Alberione Speaks...

Prayer first of all, above all, the life of all. Temptation can come; I have a lot, too much work: but the first work for you, the main contribution to the Congregation is prayer (Carissimi in San Paolo,98).

Ever young and active @92

For the community of Mumbai,  Tuesday, 12th March 2024,  was a very special day when it had the joy and privilege  of celebrating the 92nd Birthday of  Br Thomas Cornelio, the eldest in the community and in the Province. The community gathered around Br Thomas in the Chapel for a thanksgiving Eucharist at 7.00 pm and this was  followed by a short felicitation programme in our dining hall.

Fr Johny Panamthanam, Superior of the house,  paid glowing tributes to the ‘elder brother’ of the Province and recalled his love and fidelity to Pauline charism and his passion and dedication for the Pauline apostolate all through the seventy years of his life in the congregation. 

The active but  silent presence of Br Thomas in the community  continues to be  an inspiration and encouragement to all. The shawls, the flowers, and the gifts, given to Br Thomas by the community, and the Birthday cake for the occasion all  made the evening truly colourful, lovely, lively  and memorable.

Many many more happy returnsof the Day, Br Thomas Cornelio.

Music on the lips, music in the heart and music for the soul!!

Blessed with a resonant voice, Br James Uppani has completed 65 years in the service of Church music, a rare  achievement which only  a very few can claim in their life time. After he joined  the Congregation in 1957, the then superiors discovered in him this precious gift and  he was encouraged to develop his talents to be used in the service of the community and the apostolate. He has composed over 100 hymns, antiphons and common songs, besides many novenas for various solemnities and feasts. 

It was a joy and an inspiration  to see him at the altar presiding over the Stations of the Cross for the community  on the first Friday of  Lent and intoning some  of the hymns with the powerful voice of a  thirty-year-old  man although he has crossed the age of 86 and  suffering from a variety of age-related illness and ailments. Congratulations, Br  James, for your youthful dynamism and the passion and commitment to  music.

Yes, music is on your lips, music  is  your heart and music is for the soul!!

Fraternal Visit of a Missionary Shepherd

ST PAULS  campus in Mumbai was blessed by the presence of Rt. Rev. Benny Edathattel, Bishop of Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh) on Monday 11 March 2024. He was in Mumbai to attend the orientation programme for newly appointed Bishop to be held at St Pius Seminary, Goregaon. Bishop Benny is a friend and ardent supporter of the Pauline ministry, even as a priest belonging to the Diocese of Kohima. He shared his fond memories of the Paulines who worked in our community in Jorhat. He also shared some of his pastoral experiences as a the new Bishop of Itanagar. His diocese is three-times the size of the State of Kerala. There are 56 parishes and 500+ substations. He has assured us of his support and collaboration in our ministry. Let us pray for the success of the pastoral efforts of Bishop Benny.

Examiner Weekly Celebrates 175th Anniversary

 “A beacon of truth, a voice of reason and a source of inspiration for countless people, in India and beyond”, said Oswald Cardinal Gracias , Archbishop of Bombay, during his inaugural address on the occasion of the commencement of the 175th anniversary celebrations of The Examiner, the Archdiocesan weekly, held on Sunday, 10 March 2024 at Holy Name School Hall, Colaba, Mumbai.

At this momentous occasion, Fr (Dr) Plavendran Irudayasamy, Principal of St Pauls College, Bandra, Mumbai, was invited to deliver the keynote address on the theme:  “Artificial Intelligence and Peace: the prospects and challenges in today’s media world”. In his well prepared speech, Fr Plavendran touched upon with great clarity and precision  ideas that can help us  understand the current media environment such as: Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a fundamental relational quality of human intelligence, Promises and risks of artificial intelligence, Ecological understanding of AI, Quantification of human possibilities, etc. By way of practical application, he also made certain proposals to the audience: to strive for ethical development of algorithms and  to promote digital knowledge among young people guided by the Gospel values. The talk was well appreciated by the august audience. Congratulations to Fr (Dr.) Plavendran.

Blessing and Inauguration

In order to encourage and promote efficiency, professionalism and ‘on time performance’ in our book centre ministry, a ‘new back-office’ was prepared at  St Paul Book and Art Centre, Bandra. The same was blessed and inaugurated by our Provincial Superior, Fr Joby Mathew, at 4.00 pm on  Thursday, 7 March 2024. The Back-office takes care of the maintenance of records, accounting, IT services, administration, logistics and data entry. Adding such facilities has become indispensable to guarantee quality services and steady growth in our apostolate. Congratulations to the Director, Fr Stephen Kollamkudy,  and our dedicated staff at SBAC.

