PROVINCIAL CIRCULAR 01 OCTOBER 2019

DEAR CONFRERES,

Greetings and Prayerful Wishes. The month of October is dedicated to our Lady of the Holy Rosary. ‘The greatest method of praying is to pray the Rosary,’ says St. . ‘Pray to the Madonna. Love her! Always pray the Rosary. Pray it well. Pray it as often as you can. Praying the Rosary obtains graces from ,’ says St. Padre Pio. Francis says, ‘Christians who pray the rosary unite their own lives with Christ by meditating on His life, ministry and death.’ This simple prayer, in fact, helps us to contemplate all that God in his love has done for us and for our salvation.

Our Salesian tradition teaches us that we pray the Rosary every day as community and with our young people. We need to introspect and see how often we pray this powerful prayer with devotion and filial love to our Blessed Mother. I invite everyone to keep up our tradition of praying the rosary daily and invite our young people and Catholic families to recite it every day.

A WORD OF THANKS

Though the sudden death of Fr. Antony sdb, our Provincial was a great shock to all of us and we are yet to come back to our normal life, the love shown to him at the time of funeral was very genuine and meaningful. I am grateful to the Provincial community that took great care of him in his last days. In a special way, May God bless Fr. Ashok, the secretary, Fr. Amaladoss, the Economer and Fr. Maran, the Vice Rector, for their love and affection shown by being with him, spending most of their time; Br. George and Mr. Jude who supervised the arrangements at the cemetery; Fr. Thomas Louis, Fr. Amalraj and AMSAM community for seeing to all the details of the funeral event; Fr. Jeyan and Fr. Eugene who prepared the Liturgy and the Choir; Sr. Rosy FMA and the Salesian sisters who beautifully decorated the Church for the Eucharist.

The Presence of many of the Salesians and friends was a great source of consolation to all of us. May God bless Bishop. George Rajendran, Bishop of Thuckalay, who presided over the Holy Eucharist, Fr. Maria Arokiam Kanaga, the Regional Superior who preached a meaningful homily, the Provincials,

Provincial Circular 1 Salesian Province of Tiruchy – INT (October/2019) Vice Provincials, Economers, former provincials, Vicar Generals and representatives of Salesians from other provinces, the great number of Salesians from Chennai and Tiruchy Provinces, the innumerable and sisters from the FMA, SMA, FIHM and other congregations and huge number of people from our Salesian presences.

Though there was an atmosphere of grief and sorrow, the presence of a number of relatives, friends and family of Fr. Anna needs a special mention. They were journeying with us not only at the time of funeral but they were part of our Provincial Community and we really mourn with them at this time of irreplaceable loss of Fr. Anna. May God bless and console each and every one of them.

30TH DAY MEMORIAL MASS

The Month’s mind mass for our Provincial Fr. Antony Joseph, SDB will be held on 12 October 2019 (Saturday), at Amsam Trichy. The day will start with a prayer service at 09.30 am to pay tribute to the departed soul. The Holy Eucharist will begin at 11.30 am. I am sure that all the Leaders with their community members will participate in this event.

CONSULTATION FOR THE NOMINATION OF NEXT PROVINCIAL

The Rector Major has assigned Rev. Fr. Vaclav Klement, Regional Superior of East-Asia Oceania, for the consultation of the next Provincial. We welcome him to our Province for this important moment of discernment. The consultation will be held from 22 to 24 November 2019 in three places. This is an important event in the Province that needs our daily prayer both as individuals and as communities that the Lord may accompany us in the process of discernment. The following will be the schedule of these meetings…

22 November 2019 Friday Don Bosco Jawaharpuram, Madurai (10.00 am – 01.00 pm) 23 November 2019 Saturday Don Bosco Provincial House, Trichy (10.00 am – 01.00 pm) 24 November 2019 Sunday The Retreat, Yercaud (10.00 am – 01.00 pm) 25 November 2019 Monday Meeting the Provincial Council members at DBPH

I invite all of you to plan your programme accordingly as to participate without fail, in this important discernment process.

VISITATION TO OUR COMMUNITIES

As per the direction of Rev.Fr. Cereda, Vicar General and Rev. Fr. Maria Arockiam, our Regional Superior, I will resume the visitation to our presences for the assessment of life, mission and financial status of the house. I will spend more time with the confreres first and then meet the stake holders of our mission too. Kindly get ready all the reports and documents as you usually do for the Provincial visitation. Kindly avoid all kinds of felicitations and programmes.

Provincial Circular 2 (October/2019) Salesian Province of Tiruchy – INT MEETING FOR THOSE IN QUINQUENNIUM

Meeting for the Young Priests in quinquennium period (2014 – 2018) will be held from 17 to 19 October 2019 at Don Bosco, Manikandam. An email of Reminder will be sent to the participants. Kindly arrive for supper on the previous day (16 November) so that you are relaxed and prepared for these days of live in. Fr. Joe Antony SJ will be the Animator for this programme and he will deal with the topic, ’Building up relationships in our communities.’

