Strong foundation makes strong building. With this in mind, every year, we at St. Thomas Church, Jalahalli conduct a special three-day retreat exclusively for our Catechism Students. Through this retreat we are trying to help our children to develop the habit of setting aside a few days to be spent exclusively for their spiritual well-being. During the month of May, in preparation for the good retreat, the Catechism Teachers especially pray for the Children’s Retreat seeking blessings of the Holy Spirit on every child so that they may grow in wisdom and age, in Divine and Human Favour.

This year the retreat was held from 27-29 May 2018, guided by Fr. Francis Putthenthayil and assisted by Br. Dilon, Sr. Jaya Mary, Sr. Navya Rose and Jesus Youth Team. The retreat was held in different groups and different sessions for the students of II-XII Std. Over 300 students participated in the retreat. This was about 30% increase in participation in the retreat when compared to last year.                 

The retreat not only focused on the spiritual nourishment but also moral and psychological formation of young minds. The students were divided into different groups based on their study level and age-appropriate topics were discussed. Sessions were held on the importance of personal prayer, Rosary, Bible reading, obedience to parents, peer-pressure, excessive use of electronic gadgets, and social networking sites and the effects of the same, spiritual warfare, lack of repentance, how to lead a faithful life after Catechism etc. To make the sessions more lively there was praise and worship, songs and dance and spiritual sharing by the Jesus Youth Members. Sr. Navy Rose and Sr. Jaya Mary who are trained counselors also provided special counseling sessions for the children. The retreat ended with special hands on blessing for every child.                                     

A separate session was also held exclusively for the parents of the students. Nearly 350 parents actively participated in the retreat. Orientation was provided to parents and the importance of involving children in daily chores from a young age was emphasized. Importance of reading habits, outdoor games, cultivating healthy eating habits in children was also discussed. Ways to overcome restlessness in children and the importance of making them be-independent at the right time was also discussed during this retreat.

The summer vacations came in handy for Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, Kodumuru, to organise preparatory sessions for the candidates of First Holy Communion in the Parish. About forty children from the different villages of the Parish assembled in the premises of Maria Nivas, Kodumuru for three consecutive days, 9-11 May 2018 for intensive catechetical instructions.  Nirmala Sisters from Vinukonda offered their generous help for the camp and organised all the sessions in a very lively and systematic manner. The Sacrament of first Holy Communion was later held in respective villages, on the occasion of the village feasts, with due solemnity and devotion.     

Festal joy overwhelmed at Bola on 06 May 2018 as the Bishop of the Diocese, Most Rev Dr. Aloysius Paul D’Souza visited St. Lawrence Parish, for the pastoral visit. This visit was combined with the conferring Sacraments of the First communion and Confirmation. The Parishioners and children were well prepared to receive the shepherd. The bishop made the visit very interactive as he spent time with the faithful before and after the solemn Eucharist. The day began with bishop catechizing the parish community. During the solemn Eucharist 13 children received the Sacrament of First Holy Communion and 53 boys and girls received the Sacrament of Confirmation. After the Eucharist bishop interacted with the pastoral and various parish associations and visited the sick in the parish.  Bishop expressed enthusiasm about Claretian Missionaries rendering the service at this remote place of the diocese with much vigour.

St Joseph’s Church, Medchal celebrated the Annual Feast of its Patron on 01 May 2018 with due solemnity. Earlier, in preparation for the Feast, a two day retreat was organised in the Parish on 29-30 April. The retreat was guided by Rev. Fr. Bhagya SVD and team from Divine Retreat Centre, Muthangi, Hyderabad.                     

Rev. Fr. Swarna Bernard, Vicar General of the Archdiocese, presided at the concelebrated festal Mass on 01 May. During the celebration, 10 children from the parish received the Sacrament of First Holy Communion. Another good news for Medchal parish is that, after several years of persistent requests to the civil authorities, three acres of land has been allotted for a Christian Cemetery near Medchal railway station, which will be shared by all Christian denominations in the area.

