Br Paul Noonan Formation Centre, Tamale: October 2009

Monday, October 12, 2009

The Month of the Rosary

Our community was not left behind on 1st October 2009. We joined the local parish to mark the start of this holy month of the Rosary. The grotto was in order with a lot of decorations especially around the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
As usual the celebration did not commence at the scheduled time, but beside the excuse of African time, there were many reasons as to why it never started on time. Anyway we started the celebration with the rosary itself and were invited to meditate on the luminous mysteries. In between the decades, the choir led the congregation in a solemn Marian song which they sung gracefully.
At the beginning, there were only a few parishioners but as the time flashed by, the number kept on growing. This was a sign of faith and it highlighted how people are dedicated to their faith. All the parishioners around me were totally immersed in their rosary and I hope that they will continue with same energy praying the rosary throughout this month.
The priest encouraged the gathering to continue asking Mary for her abundant graces. He went on to read some of the graces that are likely to be achieved if one prays the rosary daily in faith.

This day was also the memorial day of St Teresa of the Child Jesus. A Carmelite nun who dedicated her entire life to the service of God. She passed away at a tender age but she did something remarkable that is still remembered to date.
The youths were challenged to check out how best they are of service to the ever changing world. St. Teresa of the Child Jesus was suggested to the youths as a role model they should try to emulate.

(Otieno)

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Mrs Maria Silva

Allow me to use this space to pay tribute to one of our great teachers from Regina Mundi School, Chicalim, Goa. It was the school I attended

as a youngster.

Mrs Maria Silva taught Maths like no other in that school for 35 years. Her time there was characterised by dedication to her work, love for her students and committment to the many ideals of Blessed Edmund Rice. She was truly mother and mentor, teacher and educator.

Br Baptist Finn in writing about her said, "We have often heard the expression 'woman of faith'. Maria exemplified it. She lived with passion. And God knows, He shared much of His Passion with her."

She was diagnosed with cancer in 2007 and she battled it with spirit and faith. I spoke to her over the phone some time ago and she was in such high spirits even though her body was wracked with pain. She truly gave suffering with dignity a new meaning. I am sure the manner in which she carried her suffering sanctified many.

She passed away this morning in Ahmedabad where she had gone to visit family after yet another round of treatment in Mumbai.

At this sad time we remember her in our prayers. We pray that her gentle soul will rest in the loving embrace of her loving and caring God. We pray for her children - Marjorie, Br. David Ryan cfc, Rohit and Ralph. May this time of great loss and sorrow be a time for them to count the many blessings and graces they have received through such an exemplery and loving mother.

From now on, surely, there will be one star shining brighter than others in the night sky. The sun will feel warmer on the face and the wind will be a lot cooler.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Companionship

"It is not good for man to be alone."

You are made of love, O God.
Three persons loving and free.
Yet, One God.
Let us too be one with each other,
together in your oneness of love.

(From The Centre for Liturgy website)

What do we want this novitiate to be?

There is a saying that goes something like this: “If we don’t do what we believe in, then we’ll end up believing in what we do”. Without a vision that is authentic and alive to guide our actions, then we can settle for rationalizing the status quo or what is convenient and comfortable.
One of the first things the new team in Tamale did was to spend time beginning to articulate its vision of a novitiate beyond the basics laid down in our Constitutions. Here are some elements of what we came up with:
Novitiate is a journey, a process that involves KNOWING, EXPERIENCING and CHOOSING.
It is an INITIATION into Christian Brother religious life, so a “rite of passage” into a new identity, a time of learning and testing.
Novitiate confronts the novices with the Brother’s vocation as a call to brotherly solidarity and community, not to privilege, status and security.
It involves exploration of the basic values of faith and vocation, and the challenge to embrace these out of personal conviction and free choice.
Novitiate means understanding that a religious vocation makes a claim on the whole of the person and his life, including his inner life, his relationships and his professional activity (ministry). Furthermore, it challenges the novice to see the dynamic inter-relationship of these areas and to learn what their integration means.
Novitiate is a time of DISCERNMENT. The novice learns more deeply who he is, and what this Christian Brother life is. There is a constant back-and-forth movement between these two poles as an answer is sought to the question, “Is this where I am meant to be? Is this the life that will enable me to find my true self in God?”