Life of the Congregation (2)

The end of the year 2016 was marked by the final profession of four of our brothers: Michael, Jestin, Edwin e Vipin. They share with us the first steps of their vocation. The whole congregation joins the Vicariate of India which has just celebrated two priestly ordinations (Fr Antony Siluvai and Fr Jacob Biso Paliampally).

At present the St Miriam Region is in the limelight, but the General Council announces important festive occasions in the other regions too.

During my childhood, I had an  opportunity to participate an ordination in my parish. It inspired me to be a priest. After my high school studies that desire was very strong. I expressed my desire to my parents and family members. A few family members are related to fr Biju Antony Pathalookaran SCJ. They helped me to know about the congregation of the Sacred Heart  Fathers of betharram. They requested me to wait for two years in order to complete my higher secondary studies (PUC I &II).  After two years I met Fr Biju Antony and Fr Paul Manavalan and I joined the congregation of Betharram in the year of 2006. The initial formation helped me to know more about the congregation. I strongly realise that God calls me to be a humble Betharramite priest in the family of Betharram. During the Novitiate, I experienced the fraternal love of  the family of Betharram and I was inspired by the words of St Michael Garicoits “Go forward”. So that I could make my first profession in the family of Betharram. The international session at Betharram, enhanced my vocation by experiencing the footsteps of our founder. With this experience, I could make my final profession and  I was ordained as a deacon recently in the family of Betharram. Presently I am doing my diaconate ministry with Fr Paul Manavalan in one of the parishes of Ernakulam Archdiocese at Kerala.

I am very glad to express my gratitude towards God and all my formators who are helping me to grow in my religious life. I would like to say one thing that if a person is called to serve for God, surely God will help him. I thank all the fathers and brothers for their prayers and support. Please continue to pray for me so that I will be humble and faithful to the family of Betharram.

Dn Jestin James Marottikkal scj

I’m Dn Xavier Vipin Joseph scj. I belong to the Vicariate of India (Saint Miriam Region). I came to know about the family of Betharram through Late Br. Josy who introduced me to Rev. Fr. Paul Manavalan who is our vocation promoter and spiritual guide. I owe my love and sincere gratitude to them. There were many peculiar moments which had a great influence on my life as a Betharramite, which nourished  a sense of belonging to this family. The Religious International Session 2016 was one of those peculiar moments where I interiorised the fascinating insights on Life and Spirituality of St. Michael.  On 11th of November 2016, I made my final profession and committed myself for my whole life in the family of Betharram. It was the moment when I said yes with my heart to follow Jesus with passion and love forever. These incredible experiences gave me lots of motivation and hope that enable me to go always forward.

At present I’m in my Vicariate House doing my ministry and soon will be heading for one of my diocesan parishes. May our Mother of Betharram, St. Michael & St. Miriam intercede for us.

Dn Xavier Vipin Joseph scj

I too came to know about the family of Betharram through my vocation promoter Rev. Fr. Paul Manavalan, a diocesan priest who gave me the inspirational spirituality and life of St Michael Garicoits. One of the striking moments in my life, is the time I spent in the house of our founder at Ibarre where he underwent the God experiences in different stages of his life in the form of poverty, life struggles and the strong determination that made him to say “forward always forward “. This motivated me to be a spiritual cammando in the family of Betharram. I carry out his motivational insight in my life and today I do my mission at Xavier Care Home in Bangalore  as an In-charge and help our fathers in their pastoral ministry.

I pray that I may be even more inspired as a zealous missionary through the intercession of St. Michael and St Mariam of Jesus crucified.

Dn Edwin José scj

The years in the formation in our religious family is a period of blessing to live and share the spirituality of our congregation and to share the charism in mission. This has helped me to develop a habit of ‘discerning love’ which leads me to true spiritual freedom. In mirroring my life with that of St. Michael I affirm myself that I am most truly free only when I have surrendered my will to the One I love. And this surrender is only possible when I know that I am totally accepted just as I am which I experienced on the day of my final profession. I am grateful to the Lord for the gift of my formators, spiritual guides and superiors who helped me to understand that the discerning person must be a praying person, one who takes God seriously and is genuinely concerned with God’s involvement in his life.

The spiritual exercises with the rules for the Discernment of Spirits (The Ignatian Spiritual Exercises) which I began during my novitiate is carried out till today and thanks to the Jesuit spiritual directors who help me to be in touch with my feelings and inner self. With humility I am able to name, claim, tame and aim the feelings within me which are helpful in coming to contact with my true person. The very project of interiorising and exteriorising my life with true renunciation according to the Gospel values and practising the virtues Christ and His Sacred Heart gives me a new vision of my life.

Thanks to the meditative words of Fr. Gaspar Fernandez in every issue of the NEF, with a goal set before me and looking at Christ, my interior Master, I am able to offer myself without any reservation to the Lord to become a joyful religious.

I always set before me the words of my spiritual director that I have to be a person steeped in the wisdom of the Cross to ultimately realize that Calvary is the only way to meet the Risen Lord. My life in our congregation moves me to genuinely desire God’s will and be truly open to God and the events of life. As I have fully surrendered myself to the Lord in our religious family, the rest of my life is going to be a process to come to maturity of spirit, to bring my soul to an ever-deeper knowledge of, and an ever-greater sensitivity to the Spirit of God. As the years pass by , I become more and more rooted in the life God has called me and in the life I have chosen in my family of Betharram. The charism of St. Michael is the lifeblood of our religious family. St. Michael must be reincarnated for us Betharramites in the people we know and love today. That is what I am trying to put in practice in my diaconate ministry place, St. Anthony’s Shrine, Tuticorin, Tamilnadu, and trying to ‘read the face of God’ in knowing how he wishes me to respond to the concrete apostolic demands of my life. Nothing could be such a source of strength and encouragement to me, in my human pilgrimage as a missionary of Betharram, as the realization that I have a God who chose to experience fully our struggle to live by faith in the midst of darkness. I am called to be, and can become, like him, not by my own efforts but by the same gift of grace of God.

Dn Michael Bistis scj