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Contents
Editorial
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My Experience In Turda
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Yesu Sneha Nilayam
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My Ordination Day
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Editorial
Dear Mill Hill Family Supporters, Greetings from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Once again, with the heartfelt gratitude I thank and remember each one of you for your sacrifices and support of the mission. At the outset, I would like to share a heart touching incident which I experienced during my Mill Hill Family Missionary visit in Tamilnadu. An elderly couple from Chennai who have been our supporters for many years are now house bound and are surviving only with the help of their neighbours, nevertheless, they still continue to contribute to the mission. Their support seems to me beyond their means! This reminds me of 2 Cor 8:1-5, “We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that has been granted to the churches of Mac-e-donia; for during a severe ordeal of affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in wealth of generosity on their part. For, as I can testify, they voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means, begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry of the saints�. They are a family with seven children; all are married and well settled. But property disputes separated them from visiting their 2
parents and they stopped communicating with each other. Yet, these elderly people have still not lost their joy and strength in the Lord. They still continue to be graceful, generous give to those whom they meet in their day to day life. I asked them about the secret of their joy. They said: “Jesus Christ is our source, He never leaves those who trust in His words and practice it in their lives”. Quoting them makes us realise that Jesus Christ is alive, He comes to us through different people such as road sweepers, garbage collectors, laundry maids, bangle sellers, milk men, even those who pass us by on the road. The old couple pray every day that they may become a blessing for the people whoever they meet, and in turn they themselves are blessed by the same people as they serve each other. In St. John 15:7 we read: “If you abiding me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you”. It is through our God given experiences that we often are made strong to continue our Christian journey. The Word is our strength and the power of the Holy Spirit makes it possible for us to live with and in love, and He lives in our good actions which are the signs of God’s presence and His Kingdom among us. May God bless you all. Yours in Christ Jesus Fr. Vincent Porathur, MHM
Please Contact
Fr. Vincent Porathur, MHM The Director, Mill Hill Family India, # 3-4-97/FQ/2, St. Joseph’s House, Ramanthapur, Amberpet (P.O.), Hyderabad-500 013, T.S., India. Tel: +91 7032351304 E-mail : millhill.familiesindia@gmail.com OUR BANK ACCOUNT DETAILS
THE CATHOLIC SYRIAN BANK A/C Name: “MILL HILL FAMILY INDIA” A/C No: 027603500833190001, BRANCH: SECUNDERABAD, IFSC/RTGS CODE: CSBK0000276.
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MY EXPERIENCE IN TURDA, CORON, PALAWAN, PHILIPPINES I, Madhu Babu went to Barangay Turda in the municipality of Coron, Palawan on 13th September, 2016. I was new to the place and when I arrived at the pier of Coron, Frs. Benny & Sleevaraj had come to receive me. I continued the journey towards Turda in the rainy weather and what touched me most was the scenery on all sides. I was eager to see the place. I used to search for it on google during my language course in Manila. After an hour and half journey, I reached Turda. I was so surprised to see the place and the parish church. I have seen many parish churches both in India and abroad somewhat moderate or huge, but the church in Turda is very small and so I felt that it was not really a parish church. Everything was new; the place, people, weather and so on. I felt like I was in a completely new world. I met new people and made new friends as time went on. People were happy to see me speaking inTagalog which I learnt through my language course. They were very attentive to listen to and learn about my culture. I used to speak to all age groups in order to improve my language. After a few months of stay I understood the conditions in the place better. When I settled down a bit, I went out and stayed in the villages. The stay in the villages helped me to know the people better. It also gave me a broad understanding of them. They are poor but very ‘rich in giving and helping one another’. There were situations when I had seen children eating rice with just salt as they couldn’t afford any vegetables. It moved my heart and I felt so sad seeing this. The socio-economic conditions of the people are not so good. The government still needs to improve 4
the standard of living of the people by providing them with better education and job opportunities especially for those who are poor. Most of the students stop their education at the high-school level as they can’t afford further education. (Do they stop before high school or after? During my free time, I used to teach English to the high-school students so that they would get used to it and that it might help them in the future. The church in Turda is spreading the ‘Good News’ zealously amidst many pastoral challenges. The faith-formation of the people still needs to be worked on. The catechetical formation helps the children grow in the catholic faith. Although the lay participation in the building of a good Christian community both in the parish and mission-stations is good, it still has to become more participative. Living with people in the villages enabled me to grow more in the missionary spirit and at the same time, made me see the world from a different perspective. Their simplicity of life, hospitality, sharing and openmindedness made a positive impact on me. My Supervisor and fellowstudents’ support and cooperation in benefitting from the fruits of the pastoral activities was helpful. I benefitted greatly from my time with the Mission Experience Programme in the Philippines. I was there over two years. The Philippines will always remain my favourite place in terms of the relationship of ‘family and communion with one another’. Their relationship with God made my own faith stronger. The missionary zeal of the local members is to be appreciated a lot with their simplicity of life and with the attitude of ‘to love and to serve’. Maraming Salamat Po!
