Dear members of St. Joseph’s community, Fr. Larry, Mrs. Shawn, church and school staff, school children and all benefactors who generously look after our needs,
We wish you all to have a great summer in the name of the Risen Lord!
In the last two months (March and April, 2018), the parishioners were busy preparing for and celebrating Easter in the parish and in the school the children actively engaged in their annual examination with good groundwork.
Parish Activities:
One day Retreat: A day retreat was organized in the parish for all the parishioners on 11th of March 2018. People from the entire village sub-stations (nearly 250) attended and spiritually benefitted from the powerful preaching of a lay person who is an evangelist. He encouraged and insisted the faithful to read more bible quotations. The preacher requested the faithful to devote themselves to seeking the Lord in prayer and reading Scripture, to service by giving alms, and to sacrifice self-control through fasting He won the hearts of all the village people exhorting them with many biblical quotations without looking at the Bible. Three retired teachers of the parish volunteered themselves to provide food (feed the hungry) for all the 250 participants of the retreat with a vegetarian meal. It was a generous act of them. The parish priest thanked them on their generosity. Everybody mentioned that the day was as wonderful as they spent a day with the Lord amidst their daily activities.
Palm Sunday: The Palm Sunday celebration started from the doorway of the local convent and the procession proceeded towards the parish church which is 0.5 km away from the convent. The faithful from all sub-stations with good attendance participated, prayerfully remembering that Palm Sunday is the final Sunday of Lent. It is the beginning of Holy Week which commemorates the triumphant arrival of Christ in Jerusalem before he was crucified and then resurrected. The little ones were excited to receive palm fronds and joined the procession happily.
Holy Week celebration: The parish youth and the elders along with nuns planned for all the three days services and organized it well. Holy Thursday, Holy Friday and the Easter Vigil celebrations this year were extraordinarily done with beautiful decorations. The Adoration site was surrounded with flowers and designed clothes tinted with lights. Many faithful remained at the altar of repose until midnight praying and watching. The faithful simply appreciated the handwork of the youth and encouraged their activities. After the Holy Friday service, the youth and elders carried the statue of Jesus in a procession along the streets of the local village singing songs and reciting prayers. The event of resurrection was shown beautifully by the village youth in a different way and it looked as if Jesus is resurrecting really from the tomb. Everybody appreciated the creativity of the parish youth and admired their cooperation. The parish priest, at the end of the service, praised the team work of the youth and the elders in celebrating the Holy week.
Society of St. Vincent de Paul: This time the local members of the society of St. Vincent de Paul decided to help the poor and the needy before Easter. On the 18th of March after the Sunday Mass, they offered help for the people in and around the parish which provided an opportunity to improve their daily life. 17 persons were helped to buy goats and 10 women were given clothes and 3 poor students' school fees were paid. As is customary, all of the members of St. Vincent de Paul visit the sick and the needy in the parish regularly and report to the parish priest of the situation.This work is highly appreciated by all. God bless their generosity and their time!
Parish priest with the Bishop of Pune, India: On 5th of April, the parish priest visited the Bishop of Pune at a function organized by the Pune diocesan Multi-purpose Social Service Society providing much help for the poor and the needy. He appreciated the possible service of the Pune Diocese (North India) in helping the poor and the downtrodden living in and around the diocesan limit. He also met the diocesan Vincent de Paul Society members and listened to their activities/events/programmes described. It was an enriching visit for him.
School News: Both high school and primary school children were busy last month for their annual exams preparation after their revision tests in March. They did their final exams well waiting for their results hopefully released in a week time (the last week of May). In the high school, year X students had their “Farewell Day” on 13th March. It was a touching event as they exchanged their sweet memories of their 5 years study in the school with ups and downs. They are grateful to the staff and the school, expressing the knowledge and wisdom they gained through them. The teachers appreciated this batch for their cooperation and contribution to the school. They all felt sad for leaving the school. They had a lovely tea party with cake, sharing their memorable experiences in the school life. In the primary school, before the end of their annual term, prizes were given to all the children (220 children) and the parents were very happy that their children got prizes. You will see their glorious faces in the pictures showing their prizes and raising their hands. Happy children! God bless them!
Kodimangalam St.Sebastian Church: After three years, the Church completion is over. The opening of the Church will be in the month of June. All the works will be over by the end of this month. It was possible only through the kindness and generosity shown by St. Joseph’s community in Moorhead. We render our special thanks and appreciation to Shawn. The church looks very nice and the painting will be done soon. It is a great opportunity to thank you all for your extraordinary love, affection, kindness and generosity shown to this simple village of poor people to realize their dream of building a church in which to worship. God bless you all! No words to express! Heart-felt thanks to you all!
We thank you all for your continuous prayers, support and encouragement. We all assure you of our daily rosary and prayers, Requesting your love and prayers.
Thanking you,
Fr. Dr. John Britto Michael