2020.03.02
GOODNIGHT TALK GC28
THE PROVINCE OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO INDIA-KOLKATA (INC)
Introduction:
Presentation of the Pauria & Chunkapura Jose (Chapter members)
My mandate as Provincial: towards the end (Nunc Dimitis) – will handover on 31 May 2020 – beautiful experience: gratitude to the RM & GC – a challenging service - a personal challenge to be more genuine and holy – spiritual experience of the heart attack in 2015 (National Congress of the Salesian Family: TRUST HIM & SURRENDER) – tried to be a Father to the confreres especially those who are initial formation – Visitation a very useful tool left us by DB
Dear Fr. Rector Major, members of the General Council and my dear fellow Chapter members, in the first place I bring you all warm & affectionate wishes and above all fervent prayers of the confreres, the Salesian Family Members and the YOUNG people of the Province of Calcutta (Kolkata) spread over three countries of India, Bangladesh & Nepal. It is indeed a singular privilege and a rare honour to be asked to address this august gathering of the members of the General chapter (GC) 28 gathered in TURIN, the birthplace of our Congregation and the mission field of Don Bosco, our father and founder. I am very grateful to the Moderator Fr. Stefano Vanoli for this opportunity to share about our apostolate in the Province of Kolkata.
Calcutta is known the world over as the city of Joy – the city of St. Mother Theresa and the poet Rabindranath Tagore – both Noble Prize winners – Mother Theresa for Peace and Tagore for Literature. Both have touched the conscience of humanity and their influence continue to linger on even today. It is also the city that Don Bosco saw in his Dream, in that line that he saw stretching from Santiago to Peking. Calcutta is also the first Salesian Province in India, erected in 1926, after the Salesian Mission was established in 1922 in Northeast India under the leadership of Archbishop Louis Mathias of happy memory (100 years soon will be celebrated & preparations are on). Today there are 11 provinces in India of which the Province of Calcutta has also the geographical territories of Bangladesh & Nepal and the Indian states of Bengal, Sikkim part of Jharkhand, Bihar & Odisha. It gave birth to Chennai, Guwahati and Delhi and is ready for further birth in her old age…… Myanmar was part of Kolkata province for over 55 years and still we are in touch with the confreres over there…..
At present there are 270 confreres in the province working in 41 Salesian Presences of which 4 are in Bangladesh and 6 are in Nepal. Our province is a mosaic of people from different ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic groups adding variety and beauty to our lives. We work among three major ethnic groups speaking, Bengali, Hindi & Nepali and several tribal groups and prominent among them are the Santhals (we have the first Santhal Provincial – over 50 years of our mission among them), Oraons and Mundas. One beautiful feature of our life in the Province is the eagerness with which the confreres pick up different languages in order to work among them. Our province is truly a multi-lingual, multi-cultural, multi-racial and multi-religious region rightly described as the melting pot or a fishing net into which have been drawn peoples of all races( a huge Chinese colony), where through a strange alchemy most of them became a highly mixed people interacting closely and contributing to the composite culture of the region.
Our apostolate in the province consists of EDUCATION (around 20 Academic schools – quite a few of them in the rural and poor areas of our mission) around 12 (Formal & Non-formal) Technical schools and a College with 2 campuses; EVANGELIZATION & Catechetics: 20 parishes – a Catechetical Centre; Youth Ministry: Youth centres, Scouts & Guides, Young at Risk – Rehabilitation of Street children, centre for School drop outs (2), migrant youth ministry, prison ministry etc; FORMATION: 2 apostolic schools, 2 Aspirantates, Pre-novitiate, Novitiate and Philosophate; Spiritual Animation Centre: retreat house, spirituality centre, Counselling centre and Mass Media & Communication centre.
For the last 5 years we have ministry for the scavengers at Bagar (Howrah in Kolkata) – It is a landfill situated in the outskirts of Calcutta where a destitute migrant community lives in deplorable conditions and utter poverty and these people live on scavenging in the GARBAGE DUMP, looking for recycle materials. The Project aims at the empowerment of the community for their over-all wellbeing. The focus of our attention is nutrition of babies and their mothers, health care through weekly medical camps, surgeries, education (school admission fees, tuition fees, computer training, text books, a multi-purpose community is constructed for children and young people to gather for various activities, drinking water supply in various areas of the slums, common toilets are constructed and the latest being the construction of LOW-COST HOUSES for families who were living under plastic sheets on the garbage dump. There is a plan to renovate all the huts as they are in a very bad condition with water leaking during rainy season. There are Volunteers (Young & elderly) and doctors who give a free service every Sunday. Through these programs we have seen a remarkable improvement in the health condition of children & adults, a boost to children and young in the field of education to have a good future and come out of scavenging.
As ours is a missionary province I would like to highlight the work of evangelization (1st Proclamation) in the province (even in Nepal & Bangladesh). We are living among people who are very responsive to the Gospel message & we have been able to establish over the years several Christian communities especially among the tribals. Even in a Muslim majority country like Bangladesh we have good response from the tribal groups living in the country (Garos (mandis), Mahalis, Oraons, Mundas, Santhals. Nepal is another country that is quite open to the Gospel especially in East Nepal. Vast areas of Nepal in the West are calling us (Bishop & Civil authorities/Mayors) to open our presences in this beautiful Himalayan country.
We stand on the shoulders of men who have slogged at the cost of great personal difficulties and sacrifices to make the province what it is today. I would like to place on record our heartfelt gratitude to the confreres from Europe (Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, Germany, Poland) who laid the foundation of Salesian works in the province & nurtured it with great care and tenderness. Today we have a province that is vibrant with a great variety of apostolic/pastoral initiatives for young people especially the poor and the needy and the Lord is blessing us in many ways especially with vocations. I would like to thank God, Our Blessed Mother and Don Bosco for many holy and committed Salesians who spent their lives in our province and among them some were also provincials: Archbishop Louis Mathias, Mons. Vincent Scuderi, (Sicily), Fr. Marianus Uget, Fr. Archimede Pianazzi, Fr. Anthony Alessi, Fr. Orestes Paviotti, FR. Rosario Stroscio, Fr. Nicholas Logroi, the 3 Colussi brothers (Luciano, Guido, Dino), Mons. Marengo, Fr. Gobetti & Venerable Bishop Ferrando & Venerable Fr. Francis Convertini.
To end, I would like to share a few thoughts on Venerable Fr. FRANCIS CONVERTINI who through his Gospel-like simplicity, humility and his great missionary zeal became the APOSTLE of the very poor and needy in Krishnagar (Bengal). Fr. Convertini was a zealous apostle of Christian live, who managed to bring the Good News of Salvation to all whether Christians, Muslims or Hindus. Anyone he met in his visits he consoled, advised, helping them with his exquisite charity and goodness. He was a true witness of the corporal & spiritual works of mercy, on which we all will be judged. He was always ready & zealous in the ministry of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Christians, Muslims & Hindus joyfully & readily accepted him as a Man OF GOD. He knew how to bring to each one the true message of love with his life and words.