PRAYERFUL WISHES TO FMA INT PROVINCE FOR THE PROVINCIAL CHAPTER

It is my privilege to wish the FMA Provincial Sr. Margaret, the Moderator Sr. Maria Pushpam and all the sisters of the FMA Province of Our Lady of Snow, as they are going to celebrate their First Provincial Chapter in view of their forthcoming General Chapter XXIV. Our prayerful support to them for fruitful reflections on the theme, “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5), Communities that generate life in the heart of Contemporaneity. May I request all our communities to remember and pray for our loving sisters, invoking the Lord to inspire and accompany them during the days of the Provincial Chapter.

I take this opportunity to wish and pray for the FMA Province of Chennai and other provinces as well so that they may all experience the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the intercession of St. John Bosco and Mary Mazzarello during the days of preparation and the Chapter.

CANONIZATION OF REV. SR. MARIAM THERESIA OF INDIA

It is a great Joy to all of us at the addition of one more to the Mother Church. Our Holy Father authorized through the Congregation for the Causes of , to promulgate and raise Blessed Mariam Thresia, founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Family (CHF), to Sainthood. Mariam becomes the third to be elevated to the status of sainthood from . Our Holy Father Pope Francis, will declare Mankidiyan a saint, on 13 October 2019 at St. Peter’s Square, Vatican.

Forthcoming Events…

2 Wed - DB Manikandam: Salesian Family Day / Consult 12 Sat - AMSAM: 30th Day Memorial Mass 13 Sun - DBPH: Provincial Council 17 – 19 Thur – Sat - DB Manikandam: Young Priests Meet (Quinquennium Period: 2014 – 2018) Upcoming Salesian Feasts…

05 Blessed Alberto Marvelli, lay person. 13 Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa, 24 San Luigi Guanella, and Founder of the Servants of Charity

Provincial Circular 3 Salesian Province of Tiruchy – INT (October/2019) 29 Blessed Rua, priest In Loving Memory of the Deceased…

12 Sat - 30th Day Memorial Mass for Fr. Antony Joseph SDB

CONDOLENCES…

• To Fr. Amala Asvin at the demise of his dear father Mr. Alphonse (71) on 14 September 2019 at Kadiyapattinam. I extend our prayerful support and condolences to the bereaved family. • To the Provincial and the confreres of Mumbai Province at the sad demise of Fr. Ignas Macwan SDB (62) on 09 September 2019 at Baroda. May the souls of the departed, rest in peace!

SPIRITUAL READING -…LIFE OF BL. MARIAM THRESIA

Blessed Mariam Thresia, founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Family (CHF), was born on 26 April 1876 as the daughter of Thoma and Thanda Chiramel Mankidiyan in the village of Puthenchira, Trichur District, Kerala. Though once a rich and noble family with extensive landed property, the family became poorer and poorer as Thresia’s grandfather married away seven daughters one after the other, selling the property to pay for each a costly dowry. Such was the family background in which the future pioneer of the family apostolate was born. The third of five children, two boys and three girls, Thresia grew up in piety and holiness under the loving guidance of her saintly mother Thanda.

Thresia was moved by an intense desire to love God from her early childhood onwards. For this purpose she fasted four times a week and prayed the Marian rosary several times a day. Seeing her thinned down at eight years of age, her mother tried to dissuade Thresia from her severe fasts and night vigils. But Thresia wanted to be ever more in the likeness of the suffering Christ; to him she also consecrated her virginity when she was about ten years old.

When Thresia was only 12 years old, her mother died, which was the end also of her elementary school education. She was then set on a long search to discern her own vocation in life. In her love for she wanted to be like him in his toil and apostolate. Hence she helped the poor, nursed the sick, visited and comforted the lonely people of her parish. She nursed even hideous and revolting cases of leprosy and small pox, often abandoned to their lot by their poor relatives who had no means of caring for them. Upon their death she took care of their orphaned children.

Thresia and her three companions formed a group of prayer and of apostolate. Breaking with the custom of not leaving the house unless accompanied by men, they were on the roads and visited the families in need. Revolutionary novelty in their little world, which did not spare its criticism

Provincial Circular 4 (October/2019) Salesian Province of Tiruchy – INT of “the girls taking to the streets”! Thresia placed her trust in the help of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. She saw them frequently in visions and received guidance in her apostolate, especially for the conversion of sinners. She prayed for sinners, fasted for their conversion, and visited them and exhorted them to repentance. She received several mystical gifts like prophecy, healing, aura of light, sweet odour.