Bro. P. Madhu Babu III Year Theology 5
A Glance at Yesu Sneha Nilayam, Pargi (St. Gonsalo Garcia Mission) “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation� (Mark 16:15). Every year, in the month of June the mission center runs a youth camp for the young people from the different sub-stations of Pargi. The main focus of the youth camp is to help the participants to recognize their own potential and the goodness that is found within them. We try to prepare the young people so that they are able to face the challenges of today, help them distinguish between the good and the bad influences of the media, help them in making the right decisions and choices. This we hope, would better prepare them for their future life so that they can be positive in their attitudes as well as look forward with hope and joy. I should also like to mention our mission in Pargi called, The Rainbow. This is a group of women who come regularly to participate in the Holy Eucharist. Afterwards they pray the Rosary. There are additional devotions to Mary Mother Most Holy especially on Saturdays. They tell us that the prayer life helps them to respond to the presence God within themselves and to live a Christian family life. We are also blessed by having the support of the men and young people. Our mission team goes out regularly to spread the Word of God outside and we are actively involved in reaching out to the poor and needy. By the grace of God our mission continues to thrive and we would be most grateful for your prayerful support.
Fr. T. Anish, MHM 6
My Ordination Day I, Robin Rainu was ordained priest on 13th May, 2018 by his Lordship, Most Rev. Emmanuel Kerketta, the Bishop of Jashpur Diocese. My experience of the ordination was so wonderful and difficult to put into words. I was deeply touched and it made me think of what had happened 2000 years ago in Bethlehem. The thought of Our Saviour being born in a stable was in front of my eyes as I looked at all the people who had come for this occasion. They had to cross thick jungles, drove through rough roads, perhaps feeling lost and quite cut off from the world because of the non-availability of the mobile network. Basically, the ordination rite overwhelmed me. I was very much conscious of what was happening. After the completion of the rite the full realization came to me and unstoppable tears stared falling down my cheeks. These were the tears of joy and gratitude to God and all the people who had made it possible for me to become a priest. After the ordination all those present lined up for a holy kiss and a blessing. I felt that I truly belonged to the people regardless who they were, regardless of their colour, status or cast. Another touching experience happened when I was taken home on horseback. I was on a horse for the first time in my life! Around me people were escorting me with beating of big drums, singing and dancing. I almost felt like Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey. Someone asked me how I felt and I replied that I was being taken to Jerusalem on a donkey! With cheerful heart I can say, “What return can I make to the Lord!� (Ps. 116:12)I wish to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have helped me in different ways: through prayers, mission contributions etc. May the Almighty God bless you all abundantly! Fr. Robin Rainu Toppo, MHM 7
EVENTS SOFAR FROM JANUARY TO JUNE 2018 ♦
17th March 2018 - Temporary Oath of Ten Students In Formation House Karunapuram, Warangal, India.
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19th March 2018 - St. Josephís Feast Day
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9th April 2018 - Priestly Ordination of Kodati Chanikya.
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13th May 2018 - Priestly Ordination of Robin Rainu Toppo.
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27th-31st May 2018 - Young Indiann MHM Meeting . Thank you for your prayer and support.
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