Dear confreres,
Greetings from Salespuram. We have wonderful weather here. The rainy season is over and I come again to keep in touch with you!
First of all I have great news. On August 30 our community moved finally in into what we can call our own. It took us a few hours to move from Koothupuzha to Vallithodu. And we all feel already very much at home. Cottage 1 looses its new smell and slowly takes up the smell of 20 brothers living there. Since we do not have a chapel by now we use the study hall as prayer room and recreation room. The old house is serving as dining room and kitchen. It is good to be at home!
Concerning construction things are now moving fast. As you know Cottage 2 and 3 are getting finished. The roof concreting is over and now plastering, electrical installations and sanitary installations as well as the floor are being done. One more month and we will be able to use these two buildings and we will even have place for you, when you visit! The foundation of Cottage 4 is finished and the brickwork up to the roof is now being done. They work on the foundation for Cottage 5 as well as the one of the kitchen. Main goal is now to get the kitchen ready so that the old house can be removed. A lot of earthwork has been done and slowly one gets very excited about how it is going to look like. Please keep praying for a good forthcoming.
Of course these are only the buildings. The candidates are keeping fine. We celebrated Onam properly, we even participated at a Rope Pulling Competition and made it into the local Newspaper though we win. Here in Kannur they are still very much excited when they see a foreigner. We were lucky not to loose one of our candidates to the river. He was too courageous and got caught by the river. Thanks to the grace of God he somehow could manage to get to the riverside after 100 meters.
During my last visit to Samarpanaram at the begin of September I found the community joyful since Fr. Dolan came back from the United States. A few days later Father Smuda was supposed to leave, but he was at the airport of Bangalore when the terrorists attacked New York and the other cities, so he was asked to discontinue his journey. By now he was still not allowed to leave India. I hope however he will be able soon to start his well-deserved holidays with his family. One of our novices, Prince, left the community. All other brothers seem to be doing fine, one or the other brother discovers some dryness in his life. They share the experience of the people of Israel going through the desert. These brothers should be in a special way in our prayers and I am sure they are. With the philosophers I had the opportunity to meet as group as well as individually. I do thank the brothers for their openness. I talked a little bit about communication and “opened a book” without end. I would like to continue to walk on this path.
I found a very enthusiastic Fr. Shaju who enjoys his course very much. During my short visit at his room I experienced him relaxed and full of new rewarding experiences though the amount of homework is quite challenging.
From our confreres abroad or far away I was glad to hear that Fr. Josef settled well in the Philippines by the end of August. You might have read his letter; he landed again in a formation community. After settling properly I am sure that he will be able to find good and worthwhile classes for his mind and soul. Luckily he and Fr. Ceresko had already the opportunity to see each other. Bruzily has settled well in Baroda/Gujarat and is enthusiastic with his work with Jesus Youth. He announced his visit at the end of October to Bangalore. Fr. John writes regularly from Monaco. I try to keep in touch with him. Brothers, in prayer we are united.
I have heard no special news from our minor seminaries, but this means usually that all is going on well.
Finally I would like to close with what is in the mind of many people at this time, I guess. War. It was unbelievable to see what happened in New York. I felt like watching a movie. Of course I disapprove on such an act. The word, which keeps coming back to my mind, is Bush swearing revenge. I was surprised to read the daily gospel the next day of this attack and to hear Jesus say: `Love your enemies`. Surprised and challenged. How are we dealing with the feeling of revenge? I don’t know. What I know is that I want to try to work on this feeling as soon as it appears within me. The only place I see where I can do something.
Enough for today. May I request politely to make available to me until the end of September by mail or email your own email address if available and your statement concerning vocation promotion as required by me in my last letter!
God bless you
Fr. Sebastian Leitner osfs