And like St. Teresa of Avila she had frequent ecstasies and levitations. On Fridays people used to gather to see Mariam Thresia lifted high and hanging in the form of a crucifix on the wall of her room. Like the well-known Blessed Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, she too bore the stigmata, carefully hiding it from public view. Perhaps to help her keep humble amidst such mystical favours, the Lord let her be tormented by diabolical attacks and vexations almost all through her life.

She was repeatedly submitted to between 1902 and 1905 by Father , the parish priest of Puthenchira, acting under orders of the bishop. Thresia submitted to the bishop’s orders with exemplary humility, but the seem to have made some people regard Mariam Thresia as a dubious saint, even as Saint Mary Magdalen, who was exorcised by Jesus Christ of seven demons, was eventually identified with the unnamed sinful woman in the Gospel of Luke (7: 36-50) on the wrong presumption that a possessed person must be a sinner. Mariam Thresia had also to fight temptations particularly against faith and chastity and she passed through the dark night of the soul.

In 1903 Mariam Thresia requested her bishop’s permission to build a prayer house of solitude, but Mar , the Vicar Apostolic of Trichur, first wanted to test her vocation. He suggested to her to consider joining the newly founded Congregation of the Franciscan Clarists, but she did not think that she was called to it. In 1912 he made arrangements for her to live in a convent of the Carmelite at Ollur.

Though the Sisters would gladly have admitted her into their Congregation, she did not feel that it was her call. Finally, in 1913 Mar Menachery permitted her to build a prayer house and sent his secretary to bless it. Thresia moved in, and her three companions joined her soon. They led a life of prayer and austere penance like hermits but continued to visit the sick and help the poor and the needy irrespective of religion or caste. The bishop discerned that here was in gestation a new religious Congregation for the service of the family. On 14 May 1914 he erected it canonically and named it the Congregation of the Holy Family (C.H.F.) while receiving the perpetual profession of Mariam Thresia. Her three companions were enrolled as postulants in the new Congregation, while she was appointed its first Superior with Father Joseph Vithayathil as chaplain.

The newly founded Congregation had no written Constitutions. The bishop himself procured the Constitutions of the Holy Family Sisters of Bordeaux from their house in Ceylon (today, Sri Lanka), adapted it and gave it to the foundress. Mother Mariam Thresia saw to its strict observance in the new Congregation, which she nurtured with great care. During and after the difficult years of the First World War, with indomitable energy and utter trust in divine providence, she built, in less than twelve years, three new convents, two schools, two hostels, a study house, and an orphanage.

Education of girls was Mariam Thresia’s liberation

Provincial Circular 5 Salesian Province of Tiruchy – INT (October/2019) theology in action, without the slogan. Several young girls were attracted to her by her simplicity, humility and shining sanctity. At the time of her death at the age of fifty there were 55 Sisters in the Congregation, 30 boarders and 10 orphans under her care. The co-founder Father Joseph Vithayathil continued, till his death in 1964, to nurture the Congregation, which grew steadily. Today, this Congregation of the Holy Family has over 2000 professed Sisters, serving in Kerala, in the mission areas of North India, in Germany, , and Ghana, with over 176 houses in 7 provinces and 119 novices.

Mother Mariam Thresia died on 8 June 1926 from a wound on the leg caused by a falling object. The wound defied cure owing to her diabetes. After her death the fame of Mariam Thresia spread as she continued from heaven to succour the sick and the needy through miraculous favours. In 1971 a historical commission collected the necessary evidence regarding her life, virtues and writings and presented it in 1983 before an eparchial (diocesan) tribunal, which also collected the depositions of fifteen of the surviving eye-witnesses. On 28 June 1999 the Congregation for the Causes of Saints promulgated a decree stating that the Mariam Thresia had practiced the Christian virtues heroically, and so she was entitled to be called Venerable.

There were numerous miraculous cures obtained by many people were reported that they were through the intercession of the Servant of God Mariam Thresia. These miracles led this woman to the path of sanctity and raised her to the status of Sainthood.

Our Holy Father Pope Francis, will declare Mariam Thresia Chiramel Mankidiyan a saint, on 13 October 2019. The will take place at St. Peter’s Square.

Lord, we thank you for your servant Blessed Mariam Thresia, who burnt with love for you, dedicated her life to Christ and became a refuge to the poor and the broken hearted. As she is honoured as a saint in the holy , we pray through her, that we may all imbibe her sanctity and simplicity to love you more and become kind to the poor and broken hearted. O queen of the Holy Rosary, O Bless us as we pray! Yours affectionately in DB

Fr. Agilan Sarprasadam SDB Vice Provincial – Salesian Province of Annai Velankanni, Tiruchy – INT

Provincial Circular 6 (October/2019) Salesian Province of Tiruchy – INT