This year’s Founder’s Day celebration was held in DPN Minor Seminary Community, Gorantla. To give qualitative time to reflect, to relax, to renew our commitment and to build fraternity & brotherhood among all the confreres and the candidates in the area, it was held for two full days (11-12 August). The entire event has been simply fantastic and meaningful for those present, as it was well organized by the Founder’s Day committee headed by Fr. Christy Peter scj and appreciated by one and all.
We have begun the celebration on 11 August at 10:30 am with an opening ceremony and special prayer service to honour our Founding Father. This was followed by Dehon Quiz conducted by Fr. Joseph Kashmir scj and all the three communities have done very well and helped each of us to gain new insights about our Founder and his personality and to derive inspirations from him.
On 11th evening Fr. Dharmaraj scj presided over the Eucharistic celebration and gave an insightful homily on religious life and about our Founder. He invited everyone not so much to speak about God but to speak to God and to listen to his Words of Wisdom by being calm, simple, quiet and humble.
After the dinner, we had a colorful Dehonian cultural evening with power packed performances from 3 formation communities (Scholastics, Novices & Minor seminarians) of the Andhra Area wherin our formees have come up with Group Songs, Group Skits and Group Dances to creatively and dynamically present the Dehonian ideals of Sint Unum, fraternity, brotherhood, opennes, flexibility, and sensitivity to the needs of the Church and the Society.
Fr McQueen scj (District Superior) was our chief guest gracing the occasion. He presided over the Eucharist on 12th morning and in his homily he stressed the significance of the need to be in the sacristy before leaving it for our mission outside. Echoing the last words of our Founder, “For Him I live and For Him I die”, he invited everyone to be more focused on the Heart of Jesus in our aspiration to live the legacy of Fr. Dehon.
Also present were Fr. Emmanuel scj from Rome who has come for home holidays, Br. Kiran scj who has returned home from Venezuela after the completion of his theological studies and our deacon Mary Babu scj who is seriving in Warangal Diocese.
