesian tradition the dedicates the entire month in honour of our Blessed Mother.We the community of SHTC desire to walk in the footsteps of our Blessed Mother thus making her qualities and dispositions our own. We pray that this month be a month full of enthusiasm, fervor and love for our heavenly mother and may she never tire of turning her merciful eyes upon us and make us worthy to contemplate the face of mercy of her son Jesus.

Formation - a inner change

"No one can substitute the person in his freedom and responsibility.’’

 We were glad to have Most Rev. Fr. Chrysanthus Saldanha in our midst on 4^th June 4, 2016 in the morning.

We were fortunate to listen to his talk on formation.

Fr.Chrysanthus Saldanha talking to the novices on Formation

He highlighted his talk with few points

-  Each one of us are responsible for his/her formation.

- For our inner change we need to pray, reflect, have a contemplative study, personal plan and sharing (our inner journey with our guide)

- Formation is a  Collaboration with the Holy Spirit who forms Christ in us.

                We take this opportunity to thank Fr.Chrysanthus Saldanha , Sr. Salome and all the sisters of the community for giving us an opportunity to know the true meaning of FORMATION

                                 

Celebrating the feast of the patron of our dwelling

                “You have loved me and made me lovable.” 

Yes these were the sentiments in our hearts as we began our celebration of the feast of Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Community gathered together for morning prayer

We began our preparation with the fervent novena on 25^th May reflecting on the different virtues needed to live fruitful community life, such as Prayerful community, Listening community, Loving  community, Forgiving community, Joyful community, United community, Dynamic community, Apostolic community and  Missionary community  with much reflection during our prayer moments.Filled with enthusiasm we began our celebration with vigil service which helped us experience his love and also helped us understand his plans though his message.  
We as a community are happy to begin this new scholastic year with this feast. 

Gathered together for the Holy Eucharist

At the dawn of 3^rd June we woke up with a music followed by well animated morning prayer. At 7.00  am we had a solemn Eucharistic celebration together with all our neighboring religious communities celebrated by Fr.  Chris Saldhana  SDB and other five con-celebrants. Fr.Chris Saladhana very well brought out the importance of the “ Love of God” during His homily saying, there are many titles given to Jesus in the new testament but most important is the one which Jesus himself gives that is “I am the good Shepherd” He takes care of us as though I was the only one to take care, and loves us as though I was the only one to love. God is supreme. God cannot go above Him because there is nothing beyond Him He can only come down, this is the virtue of Humility a virtue of God.  We were enriched by the inspiring thoughts delivered to us by Fr.  Chris Saldhana

Wishing one all a Happy Feast in the refectory

Soon after the Eucharistic celebration we all gathered together for the breakfast in the refectory followed by the festal song by the novices wishing each one a Happy Feast. In the evening the novices put up a short programme based on God’s love and mercy with the theme – JESUS STILL LOVES YOU…reaching even to the least in the society be it prostitute or murderer.  We were grateful to God for His blessings and miracles.  We ended our day of celebration with a good thought by our Novice Formator 
Sr. Salome D’souza where she helped us know the power of God’s love more                                                                                      clearly.

Gathered together for breakfast with other religious community

Novices showed their love to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through
a short programme