The XI Graduation Day of St. Claret College was held on the April 27, 2018 during which 315 students from the streams of Commerce, Computer Science, Management, Humanities and Travel & Tourism graduated. The chief guest for the occasion was Prof. S. Japhet, the founding Vice-Chancellor of Bangalore Central University. Rev. Fr. Vineeth George, Vice Principal welcomed the gathering while Rev. Dr. Sabu George, Principal administered the Graduation Oath to the new graduates. Delivering the commencement speech, Prof. Japhet congratulated the new graduates and wished them well in all their endeavors. Using anecdotes from the Indian scriptures, he exhorted the students to work hard and equip themselves not just skill-wise, but also knowledge-wise in order to take the right decisions in life. Speaking on the occasion, the parents paid rich tributes to St. Claret College for transforming their children into confident and well groomed individuals. Prof. Japhet gave away the proficiency prizes to the course toppers of the batch 2014-17. He also felicitated the five students of St Claret College, 2014-17 batch, who were rank holders in the Bangalore University. The Beatrice Memorial Award for the batch topper of 2014-17 was awarded to Ms Roopa Rani Jain of B.Com. The Best Outgoing Student award of 2015-18 was bagged by Ms Teena Benny Thomas of B.Com. The Kalaprathibha Award for cultural excellence was bagged by Mr Akhil Dev of BBA. The Kreedarathna Award for sporting excellence was bagged by Mr Joywin Jerome Fernandez and Mr Keerthi Kumar of B.Com

Year 2018 is a very memorable year for the Catechism Students of SS Joseph and Claret Church, Dasarahalli. On Sunday, 08 April 2018, we celebrated the Catechism Annual Day for the first time in the parish. The day’s programme started with the Holy Eucharist, organised by the Catechism children themselves. In the evening a very colourful cultural programme was arranged. Mar Antony Kariyil, the Bishop of Mandya was the chief guest on the occasion. The cultural programmes/variety entertainment by children from I to XII Class was really mind blowing. In his presidential address, the Bishop congratulated the efforts of the catechism teachers, parents and the parish priest for such a wonderful programme which showed the growth of the parish. During the programme the students and teachers were felicitated and different prizes were distributed to them.

On 04 April 2018 Deacon John Bosco Johnson CMF was ordained Priest by Most Rev. M. SOOSA PAKIAM, the Archbishop of Trivandrum. The ordination took place at St. Joseph’s Metropolitan Cathedral, Trivandrum, Kerala. Three deacons were conferred the Sacrament of Presbyterate, two for the archdiocese of Trivandrum and one Claretian.

Our Karahalli mission was chosen as the field experience and awareness venue for Social Work Camp by Kristu Jayanti College, Bengaluru.  In collaboration with St. Claret Mission, Karahalli Kristu Jayanti College organized a Social Work Camp from 04–13 April 2018 at Doddasagarahalli substation of the mission.  The campers included 28 students of 1st year MSW and 2 faculty members. The camp was officially inaugurated by Fr.  George Kannanthanam CMF, Dr Jonas Richard A., Head, Department of Social Work, Kristu Jayanti Colleg and Fr. Valentine Anthony Raj CMF, the Parish Priest, in the presence of other dignitaries. The whole programme was aimed at enriching both, the students of MSW as well as the villagers. The students were exposed intensively to the rural community life. Every evening there was a theme-based cultural programme through which the campers could educate the local community on various social issues viz. alcoholism, school dropouts etc. The students had ample opportunities to visit the families, farm, government school, gram panchayat, youth association and Self-Help Groups, and religious establishments such as church, temple, mosque, existing at Doddasagarahalli. The villagers had the opportunity to look at their own lives in a more systematic way. The 10 day programme was made interactive and enriching for both the groups; thus making it a fruitful experience.

