Dear Confreres,
Greetings of peace and love! Tomorrow (30th of September) is a very special day for our Congregation. We are celebrating our Founder’s Day. This day is very important for all of us, as we re-call and re-live our Founder Peter Mary Mermier’s life and mission.
Our Founder Fr. Peter Mary Mermier was a man ahead of his time. He saw the signs of the time. He experienced the effects of French Revolution and the impact it had on Christianity. After his ordination, as a young priest, he experienced how the Christians were losing interest in faith and spiritual life, due to revolution. His deep experience of God led him to the signs of the time and that sign was a real need for revival of Christian faith. As such, he dedicated himself for the revival of Christian faith. His animated and determined focus was this renewal of Christian faith. For this purpose, he founded our Congregation.
On the occasion of 400th Death anniversary of our Patron, this year, we celebrate it as Year of St. Francis De Sales. Our patron St. Francis De Sales was a great missionary. His contribution to the Church is very significant. When no one was willing to take up missionary work in Calvinist area, as a young priest, he took up. When other priests were giving up due to challenges and threats, he sustained till he succeeded. When people were following a restricted and exclusivist approach to holiness, he called for an all-inclusive approach to holiness. When people were talking about holiness of the select few, he propagated holiness for all. These qualities of missionary endeavor, not giving up in the face of challenges and holiness for all approach had great impact on our Founder. As our patron, our founder also was a great missionary, sustained in missionary endeavors and tirelessly worked for revival of Christian faith, which is nothing
but holiness for all.
The message for us is that like our patron and founder, we need to be committed missionaries. We must be ready to take missionary endeavors anywhere, more especially, where it is required the most. Following the example of our patron and founder, we should sustain in our missionary endeavors in the face of challenges and difficulties without giving up. The holiness for all approach of our patron and the revival of Christian faith of all of our founder must be our focus. Let us live this spirituality of our Patron in this Year of St. Francis De Sales. As we celebrate our Founder’s Day, let us live this spirit of our Founder Peter Mary Mermier.
Wish you all a happy Founder’s Day!
1. Monthly Intentions of the General – October
That all our brothers and sisters who are afflicted by the pandemic, natural calamities, and health problems may come out better and not bitter by the merciful love of God, we pray to the Lord
2. Extraordinary General Chapter (EGC) 2022
The re-convoked Extraordinary General Chapter will be held in Fransalian Seminary, Pune, India, from 8th to 14th of November, 2022. Let us continue to pray for the success of the Extraordinary General Chapter 2022.
3. Two New Indian Cardinals
Archbishop, Filipe Neri Antonio Ferrao of Archdiocese of Goa and Damon and Archbishop, Anthony Poola of Archdiocese of Hyderabad were elevated to the rank of Cardinals on 27th August 2022, at the St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican.
Hearty congratulations to them.
4. Congratulations to new Provincial, Dibrugarh Province
Our Superior General Rev. Fr. Abraham Vettuvelil has appointed Rev. Fr. Tomson Aerathedathu, as the new provincial of Dibrugarh Province. On behalf of the South-East India Province family, I extend our heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to Rev. Fr. Tomson Aerathedathu. We wish him all the best and pray for him..
We express our thanks and gratitude to Fr.Emmanuel Mappilaparambil, the outgoing provincial of Dibrugarh province for his dedication and contribution for all these years.
5. USA Vice Province: New Administration
The following confreres are the new USA vice Province Curia
Fr. Anthony Bonela (Provincial)
Fr. Augustine Tharapel (Admonitor)
Fr. Regi Narikunnel (Councilor)
Fr. Noble (Bursar)
Fr. Jose Kumbloickal (Consulter)
Fr. Antony Rajesh (Consulter)
On behalf of the province family, we wish them all the best.
6. France-Suisse Province : New Administration
The following confreres are the new France-Suisse Province Curia
Fr. Jean-Yves Le Tué (Provincial)
Fr. John HEPUNI (Admonitor)
Fr. Scaria JOSEPH (Councillor )
Fr. Jose THOMAS PUTHIYAPARAMPIL (Councillor)
Fr. Samuel THOMAS DEVARAJ, (Bursar)
On behalf of the province family, we wish them all the best.
7. Province Retreat
We had our annual retreat from 4th of September to 9th of September, 2022. Being the Year of St.Francis De Sales, the Retreat was based on the spirituality of SFS and our religious life. The preacher Fr. Benny Kootanal focussed on 4 pillars: community life, Msfsness, salesian spirituality, and Mission.
Really this year’s retreat was very effective and meaningful. It was inspirational. The preacher emphasized the foundations of our congregation and our religious life and focused on four pillars of our religious life in our congregation. Really it was a graceful time. We participated whole heartedly and renewed ourselves. We were divided into five groups for the liturgical celebration and animation. All our various spiritual activities – Morning Prayer, meditation, talk, mass, rosary, adoration, silent adoration and confession really helped us to examine our religious life and renew it. We got the opportunity to join the Holy Eucharist at Basilica of Poondi on the day of the solemnity of the birth of Blessed Virgin Mary on 8th of September, 2022. It was a very fruitful retreat.
Hearty congratulations to them.
Fr. A. Michael Raja
8. Journey with the Relic and Statue of St. Francis De Sales
The journey with the Relic and Statue of SFS is one of the initiatives taken by our South-East India Province in this Year of SFS. The journey has reached half-way through. It was started from Mankuzhi Parish in Kuzhithurai diocese and it has reached provincial house in Trichy. At every place, special prayers, veneration and novena have been organized. Through this pious activity, we are disseminating the spirituality of our Patron St. Francis De Sales to the people in our parishes and centres more intensely. The journey is very much appreciated by people. The people have received the relic and statue with utmost devotion. We are going to receive much more blessings and graces through the intercession of our Heavenly Patron St. Francis De Sales. Let us continue to encourage and motivate people. Let us be instruments of God’s grace to people.
12. New Priest’s Day at Provincialate
The 15th of September, 2022 was a very memorable day for the South – East India Province, as two of us namely Fr. S. Jerald and Fr. M. Level Winner Raj gathered at Provincialate at Trichy to give thanks to God and to celebrate the new Priest’s Day. Being the feast of Mother of Sorrows, the Patroness of our Congregation, we, the new priests offered the
Holy Eucharist with an immense gratitude to God for his call and the gift of priesthood to
us. Rev. Fr. Amirthanathan, the superior of the community congratulated and appreciated
us at the beginning of the Mass. Rev. Fr. Jerald officiated the Holy Eucharist and Rev. Fr.
Level Winner Raj gave the homily. Finally, Fr. Level Winner Raj thanked the entire community
for the invitation to celebrate the thanksgiving mass. Rev. Fr. Ignacimuthu, Provincial
congratulated the new Priests and wished for the future ministry. We thank the superior
and other members of the Provincialate community for organizing the event.