Life of the Congregation (2)

With the canonical foundations of Tiptur (Karnataka) at the beginning of the year and more recently of Adigondanahalli (in the outskirts of Bangalore), 2016 has been a fruitful year for the Vicariate of India. The first two communities of origin, centered on formation, gave fruit: there are now three scj communities committed to pastoral activities in India.

And let us not forget that every time a community is set up, it is another part of saint Michael’s dream come true: a group of religious men who faithfully observe the same rule and follow the same model of perfection, the Trinitarian life. Unum sint!

It was in 2010

Sunday January 10th was a day of joy when Fr. Britto Rajan scj. was installed as Parish Priest of Adigondanahalli St. Joseph Church having a sub station at Edevanahalli (St. Antony’s Church).
Fr. Michael, Chancellor of the Bangalore Archdiocese represented the Archbishop Bernard Moras and conveyed Bishop’s wishes for Fr. Britto. Fr. Moses the Dean of the Begur Deanery presided over the installation ceremony. The church was indeed pact and people were so excited and joyful to see the new Parish Priest. At the same time, Deacon Valan and Bro. George (Regency Brother) came to join Fr. Britto to be witness to the people.  Kindly keep them in our prayer so that they may be really an instrument of love among the people and fulfil the mission we’ve been entrusted by the Archdiocese of Bangalore.
(News pubblicata sul sito della Congregazione)

St.Joseph’s, Adigundanahally has been a part of the Betharramite world since 2010 but this year it has been elevated to the official status of a Betharramite community. The Bishop invited us 6 years ago to this small poor parish on the edge of the Bangalore Diocese near the Tamil Nadu border and asked us to develop and build it up. Fr.Britto was our first parish priest here, followed after three years by Fr. Valan.

In that time the parish has grown and flourished, and the Betharramite religious there have encouraged the faith of the people with mission-retreats, built up good relations with the two communities of Sisters in the area as well as with a nearby Jesuit House of Formation. We have used St.Joseph’s as a pastoral training base for our students & novices and the Shobhana Shaakha community has always supported any large parish events there. We heard from neighbouring clergy that it was not a popular posting for Diocesan priests but the work of Betharram has changed all that in the last few years.

The Bishop asked us to take on three developments: the first was the building of a new parish house at St. Anthony’s Yadavanahalli a neighbouring sub-station and then to build a new church at St.Joseph’s itself to cater for a large housing development nearby. Then the bishop asked us to make St. Anthony’s a new parish. So in a very short time the new house was built and the new church is near completion. Fr. Enakuis is soon to become the new parish priest at St.Joseph’s (as Fr.Valan moves on) and Fr. Rojo is the new parish priest of St.Anthony’s. He is also the new superior of the new community formed by the two houses (2km apart). Fr. George Anthony has joined Fr. Rojo as assistant, and one of the finally professed will soon join Fr. Enakuis. Both households pray together and share meals on a regular basis.

About half the Christians in the parish are of Tamil origin, but language is such a sensitive question in the Diocese that only the Kannada language is used in the Sunday liturgy, so both Rojo and Enakius and Britto and Arul before them all worked diligently to speak Kannada in true Betharram missionary spirit.

Now the parishes once in a forgotten corner of the Diocese are eyed enviously by the local priests!

Austin Hughes scj
Regional Superior