In view of helping the young students of the locality, especially the poor and less privileged children, we at St Peter’s church Doddaballapur organized a training camp for the children during summer vacation. The 40 days camp was held during April-May 2018.  The purpose of the camp was to help the children to improve their skills in studies, computer and music. The catholic students of the parish also had special training in Catechism. While all students got opportunity to learn English Grammar and Spoken English; some specially chosen got opportunity to learn music (keyboard), computer and Kannada typing.  

Altogether, sixty five children attended the camp.  Due to lack of facilities we could not admit more students.  Fr. Chacko K.C. the Parish Priest, Bro. Bibin Kochukarottu, Sisters of St. Joseph of Lyon, and other teachers specialized in music and computer offered their services during the camp. Games, action songs and audio-visual presentations made the learning more lively and fruitful.    The parents of the students who attended the camp were very grateful for the opportunities provided to their children, who otherwise would miss the special training. As Claretians we feel satisfied that we are able to provide opportunities to the needy children. We still have a long way to go in improving the educational and living standard of the underprivileged in the area.

Rev. Fr. Vineeth George CMF received the Rashtriya Gaurav Puraskar 2018 from Lt Gen K.M. Seth PVSM, the former Governor of Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Tripura, at the India International Centre, New Delhi on 26.03.2018. The award consisted of a citation and a certificate of excellence for outstanding leadership in the field of higher education, exceptional performance of high order and service to the society. The award jury consisted of experts in diverse fields, such as economists, journalists, social activists, Industrialists, educationists, engineers, politicians and retired defence officials.Fr Vineeth is one of the youngest recipients of this prestigious award. The past recipients of this award include Mother Teresa, Gen K.V. Krishna Rao, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, G.V.G. Krishnamuthy, Justice P.N. Bhagwati, Dr Naresh Trehan, and Air Chief Marshal N.C. Suri et al. 

Earlier too, Fr Vineeth has bagged such laurels both as a student and as a professional. During his post graduation, Fr Vineeth was conferred with the coveted Dr Subbirami Reddi Gold Medal by virtue of being the university topper. Later, during his career as a Public Relations professional, he was inducted as a Graduate Member of the Indian Management Association, as a testimony of his managerial excellence. Fr Vineeth had worked with reputed MNCs such as Dell and GE, before joining Power Grid Corporation of India Limited, a Navratna category Public Sector Undertaking under the Union Ministry of Power. At the prime of his career, Fr Vineeth responded to the call to priesthood and joined the Claretian Congregation in 2006. He currently serves as the Vice Principal of St Claret College, Bengaluru, where he also lectures in diverse management topics ranging from Business Ethics to Strategic Management. He is renowned for his expertise and experience in the areas of Public Relations and Human Resources Management. Several of his articles on varied topics have appeared with his byline in newspapers and magazines – national and international. His writings have won him accolades from the International Public Relations Association, London. Recently, he completed his M.Phil in Management with distinction from Jain University, Bengaluru.

The Chodavaram town of Vishakhapatnam District is a multi-ethnic community of different religions, faiths, castes and backgrounds. It’s a eveloping township surrounded by many villages. Christ the King parish in the town is taken care by the Claretians, with its many substations.

On 16 March 2018 the parish organized a free medical camp for all the needy people of the locality. At the request of the parish the doctors and staff of Anil NeerukondaHospital, Tagarapuvalasa, Vishakhapatnam generously responded to help the parish in this social cause. Throughout the day the parish campus witness lively atmosphere. The people were provided facilities for various medical care like, General medical tests and diagnosis,Orthopaedic, Gynaecology, ENT, Paediatric,Skincare etc. Approximately 600 people had consultations, free medicine and 40 of them were further  referred and sent for free operations in the same hospital. Indian Red Cross society of Vishakhapatnam also had organized a free blood donation camp on the day, for which many of the prisoners and others from the locality volunteered. The personnel of Anil Neerukonda Hospital were happy and expressed their willingness to helpthe community in future too. It was a great day of generosity, service and care for one another. 

On 18 February 2018, His Lordship DD. Chinnabathini Bhagyaiah, bishop of Guntur, opened and blessed St. Claret Dhyanashram, a residential Retreat Centre, at our Bhattiprolu mission in Andhra Pradesh. On the same day, during the solemn Eucharist, 46 faithful were conferred the Sacrament of Confirmation.

