St. Claret DhyanaBrundham had its privilege to conduct retreats at various parishes and institutes for the spiritual renewal of the faithful. During the last three months the team could venture in to different dioceses such as Vishakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Guntur, Kurnool, Eluru, Hyderabad and Adilabad. The team also conducted retreat in English for the sisters of St. Aloysius and St. Ann’s at Vijayawada. As people benefited spiritually, they expressed their gratitude towards this Claretian initiative and availability.

Christ the Redeemer Church Annual Feast

The annual feast of Christ the Redeemer was celebrated with traditional devotion and piety with various programmes on 23 April 2017 at Bhattiprolu Parish. Rt. Rev. Dr.ChinnabathiniBhagyaiah, Bishop of Guntur, presided at the solemn celebration of the Eucharist.  In his homily, bishop exhorted the people to spread the joy and peace of the Risen Lord through their life witness. It was such a graceful moment as many priests, religious and faithful witnessed and participated in the festal celebration. The celebration of the Eucharist was followed by the felicitations to the Bishop; colorful cultural programme by the St. Claret Youth and Children further enhanced the beauty of the celebration and strengthened the spirit of unity among the faithful.

Children’s Camp and Youth Meet

On 7-8 June 2017 a two-days Children’s Camp was at Christ the Redeemer Church, Bhattiprolu.  Around 100 Children from the Parish and Sub-Stations made use of the opportunity.  Frs. Santhosh, Chinnanna, Bro. Vinay and Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny guided the sessions and Fr. Chinnanna through his action songs kept the days alive and active.  Second day, presiding at the Holy Eucharist, during the homily Fr. SavyPuthuserry highlighted important spiritual elements that every child should practice.  The students were divided into different age groups and various competitions were conducted and the winners were awarded.

This was followed by the Youth Meet on 11 June 2017. The day began with celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Fr. SanthoshKariammakil, the Parish Priest, wholeheartedly welcomed everyone for the celebrations dedicated to the Youth of the Parish.  He gave an inspiring message for the youth and the parents in his homily. Sr. Sudha Rani animated a session on qualities of Leadership; Fr. MamudhuChinnanna spoke about the role and challenges of Youth in the Church and Society. Concluding programmes included games and competitions conducted by Sr. Sudha Rani, Fr. Chinnanna and Bro. Vinay.  The response and participation of the youth in the Seminar and other activities were really encouraging.