Bengaluru:  To mark 30 years of the promulgation of John Paul II’s apostolic exhortation Vita Consecrata—the magna carta of consecrated life —Sanyasa Institute of Consecrated Life – Sanyasa (SICL) organized two regional seminars in the Northeast Region of India, in association with the Claretian Province of Northeast India (PNEI). The seminars were inaugurated by Fr. Joseph Mappilaparambil, CMF, the provincial superior of PNEI flanked by the officials of the local units of the Conference of Religious India (CRI).

The seminar theme was “Creative Fidelity in Consecrated Life,” focusing on the call of Vita Consecrata no. 37 to live out one’s consecration, communion, and mission in creative fidelity to Christ of the Gospels. Referring to the “hemorrhage in consecrated life” that Pope Francis had pointed out, Fr. Paulson Veliyannoor, CMF, director of SICL, highlighted the fast-growing number of abandonment of religious life in India and the challenges faced by the consecrated in the complex socio-politico-religious context of India. Fr. Xavier Manavath, CMF, the episcopal vicar for religious for the Archdiocese of Bangalore, then called upon the religious to creatively respond to these challenges by an honest self-examination of the way consecrated life is understood and lived. He urged the audience to study in depth the theology of consecrated life so as to be able to live it in creative fidelity. Conversations in spirit in small groups and a Q&A panel session with the resource persons followed.

The first seminar was held at Saint Claret School, Nongmensong (Shillong) on April 17, 2026. The second was at Saint Claret School, Borjhar (Guwahati) on the following day. Both the seminars combined, there were 130 religious men and women drawn from 24 religious congregations in the Northeast. The participants expressed deep appreciation for the inputs and the insights generated at the seminars.