The Claretian Missionaries are inspired by the Charism of being “Servants of the WORD” and are committed to the ‘Service of the WORD’ using all possible means.  “St. Claret Dhyanashram” is a fresh initiative in our province of Bangalore in response to this call following the style of St. Anthony Mary Claret, the apostolic missionary.  Our constitution reminds us that “In the various areas of ministry such as governing, sanctifying and evangelizing, our chief duty as missionaries is to collaborate in the evangelization of the people” (CC 50).  For this we have initiated two new ministries called St. Claret Dhyana Brundham (St. Claret Preaching Team), a preaching team going to different parishes and evangelizing through preaching ministry, and St. Claret Dhyanashram, a residential Retreat Centre. Evangelization by “St. Claret Dhyana Brundham” and evangelization at St. Claret Dhyanashram are a very creative and innovative ventures as far as its newness in our ministries is concerned. Since many years the province was looking for a new way of reaching out to the poor. This team has really opened a new door in the province efforts. Our main motto is “To preach the Word of God as the Apostles did, in the style of our founder St. Antony Mary Claret forming and strengthening the Christian Communities aiming the salvation of all”. At present three priests are actively rendering their service in this ministry: Frs. Santhosh Kariammakil, Martin Tappeta and Mamudhu Chinnanna.

Two Important Areas of Ministries focused   

The two important areas of ministries focused by St. Claret Dhyana Brundham and at St. Claret Dhyanashram are Evangelization and Social Awareness.  Evangelization includes faith formation and revitalization of faith; and social awareness of the social issues and concerns that are existing in many places. Due to lack of education among the poor, there exists a lack of social awareness on many issues like Child Marriage, Child abuse, Abortion, Dowry, Alcoholism, Drug Abuse, Corruption, Prostitution, Poor Hygiene, Negligence of girl child, Poverty, Unemployment, lack of knowledge on Rights, Value education, etc.  Therefore inorder to do Evangelization through preaching ministry and to give Social Awareness to the people, St. Claret Dhyana Brundham (St. Claret Preaching Team) officially started functioning from 8 June 2014, on the feast of Pentecost. And recently on 18 February 2018 at Bhattiprolu, Andhra Pradesh, we have started St. Claret Dhyanashram opened and blessed by His Lordship DD. Chinnabathini Bhagyaiah, bishop of Guntur.

By following its motto to preach the Word of God as the Apostles did, in the style of our Founder, St. Anthony Mary Claret, forming and strengthening the Christian Communities aiming at the salvation of all, St. Claret Dhyana Brundham is trying its best to reach out to people by organizing Charismatic Retreats in different Parishes of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and aims to do the same at St. Claret Dhyanashram at Bhattiprolu.

The Members of the Claret Publishing Group (CPG) met together in the Claretian Provincial House Bangalore from 10-17 February 2018 for their triennial meeting. The group was accompanied by Rev Fr Henry Omonisaye,cmf Consultor General in Charge of the Publications in the Congregation with Fr Alberto Rossa,CMF as the coordinator.  Responding to the invitation of XXV General Chapter, we wish to be Claret Publishing Group going-forth. Fifteen participants from thirteen publishing houses of the Congregation were gathered in a very fraternal atmosphere, inspiring and encouraging one another.

YSM (Young Student Movements) DAY was held at Claretian Seminary on 8th February 2018. About 240 students from six schools participated in the programme based on the theme 'Be The Change of Tomorrow.'  Fr. Xavier E. Manavath inagurated the programme and Fr. George Kannanthanam was the resource person of the day. 

