For the first time the community of Vijayawada was chosen and erected by the General Government as the NOVITIATE COMMUNITY of the Province and on the 29th June 2021, the first batch, 8 novices, started their canonical year of novitiate. Fr George Chathanatt was appointed the Novice Master. As all the eight novices successfully completed their novitiate on the 29th June 2022, they were admitted to the First Religious Profession. Prior to the profession they made 5-day retreat under Fr Dominic Savio D’Silva.
June 30th, 2022 will go down in the annals of Indian Province as a RED LETTER DAY as eight novices made their FIRST RELIGIOUS PROFESSION during a Solemn concelebrated Holy Eucharist presided by His Excellency Dr Raja Rao, the bishop of Vijayawada. The parents, siblings, many Religious, both men and women, and a few lay collaborators as special invitees were present for the celebration. As Fr Varghese Gnalian, the Provincial Superior was in Europe, for canonical visitation of our communities, Fr George Chathanatt, the Provincial Vicar, received the vow as the Delegate of the Provincial. Fr Wilson, the superior of the community and Fr Anish, the Formation Director of the Province, were the Witnesses of the Rite of Profession.The entire ceremony was indeed a very moving one, so much so, that the bishop at the end of the celebration made this observation: "It is one of the best celebrations that I have witnessed in the recent past". All those who participated in the celebration seconded the observation of the bishop because it was indeed the rarest of the rare celebrations that we have witnessed. The choir sang like "angels in heaven" as one of the newly professed commented in his vote of thanks. In fact the entire celebration was meticulously planned and guided by Fr Dominic D'Silva.
Br Christin Emmanuel, one of the Newly Professed, proposed the vote of thanks which everyone listened to, in spellbound silence because of the quality of the content and the communicative skills.
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The feast day agape was a fitting finale to the celebrations of the day. During the agape the bishop released JEEVAN DHARA Publications' latest book in Telugu language Divya Karunya Bhakthi (Divine Mercy Chaplet and Novena) It was translated by Fr Balthasar, a well-known Telugu writer and recipient of many awards for his writings including Alberione Award. Fr Alfonso and Fr Anil Pasala, the Director of Jeevandhara Publications coordinated the publication. Congratulations fathers for gracing the occasion with the release of our own book. It is announced that a few more books are ready for publications for which the Imprimatur of the bishop is already obtained.
The Pauline communities of Vijayawada and Eluru consider June 30, 2022, as the greatest and the most grace-filled day of the their existence in Andhra Pradesh. Kudos to everyone in these communities!
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