Gandhinagar Chronicle-DEC 2018
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ARCHDIOCESE OF GANDHINAGAR Dharmacharya Nivas, Shantivan, Pethapur, Gandhinagar – 382 610, Gujarat State (India) Tel. 079-23227541. email : [email protected] Chronicle; December- 2018 OFFICIAL With great joy I announce the “Year of Rosary” for the Archdiocese of Gandhinagar from 1st January to 8th December 2019. Let us all express our devotion to our beloved heavenly Mother, who walks along with us in our pilgrimage on this earth, that she may help us to grow in the likeness of her Son, Jesus Christ. I have appointed Rev. Fr. Nixon Macwan S.J. as the Dean of Mehsana Deanery I have appointed Rev. Fr. Arul Britto as my Secretary I have also appointed Deacon Suresh and Deacon Abhay for their diaconate ministry in Premavtar Isu Mandir, Gandhinagar and Catholic Ashram, Vadgam respectively. We wish them all the best for their ministry. 2nd December will be celebrated as Communio India Sunday. Please be generous towards this cause. I will be away from 7th to 13th January 2019 for the CCBI meeting at Chennai. Rev. Fr. Teles Fernandes will work on my behalf during my absence. You may approach him in case of need. Advent is the time to prepare for the great feast of Christmas. Let us eagerly thirst for Jesus so that He may be born in our hearts. He wants that we change our lives for the better and become new persons with HIS heart. During Christmas let us be extra generous towards our workers and especially towards the poor and needy. If we truly want to worship Him, let us be kind to the poor for He is very much present in them. I wish you all a very happy Christmas and a Joy-filled 2019. + Archbishop Thomas Macwan Dear Fathers, Sisters and Brothers, True God for whom we live, of the Creator of all things, Lord of heaven and the earth. She made a In 1531 a "Lady from Heaven" appeared to a request for a church to be built on the site, and humble Native American Mexican peasant submitted her wish to the local Bishop. When the named Juan Diego at Tepeyac, a hill northwest of Bishop hesitated, and requested her for a sign, what is now Mexico City. She identified herself the Mother of God obeyed without delay or as the ever Virgin Holy Mary, Mother of the question to the Church's local Bishop, and sent her native messenger to the top of the hill in mid- celebrated on December 12th. In 1999, Pope December to gather an assortment of roses forthe John Paul II, in his homily during the Solemn Bishop. After complying to the Bishop's request Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe for a sign, She also left for us an image of herself in Mexico City, declared the date of December imprinted miraculously on the native's tilma, a the 12th as a Liturgical Holy Day for the whole poor quality cactus-cloth, which should have continent. During the same visit Pope John Paul deteriorated in 20 years but shows no sign of II entrusted the cause of life to her loving decay 486 years later and still defies all scientific protection, and placed under her motherly care explanations of its origin. the innocent lives of children, It apparently even reflects especially those who are in in Her eyes what was in danger of not being born. front of her in 1531. Why have I narrated these Her message of love and details? There is a special compassion, and her reason! universal promise of help Rev. Fr. Alex Clement, a and protection to all senior archdiocesan priest mankind, as well as the who completes 25 years of story of the apparitions, his priesthood this year, had are described in the "Nican been out of the diocese for Mopohua", a 16th century most of his life as a priest. He document written in the is qualified as a counselor native Nahuatl language. and his services were utilized There is reason to believe by the CBCI at the National that at Tepeyac Mary came Vocation Service Centre in her glorified body, and (NVSC), Pune. While at her actual physical hands Pune, he was sent by the rearranged the roses in centre to do his PhD in the Juan Diego’s tilma, which United States which he makes this apparition very successfully completed and special. An incredible list came back to the centre. of miracles, cures and interventions are attributed During his stay in the States he had the to Her. Yearly, between 18 - 20 million pilgrims opportunity to visit the famous shrine of Our visit the Basilica, making it Christianity's most Lady of Guadalupe at Mexico. He was touched visited sanctuary and the world’s third most- by the faith of the simple people of South visited