On Friday, 15th June, 2018, CDN scholasticate community celebrated the Feast of the Sacred Heart, with a specific theme of our imminent General Chapter, titled: With Open Heart & Mind to the urgent needs of the Church and the World.
The celebration began with the solemn Eucharist at 6:15 pm presided over by Rev. Fr. McQueen Mascarenhas SCJ, the District Superior. Fr. Michael Augustine SCJ, the Rector of the Community gave a short introduction mainly highlighting the theme with specific reference to threefold openness/flexibility such as intra-personal openness(realities within us), interpersonal openness (realities around us) and trans-personal openness (realities above us).
Fr. McQueen in his homily highlighted the significance of deeper communion with the Lord in order that we may effectively and sensibly answerto the urgent needs of the Church and the World as consecrated men and women.
He also paid tribute to our departed Fr. Martin Van Ooij SCJ, the founding father of SCJ Indian Mission and his vision by blessing and garlanding his picture and invited everyone to imbibe his spirit as we go about our common mission of ‘waking up the world’ (Pope Francis) as Religious withopen Heart & Mind.
After the Eucharist, there was an hour long colorful creative cultural presentation by the CDN brothers who entertained and enriched those present with their power packed performance. Several SCJ confreres from the various communities in the Andhra Area, the religious in and around Janampeta and some of the friends in the locality (around 250) graced the occasion and experienced the blessings of the Heart of Christ in abundance.
Special thanks to Sacred Heart parish community Vempadu for generously donating Sound & Light for the gathering; DPN Minor Seminary community, Gorantla for preparing and distributing souvenirs of Fr. Martin, and Sacred Heart Ashram Novitiate community for the power-point presentation of Fr. Martin.
The festive gathering came to an end with a delicious meal and all those present returned home with a sense of satisfaction for having experienced Dehonian friendship, fraternity and fellowship.
May the Heart of Christ, who is our imperishable treasure, who gives us lasting pleasure without measure and who takes away all our pressure continue to reign in our Souls and Societies!