Sanyasa, the only Institute of Consecrated Life in India, organized a three day seminar on a relevant theme addressing the present scenario of India “Politics of Exclusivity, Division and Intimidation: A Critical Response from the Consecrated Persons” from 1st to 3rd February 2018. The seminar began on 1st February at 9:00 a.m. with an enthronement of the Word of God followed by prayer and lighting of the lamp. Then, Fr. Arul Jesu Robin cmf, the director of Sanyasa gave an overview of the seminar and welcomed each one warmly. Rev. Fr. Jacob Arakkal, cmf, the president of Sanyasa and the Provincial of the Bangalore Province gave an inaugural address in which he emphasized the prophetic role of the consecrated persons in the present scenario of India.  About 125 men and women religious participated actively and benefitted hugely from the seminar.

Rev. Dr. Sabu George Koottarappallil, principal of St. Claret College, Bangalore, received the Best Principal Award during the Republic Day Achievers Award, 2018 from Integrated Intelligent Research (IIR) on January 18, 2018 at Loyola-ICAM College of Engineering and Technology, Chennai. St. Claret College also bagged the prestigious Best Upcoming Private College Award. Two of our faculty members, Asst. Prof. Prakash Chandra Behera and Asst. Prof. Chinmaya Dash received the Best Faculty Award and the Best Exam Cell Coordinator Awards respectively. There were above 750 nominations from 8 countries. They did a 360-degree appraisal in finalizing the Award winners. Rev. Dr. Sabu George also received Shikshana Ratna (Best Teacher) award from Janmabhoomi Samskrutika Samsta on January 4, 2018.

On 15 January 2018 Deacon Martin Joseph Ulloppillil
CMF was ordained priest by Most. Rev. George Valiamattam, Archbishop
Emeritus of Tellicherry. The ceremony took place at St. Mary’s Church,
Manippara in Kerala, the home parish of Martin Joseph.

On 18 November 2017, 7 of our 2nd year theology students (2 from the Society of the Holy Spirit) made their first step in participating in the ministerial priesthood in the Catholic Church. During the Holy Eucharistic celebration Rev. Fr. Jacob Arakkal John, the Provincial Superior, conferred the orders of Lector and Acolyte. Father Provincial expressed his sentiments of joy and hope, seeing seven young missionaries readying themselves for God’s work, and thanked them for the gift of their commitment in the Claretian Congregation. He urged them to strive to live more fully their missionary vocation and to be moulded more perfectly in the likeness of Jesus the Master and our founder, Father Claret.

The Local Superiors' Meeting of the Province held at Claret Nivas, Carmelaram Bangalore from September 18 - 22, 2017. There were 33 Participants. Very fruitful and effective union of the Superirors.

On 02 July 2017 St. Peter’s Church, Doddaballapur, celebrated the Annual Parish Feast. As a preparation, Triduum with special prayers and preaching was celebrated. Vicar General of the archdiocese,Msgr. S. Jayanathan presided at the solemn Festive Mass; many priests and religious also joined the celebration along with the parishioners.

After the Mass, the image of St. Peter, the Patron, was taken in procession along the town with much devotion and piety, in spite of the rain. Indeed, it was an expression of Faith and witness by the parish community. The unity, sacrifice and hard work of the parishioners was appreciated by all.

Earlier, on the Easter Sunday, the parish community was overjoyed with 17 adults receiving Baptism. The community is preparing 30 more adults who are waiting to be baptised. The parish continues to grow steadily with active spiritual and social activities. Special attention is given to Faith building, by intensive Catechism classes and regular spiritual activities. Social concerns like helping the poor children are also given priority.

The activities of the Claretian Seminary Literary Association for the year 2017-18 were inaugurated on 22 June 2017 by the Chief Guest of the day, Dr Sheinty Jacob, Principal, M S Ramaiah College of Education, in the presence of Rector, Rev. Fr. Xavier E. Manavath.

Today, we are moving into a world where communication is of great importance. So, to be an effective missionary today means to be an effective communicator. We aim not merely at the completion of an academic programme but at the integral and holistic growth of the individuals who would be equipped to carry out the mission of Christ efficiently.  Claretian Seminary Literary Association is one of such platforms, wherein the students are given varied and creative ways to excel in their talents and skills.

