Br Paul Noonan Formation Centre, Tamale: Mrs Maria Silva

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.

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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?”