Meeting of Superiors and Delegates

The annual meeting of superiors and delegates was held on 1 & 2 March, 2024 at the Provincialate, Mumbai. The meeting began with a prayer, followed by a welcome address by Fr Joby Mathew, Provincial Superior. Citing the process of budgeting for the Province, he reminded the participants to have meticulous planning and judicial execution of our resources for the betterment of each community and the province as a whole. A short report of the major activities of each community was presented by its respective superior or delegate.

Fr Sebastian Thomas, Provincial Bursar, presented the financial situation of the province and the major projects that are underway. The assembly spent the rest of the day discussing the major projects in each community. The second day began with the presentation of Fr Sebastian Thomas on certain important administrative matters. He reminded the participants regarding the judicious handling of Trust-related issues and to comply with the rules and regulations of the government.

It was followed by the interventions of Fr Saju George, Director General of Apostolate, and Fr Prithviraj, Director of Formation, who highlighted some of the concerns pertaining to both apostolate and formation. The recommendations from the Apostolic and Formation Councils were also discussed. The final part of the meeting was an open session wherein the members discussed some of the common issues and concerns in the province. The meeting concluded with the final remarks and reminders by the Provincial Superior. He also thanked the assembly for their fruitful participation. It was indeed a synodal exercise!

Marathi ‘Bhasha Diwas’ at St Pauls

The Book & Literary Committee of St Pauls College for Women celebrated Marathi Bhasha Diwas on Tuesday, 27 February 2024 to honour the rich heritage of Marathi language. Many students endowed the traditional Navvari saree and completed the look with special ornament the Nath. The much-celebrated Lavni dance and a unique form of storytelling Powad was the highlight of the event. Different competitions related to Marathi Bhasha like the mono-act, Extempore and Unique Quiz added to the knowledge of the audience about various aspects of Maharastrian culture. In all, it was a spectacular event full of culture, colours and exuberance.

St Pauls College at the American Library, Bandra

About 70 students and three faculty members of St Pauls College for Women, Bandra, undertook a study tour to the American Library situated within the US Consulate premises at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) on Tuesday, 27 February 2024.  The aim of the visit was to familiarize oneself with the library resources, to foster information literacy and address contemporary issues related to misinformation. The students were briefed on the extensive range of resources available, including subscription-based access to academic databases, e-journals, and e-books covering diverse subjects.

The visit provided the students valuable insights into information literacy, equipped students with tools to discern credible sources from misinformation and familiarized them with essential resources for academic success. The documentary screening and the interactive sessions facilitated critical thinking among the participants furthering their intellectual development.

Staff Training Programme in Mumbai

Out of the four Training Programmes planned for the Book Centre Staff in the Province, two of them were held in Bandra campus on 19 -20, 26-27 February 2024. In all 22 of our staff successfully participated in the programme and a Certificate of participation was presented to each of them at the concluding session.

The themes chosen for the programmes were the spiritual and charismatic dimension of our book centre ministry, the need of professionalism in our book centre apostolate especially in areas like customer service, communication skills and public relations.

The sessions were ably animated by Fr Joe Eruppakkatt, Ms Marina D’Lima and Mr Adrian Rosario, our HR Consultant.  Fr Stephen Kollamkudy, Director of St Paul Book Centre and Title Waves, coordinated the programme with a professional touch and attended to the logistic aspects of the programme. Half a day was set aside for a short sightseeing trip to the city of Mumbai and a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Mary.

Bandra Campus welcomes our Postulants

Six of our Postulants along with their Master, Fr Varghese Gnailan, were given a warm and affectionate welcome  by Fr Provincial and the Members of the Provincial house on their arrival at our Provincial House on Tuesday, 20 February 2024. The scope of their visit to the campus, which was a part of their one year  postulancy programme, was to offer the Postulants  an opportunity to witness, share and participate in the Pauline life and mission as it is lived and carried out here in Mumbai.

Together with their lived experience in the campus, several short and  interactive sessions covering  some of the key  areas of our life and mission were organized for the group animated by Paulines and experts from outside. The climax of their ‘experience and exposure’ was an evening spent together with members of both communities at our dining hall where we could freely meet and greet, interact and share with everyone present. During the dinner, one of the senior members told one of the postulants ‘you are our joy and  you are our hope’. Indeed they are our joy for the present and our hope for the future!  It was really interesting and at the same time inspiring to hear from them about  their dreams and desires  for the future. Savio Panmei (Manipur) said that he wants develop his talents for music and even create a department for music in the area of our apostolate when the time comes. While Wedneson Goyari (Assam)  said that he was thrilled to visit our  creative sector and  that triggered in him a genuine desire to  become a writer/editor.

Undoubtedly it was an unforgettable experience for the Postulants as they were given the opportunity to ‘see, hear, feel and smell’ the ‘Paulineness’ of a Pauline and a Pauline community and for the members  it was a rejuvenating experience having a young group in formation  among us although only for a short while. We wish our Postulants a happy and fruitful Pauline journey as they are preparing themselves to begin their year of Novitiate shortly. Happy journey, Brothers!!