The inauguration was made more eventful by the students through their spirited performance of Speech, Creative Art, Dance, Comic etc. The Chief Guest in her inaugural address congratulated the participants and urged the young missionary students to inculcate the art of communication so as to be effective Servants of the Word.

St. Joseph’s Community College, Busar, Jharkhand, which offers skill training mainly for the school-dropout youth who are unable to pursue their studies due to various social, economic and political reasons, had its seventh valedictory function on 20 June 2017.

The batch of thirty-two students completed their training at the community college; twenty students of Nursing Assistant Course and twelve students of Motor Driving and Mechanism received their certificates during the valedictory function. Fr. Joseph Panthalady, the senior most priest of the Diocese of Daltonganj was the chief guest and Fr. Sanjay Gidh, the Diocesan Youth Director was the guest of honour on the occasion. The cultural programme organized by the students added more colour to the event.

During the valedictory function, the nursing students took the oath of commitment and whole-hearted service.  All the students received their certificates from the chief guest; while the driving students received their driving licence on the same day. The chief guest requested the management of the Community College to organize wide range of agricultural training as well. The parents and guardians of the students, and the people from the neighbouring village also were present during the function. The event was covered by the local newspapers as well. All the students who passed out have also received job placements.

The next batch of nursing students has already been selected. For this purpose there was an interview and screening camp conducted on 28-29 June 2017. Nineteen students have already been selected, who are to take admission on the 16July 2017.

Together Towards Growth - with this theme in mind, the Common Novitiate Programme (CNP) was inaugurated on 17 June 2017 at Claret Bhavan Novitiate House. The Claretian Novices put up a very meaningful skit based on the theme. Rev. Bro. Jerome (Patrician) gave presidential address and officially declared opened the CNP for this year.

Common Novitiate Programme is an initiative taken up by the Claret Bhavan community. There are 15 other congregations who join this common programme. The aims and objectives of this venture is to bring together the neighbouring novices for holistic experience and growth. During the academic year many input sessions are conducted by experienced formators.  The important topics such as Aims and Objectives of Novitiate, Daily Journal Writings, Liturgy and Music, Psycho-Spiritual and Psycho-Sexual Integration, Community Life, Prophets, Vocation Discernment and Charism, etc. The forum also conducts common Recollections and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, besides common celebrations of Christmas, New Year and Easter.

The spring time in Sanyasa dawned with the coming of the new batch of students for the academic year 2017-18. This inter-congregational family is blessed with 49 religious men and women from various congregations for the current academic year.

Out of 49 students that we have this academic year, five are for first year PG course, four for second year PG, and the rest for either diploma or certificate courses. The inaugural Mass of the academic year was held on the 16 June. Rev. Fr. Jacob Arakkal John, the President of the Institute and Provincial of Bangalore Province, was the main celebrant. Rev. Fr. Arul Jesu Robin, the Director of the institute introduced the main celebrant to the gathering and expressed his gratitude for his availability and guidance.

“The differently abled do not need our Sympathy but they need an opportunity”

The new academic year 2017-18 at SanehaJyothi Centre was inaugurated on 10June 2017. Mr. Kumar Hitalmani PSI, Athani and Dr. Sachin Mirajkar (Child Specialist) were the chair person and guest of the day respectively during the function. In his inaugural address, the PSI of Athanitaluk, Mr. Kumar Hitalmani, appreciated the ministry and selfless service that the Centre does towards the upliftment of the visually impaired and encouraged the students to make the best use of the opportunities given to them. Dr. Sachin Mirajkar inspired the Students with his motivational orientation and promised to do whatever support he could for the students. On the occasion, the inmates of SnehaJyothi Centre performed various cultural programmes which kept the guests spellbound. This year there are 27 Boys and 15 Girls who are visually challenged and 6 semi-orphan boys in the Centre.

During the last academic year three students completed SSLC; six students completed PUC; one student completed graduation and ten students appeared for the first year of graduation. Among the inmates, three girls and two boys were selected for job placements by various agencies during the last academic year.