Dear confreres!
Hearty Greetings from Salespuram!
Last Saturday I went with Fr. Mathew for Vocation Promotion to Calicut. We visited five brothers. Among them was one who lives close to God: up the mountain for kms. This boy had to walk for his schooling every day up to 6 hours. He left morning down hill at 6 AM and reached back home uphill at 7.30 PM. I praised the Lord for all facilities I have been given to study and to live in.
I take the opportunity to thank Fr. Mathew and all others who worked and still are working in Vocation Promotion. I do know that there is a lot of good work done by you and I am grateful for it. I pray that all the challenges you are facing during that time may be overcome with a great spirit of gratitude towards the gifts God is giving.
Now, we are only three at Salespuram, the rest is either on holidays (the brothers) or studying (Fr. Baiju) or on Vocation Promotion (Fr. Mathew). I have finally time to do this and that paperwork and some work that had been patiently waiting on me.
The month of April has been quite busy with celebrations.
On April 2nd we had the ordination of Deacons Reji (left) and Xavier (right) in Salespuram. The Salespuram Community under the leadership of Fr. Baiju was a good host to the Bishop of Kannur and all other guests. The bishop stayed for a while and seemingly enjoyed interacting with everyone. It was quite refreshing. Both deacons have a good model. After the ordination Deacon Reji has been appointed in St. Thomas Forane Church, Erattayar, 685 515 Idukki. His phone number is 04868 / 276086.He already started his ministry there last week.
Deacon Xavier has assumed his ministry in St. Jude’s Church, RC Mission, Vejendla PO, 522 213 Guntur. His phone number is 0863 / 253 45 87. He is already quite active, had a difficult funeral and assisted at one marriage. Both are well taken care by Father John Dolan who visits them and keeps in touch with them on a regular base. Do not hesitate to keep in touch with them as well.
On April 15th Fr. Vincent Kumar was ordained priest in his home parish. A very well prepared liturgy helped us to celebrate together with Fr. Vincent. We joined him and his friends and family also for his first mass on April 16th. As I write this letter Fr. Vincent has assumed his assignment in the Archdiocese of Bangalore. He has been appointed at St. Mary's Basilica, Shivajinagar, Bangalore 560 051. His phone number is 080 / 22 86 86 28 or 22 86 54 34.
On April 24th Fr. Maichael Eattathottu was ordained priest in his home parish. After his ordination he celebrated his first mass. The attention given to us by Fr. Maichael and his family made us feel at home and we enjoyed this celebration as well. Fr. Maichael has been appointed at St. Thomas Church, Thankamani PO, Kattappan 685 515 Idukki. His phone number is 0486 / 827 52 40.
On this picture you can find besides the bishop who ordained Fr. Maichael following Fathers from right to left: Fr. Baiju, Fr. Vincent, Fr. Josef, Fr. Maichael, Fr. Sebastian, Fr. John D., Fr. Shaju and Fr. Mathew.
Fr. Vincent and Maichael are wonderful singers which will help them in their ministry. They now start their first steps as priests, something you cannot really practice before. The opportunity to work in a parish to gain some pastoral experience will help them to discover more and more the beauty of being a priest. And I do hope they will make the message of St. Francis de Sales one to be shared among their faithful.
As I write this letter I am happy to inform you that the General Council has approved following brothers to be admitted into novitiate on May 29th 2004: Biju, Joseph Babu, Thambi, Stanislas, Balaprasad, Dennis, George, Jijo and Johnson. They are the ones on the picture. Please keep these brothers in your prayers as they are about to start their novitiate.
On May 30th 2004 following brothers are permitted to renew their vows: Brs. Balaswamy Dande, Chandra Shekar, John George, Albert, Jinesh, Mathias, Alex Simon, Bhasker, Balaswamy Pasala, Jayaraj, Siju, Rayappa, Shijo and Bineesh.
On May 31st 2004 following novices are permitted to do their first profession: Nov. Prasad, Mandoz, Bijesh, Majeesh, Jomy, Jose Paul and Christhu Raj.
The postulants will have their retreat under the guidance of Fr. John Dolan, while the novices and scholastics will have their retreat under the guidance of Fr. Richard R. De Lillio from the Wilmington-Philadelphia Province whom I welcome in India for this occasion.
Ordinations and professions are celebrations that involve two different vocations of ours: the vocation to religious life and the vocation to priesthood. I take the opportunity to thank all of you for pursuing your vocations as religious and as priests. Participating at ordinations and professions challenges us to renew on a permanent base our own vocations and to deepen them. I am grateful for those challenges.
In Constitution 23 Christ asks that our ministry be inserted in the world in order to be “witnesses and dispensers of a life other than that of this earth.” I enjoy the use of the word dispenser of life. I recommend to your prayers and thinking the kind of life you personally are dispensing and witnessing. All our community efforts depend on your and my personal effort to be faithful to being witnesses and dispensers of a life other than that of this earth. I see so much you do to dispense that other kind of life and I thank you for your efforts. I feel inspired by so many little and great actions you are taking within the community in your daily struggles as well as in your ministry as formators, vocation promoters, counselors, teachers, priests, scholastics, novices, candidates, professors, students, treasurers and deacons. I encourage you to restlessly seek new opportunities to dispense life in creative ways, as individuals as well as in community.
Let me wind up my letter with information worthy to be shared.
- We expect a longer visit from September onwards from Mr. Andrew Kosar from the Ukraine who would like to study the Eastern Rites in India as well as keep in touch with our Oblate communities. As soon as I know more I will inform you.
- The last advisory board meeting discussed and approved the budgets for the coming year and would like to address in a better way our financial situation at our General Meeting at the end of October. We are in a special way focusing at the fact that there are now more priests in the Region. A new situation that we have to address properly.
- Br. John George will do his regency in Salespuram, Br. Albert will do it with the MSFS in Chindamani. As soon as I have an address I will make it available.
- Fr. General has announced :
- Fr. Aldino Kiesel as Regional Superior of the South-American Region.
- Fr. Leoclides Dalla Nora from the South-American Region as new General Counselor.
- Fr. Robert Mancini from the Wilmington-Philadelphia Province as new General Treasurer.
- Fr. Konrad Esser from the German Province as new Assistant General Treasurer.
- Fr. Josef Lienhard as new Provincial of the German Province from July 1st onwards.
- Fr. Kees Jongeneelen for a third term as Provincial of The Netherlands Province.
- Fr. Dirk Koster from the Netherlands Province as new member of ICSS.
- The celebration of 50 years Italian Province .
- After the death of Mother General Francoise-Isabelle Stiegler OSFS the Sisters will meet for their General Chapter in summer 2004.
- The meeting of Major Superiors will take place for a week from July 25th onwards in Fockenfeld/Germany.
I request all of you to pray for these different confreres and occasions.
- The next Advisory Board meeting will take place in June in Salespuram. Its main object will be personnel planning for the coming years.
- Fr. John Sankarathil has safely returned to Switzerland and resumed his studies.
- Fr. Ceresko is on well deserved holidays at home before returning to the Philippines.
Thank you for all you are doing as Oblates. It is deeply appreciated. Looking forward to see you here and there! May God bless you!
Fr. Sebastian Leitner osfs
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