sacred site! Altogether 25 popes have America. officially honored Our Lady of Guadalupe. He was inspired with the thought that if Mother His Holiness John Paul II visited her Sanctuary Mary could intervene and bring a whole four times: on his first apostolic trip outside continent, which comprises of tribal only, to her Rome as Pope in 1979, and again in 1990, 1999 Son Jesus, would she not do the same with her and 2002.The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is children in our own archdiocese especially in the tribal districts? He presented this thought by simply telling me that he wants to start a shrine for a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe, I was in honour of Mother Mary somewhere in the filled with extreme joy. I took him to my room archdiocese without mentioning the title of and showed him the statue. He too was thrilled! Mother Mary and about his experience in With that inner joy we proceeded to Kathvath to Mexico. I sincerely expressed to him that I too choose the spot for the shrine. After due was searching for a priest to start a shrine in discernment, the archdiocese began to dream of honour of Our Lady somewhere in the starting a Shrine in honour of Our Lady of archdiocese. And lo, the Lord had send Fr. Guadalupe and a healing retreat centre at Alex!” Kadvath, situated on the Himmatnagar – Udaipur highway just before the bridge that leads to It was Fr. Alex who made a special trip from Nanakantharia. It is a beautiful place surrounded Pune to Gujarat in November, 2017, to see and by small hills. After completing his term in Pune, decide the place for the shrine. He met me in Fr. Alex started God’s mission in Kadvath from Mirzapur to discuss about the matter and thought August, 2017. We have succeeded in of Kadvath, a small village of Phadiya, in the constructing a little chapel attached with an newly created parish from Nanakantharia. During equally small room for the director, Fr. Alex. our meeting he expressed his worries regarding getting a statue for the shrine. I was not aware of Fr. Jeyaraj, the parish priest of Phadiya, worked which statue he wanted and so I enquired from strenuously to acquire the various permissions to him. Straight away he said that he wanted the construct the rectory at Rangpur and build a wall statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe. For me it was around the property. The Archdiocese is looking a big surprise and a thrilling moment! The reason forward to start an English medium school at is that during my visit to the USA in May, 2008, Rangpur for our tribal children. Rangpur too is I had procured a beautiful statue of Our Lady of situated on the highway. 12th of December is the Guadalupe. Feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. This is the day that we have decided to inaugurate the I was attracted towards her especially seeing the rectory and the chapel. The statue of Our Lady of deep faith of the Mexicans in the US. My friend Guadalupe will be installed on this day and we Fr. Rudolf Crasta in Lubbock diocese of Texas will start the first feast day celebration in honour State had a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe in of Our Lady of Guadalupe at Kathvath. Prior to his rectory. I desperately wanted it. He spoke this, a novena will be conducted in Phadiya with the donor whether he could hand it over to Parish Church. The people are very excited about me. The donor was very generous that she the whole matter. This is the place from where packed a new statue and kept it straight away at hails Fr. Shankar and a number of religious the airport for me to take it! sisters. The celebrations commences at 9.30 a.m. On my return to India, I placed the statue in my first at Kadvath and then at Rangpur. room at Mirzapur. A number of priests had come Let us pray for the success of this new mission. It to meet me in my room for various reasons but would be very encouraging if large number of none of them had ever asked me that they wanted Fathers and Sisters would come for this spiritual the statue. I kept on asking Mother Mary, event. Looking forward for you presence. “Where are you planning to go?” I was wondering where she would be going to! Hence, +Archbishop Thomas Macwan when Fr. Alex mentioned that he was searching “LORD, IT IS GOOD FOR US TO BE HERE.” (MT; 17: 4) Archdiocese of Gandhinagar organized the Although the total number was 48, it was a well annual retreat for its priests at Pastoral Center, attended, participated, prayed, meditated, Nadiad from 11th to 16th November, 2018.