A Glance @ Tidings A Kid @ Heart 44 Your Pastor Speaks 4 Testimonies 47 Parish Programs 5 Editorial 6 Theme Feature “Tidings” On Board Rev. Fr. Dominic Vas OCD Media and Religion 7 Parish Priest : Addiction to Porn 8 In-Charge : Fr. Arwin Tauro OCD Mass Media and the Church 11 Editorial Board : The Parish team of Pastors Sabina Correia Mass Media - Ignorance is not Bliss 15 Jason Lobo Save your Child from the snares of Mass Christopher Mascarenhas Media 31 Christal Rodrigues Church Diary 12 Veenal D’silva Baptism/Marriage/Burial Denver Fernandes Serena D'Silva Special Feature Ad Team : Murphy Rebello The Prayer of the Church 17 Lanio Carvalho Sayanora Fernandes Make this lenten season something new and Noorine D'Souza wonderful 19 Natasha Coutinho Nelson Rosario The Joy in Resurrection 21 Francis Araujo Richard Fernandes Carmelites in the Church 48 Sapna Rodrigues Happenings @ St. Joseph's 34 e-mail : [email protected] webpage : www.stjosephchurchocd.org Senior Citizen’s Voice 39 Building Joyful Relationships Youth Power Colorful Youth 41 CAVEAT Tidings does not vouch for any claims made by the May my choice prevail 42 Advertisers of products and services. It shall not be held liable for any consequences, in the event such claims are not honoured by the Advertisers. Media - A powerful Tool 42 Tidings (Vol.2.4) - 03 - March-2012 ass media – TV, Mobiles, Internet- Pastor Speaks Facebook, Twitter etc. has led the modern man astray. It has changed his life from good Mto bad. Let us compare “Then and Now” - before the pitched church choirs. advent of mass media and after. 4. Then: The entire family gathered together in 1. Then: Our children learnt on slate and notebook the evening for prayer, rosary and scripture with chalk, pencil and pen. Tables were reading. memorised for calculations. Mind was sharp. Now: The family, today, gathers before the TV and spends time either surfing the internet or Students and people visited libraries and read chatting on Facebook. many books. 5. Then: The family enjoyed meal times sharing Now: Today, access to knowledge has become easier. Knowledge is ready made. Children learn not only food but also their daily problems, directly from computer, internet sources and TV. difficulties and lighter moments. Conversation Calculators, rapidex and readymade study tools was seen as the binding force among the are widely used by all. Hence, mind has become members. dull and less creative. Now: Today, family members seldom come 2. Then: Our children were afraid to appear in together. Among those present – one eats public, trembled to give public speeches, bowed before the TV, other before the internet and MASS MEDIA - “THEN AND NOW” before their elders and teachers. Humility was another with the mobile. When we visit the considered to be a great virtue. families, today, we come across each one busy Now: Today, children aged 3-4 years give public with their own chores - either sleeping or speeches, song and dance performances. The bathing or watching TV or surfing internet or children aged 10-12 years studying at getting ready to go to work. Healthy family life international schools, visit factories and offices to seems to be dwindling. interview public servants and social workers. Self- 6. Then: In many parishes, the laity took active confidence and pride is the hallmark. part in organizing cultural programs and hence, 3. Then: People had concentration and patience. talents were recognized and opportunities were They could listen to sermons, talks, religious given for creativity to be displayed at all levels. discourses for hours together and even, spend People experienced communitarian solidarity. days at seminars, celebrations and get-togethers. Now: In some parishes, today, people have Silence was very much cherished. become mere passive spectators therefore, Now: Due to TV and internet, people can't talents and creativity has been buried; many just concentrate on anything for more than 5-8 fulfil their Sunday obligation and disappear. We minutes,if it is not an audio visual medium. see a lack of concern and community spirit. Hence even talks and religious discourses have to 7. Then: Families enjoyed picnics and excursions be given with the help of Power Point in natural surroundings and historical places. presentations. They can't attend a mass or any Now: Everything is consumed by big cities, other program for more than an hour. Patience is malls, theatres and shopping centers where less, silence is nil. People are, rather, afraid of people sometimes spend hours at a stretch. silence. Hence, they want the TV noise at home, 8. Then: People lived according to their need. loud music during functions and even high- Tidings (Vol.2.4) - 4 - March-2012 They had few desires, wants and aspirations. McDonald's, pizza etc. People like to eat out Hence, they were satisfied with what they had or spending lot of money and even at the risk of the few things that were available in the market. their health. This has resulted in sicknesses like Now: Greed has overtaken man. The needs are obesity, cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes etc. generated and multiplied every day by TV which has shortened the average life-span of man. advertisements and channels, newspapers and Today, in some families how much food is posters, products with attractive packaging. wasted? They cook more than needed and do not These lure consumers to buy more than what they really need. Thus, our shelves are full of consume even half of it. At times, they eat out and clothes, kitchen with utensils, houses with thus the whole food is wasted. gadgets, showcases with things. 9. Then: The family enjoyed home- cooked food Let us be aware of these negative influences of which was healthy and tasty. mass media and use the media for the betterment Hence, people lived longer and happier. Wastage of our lives. of food was unheard of. There was reverence for the food. Even the left over was used for the next meal. Fr. Dominic Vas, OCD Now: Today, the media has glamourised fast Parish Priest food culture - burgers, sandwiches, KFC chicken, Holy Week and Parish Programs April 2012 Palm Sunday, 1 April Easter Sunday, 8 April Masses: 7 am, Masses: 8.15 am blessing of the palms and procession 7 am; 8.15 am (Konkani), 9.30 am; and 11 am. 9 am Solemn Mass in the Church (English) and . No services in the evening in the Community Hall (Konkani), Easter Ball: 8 April at 7 pm on church grounds 11 am & 5 pm Divine Mercy Feast Sunday, 15 April Maundy Thursday, 5 April First Service: 6 pm, First Holy Communion 21 April at 5.30 pm on Church Second Service: 8.30 pm Grounds. Good Friday, 6 April The Parish Priest, Fathers, Brothers Way of the Cross: and the Tidings team wish you blessings of 7 am in Konkani, 8 am By the youth Easter. May the Resurrected Lord bring peace 1pm - in Tamil, 2 pm in Hindi and joy in your families!! Three hours of agony: Note: Parish office will remain closed: 5-8 April. 10 am – 1 pm. by Fr. Cletus& team Mercy Devotion: 3 pm Services: 5.45 pm - First Service, 8.30 pm - Second service. The next issue of “Tidings” will be released on June 24, 2012 Holy Saturday, 7 April . 8 am - Vigil with sorrowful Mother, Main Theme - Eco Spirituality 9 pm - Easter vigil services Last date to submit articles and advertisements is 4th June 2012. Tidings (Vol.2.4) - 5 - March-2012 Editorial Lent through Eastertide ent through Eastertide, calls each one of us to walk in the light of Christ, a time of renewal of heart, mind and spirit. It is the primary time for celebrating the Sacrament of Penance, because Lent is the season for Lbaptismal renewal and also an intense period of preparation for Easter. The Lenten period is used to “give up” something we enjoy or rely on, as part of our personal repentance and commitment to the suffering that Christ experienced – it could be some behavior, some lifestyle pattern, our way of thinking about others etc. This is a time when we could “offer” our “unwanted desires”, and stop hiding from God's love, a time to find out the barrier between us and Christ, and live in complete fullness of God through Christ's example and his ever present love. When we walk in the light of Christ, we become more aware of those walking alongside us on life's journey. We become more concerned for each other, more attentive to other's needs, thus becoming grateful for everyone in our lives. This is a time not only to go deeper into our prayer life, fasting and thanksgiving, but also help one another to do so, thus letting our light to shine forth for all to see. Our challenge today is to renew our understanding of this important season of the liturgical year and to see how we can integrate our personal practices into this renewed perspective. Our goal should not just be to abstain from sin for the duration of Lent but to root sin out of our lives forever and “to emerge a stronger and more vital person of faith” from the time we enter this period. Let us also take a look at the relationship between the Church and the mass media through the articles in this issue. Many of us are creatively using this instrument, exploring its potential to assist in the tasks of evangelization and education, as well as for internal communication. However, alongside the Internet and other new means of communication, the traditional ones also remain highly useful means within a complete panorama of Church communications.