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Gleanings from our Tertianship Programme
Visakhapatnam
The long awaited Tertianship Programme became a reality on 18th May, 2019.Thirteen of us belonging to four different groups set out to Kanyakumari by train where we had arranged a week session with Rev. Fr. Joseph Xavier, SJ. It was indeed a great joy for us to meet together once again after a long period. We also spent much time exclusively for sharing our joys and struggles, listening and encouraging one another to let go of the past and embrace the “new”.
The session was on Inner Journey.Fr. Joseph using his great expertise helped us to explore the BIG five Personality Traits- (Openness- Conscientiousness-Extraversion-Agreeableness-Neuortism) thus enabling us to look at the basic dimensions of our personality.
The other topics dealt with were: Self-Assessment, Anger Management, Dealing with Conflicts, Being Assertive and Midlife Crisis. It was truly a time for self – introspection, stock-taking and realizing our God-given potentials in order to make strategic plans, recommit ourselves and venture into the future with hope and courage.
We also made use of the time visiting the historical places in Kanyakumari, pilgrimage centres like Santhome Church in Chennai dedicated to St. Thomas and St. Francis Xavier’s Basilica in Goa.
To take time out of our busy ministerial lives in order to take a close look at our life and seriously consider our progress, was a rare privilege. We express our gratitude to Rev. Sr. Vianney our Provincial Superior for arranging such a profitable programme. We thank all our Superiors and Community members who relieved us from our responsibilities that we may have a fruitful time.
We were 13 of us from four groups
Group I – Sr. Rosemine, Sr. Padma and Sr. Rincy
Group II –Sr. Deepthi, Sr. Angela and Sr. Bhagya
Group III – Sr. Sangeetha, Sr. Vijaya Bharathi, Sr. Jeenat Jose and Sr. Mary Deepa
Group IV- Sr. Mary Rose, Sr. Fathima Mary and Sr. Nancy
Tertianship Programme Bhubaneswar Province
4TH June to 11TH June 2019
at Siloam, shilling, Meghalaya,
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them.”
It is with this attitude of gratitude that we recall our strengthening and rejuvenating experience of Tertianship. We are grateful to our Provincial Sr. Linette and the team who designed this refreshing programme for us.
The programme took place between 4th and 11th June. For all of us – Sisters Frisca, Prasanna, Annie Joseph, Juby, Mary Ratnam, Alice, Vani, Roja, Lata, Prabhavathi and Vijaya Nirmala -the thought of coming together brought us great joy. It was a time to strengthen our bonds with God and with one another.
The world has enough beautiful mountains and meadows, spectacular skies and serene lakes. It has enough lush forests, flowered fields and sandy beaches. It has plenty of stars and the promise of sunrise and sunset everyday. What the world needs more of, are people to appreciate and enjoy it. These phrases resounded as we set our foot in the North East on the first evening in “SILOAM --- Life to Wholeness”, a facilitation centre for Psycho/Spiritual experience. The four days sessions were guided by Rev. Fr. Dr. P.V. Joseph SDB, Missiologist. He is a great priest who is full of love for God and the mission of Christ and his sharing of his 40 years of life in North East India greatly inspired us.
The various aspects of Religious Life were discussed and dialogued and we were reminded that a missionary is always called to be on the move. To recall the Origins and History of the Congregation was revitalising for all of us. Great respect and honour was paid to the “Pioneers” who went through terrific hurdles in life, which even resulted in death for some. We, together with our facilitator, gazed in awe as we reflected upon the great humility that our founder desired for us - as of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. We also meditated on the great love of St.Joseph for Jesus and Mary and all of us and, in so doing; we relived the experience of our Charism of THE GREATEST LOVE
Fr. P.V. Joseph highlighted good human and religious aspects and provided practical tips for Evangelisation. While strengthening our commitment with inputs, he also insisted that freedom with responsibility is the hallmark of a faithful Religious.
Father made clear to us the meaning of the Paschal Mystery; that God, in His loving plan of salvation, allowed Jesus to experience joy in suffering, glory in humiliation and life in death and forms of death. The four days sessions concluded on the evening of the 8th, and we left, convinced of the great learning experience from Siloam i.e. we must always change, renew and rejuvenate ourselves - otherwise we harden. Renewal requires opening ourselves up, to new ways of thinking and feeling.
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth, find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.” And so, with added strength from green mountains, valleys, streams, waterfalls, caves, plums and peaches and the lovely people of the North East, we set out on our journeys back to our dear communities on 11th June.
“We can be tired, weary and emotionally distraught but after spending time alone with God, we find that He injects into our bodies energy, power and strength.”
As we hold this experience as treasure,
Looking back, we thank God
Looking forward, we trust God
Each of us has deep gratitude for those who have lighted the flame in us. We thank from the depth of our hearts, our Provincial, Rev. Sr. Linette and the team who enabled us to participate in this programme; superiors and the sisters in our own communities who supported us; as well as all the well wishers and “good Samaritans” who made our programme comfortable and fruitful by their generosity.
Thanks be to God! Thanks be to all !
"Coming Home" for the year of Consecrated Life
“Coming Home” for the Year of Consecrated Life
There have been a number of events to celebrate this Year of Consecrated Life in many dioceses across the UK. Late in 2014 I began working with two other religious vocation directors from the Sisters of Nazareth and the Daughters of Charity to plan an event for our home diocese of Motherwell in Scotland.
We each felt strongly that our own vocation story had begun in our family, school, parish and diocese. We were influenced by those around us. Therefore in the Year of Consecrated Life it felt 
like the right time to come home to say thank you and to celebrate the variety there is in religious life. And so an idea and a plan began to develop.
For many years the Diocese of Motherwell has held a week of vocation awareness annually. Part of this is the Vocation Mass at the cathedral which I remember attending with Sr. Ursula and Sr. John Bosco during my own discerning days. We hoped to make use of this existing platform to celebrate the vocation to religious life. Early in 2015 we contacted the bishop to suggest that we gather the religious from the diocese of Motherwell at that Mass and then have an exhibition in the parish hall afterwards. But, as often happens, plans changed along the way and the idea grew.
Bishop Joseph Toal invited the religious living and ministering in the diocese, and those who had grown up there, to an evening of celebration. It began with a meal followed by Evening Prayer at the national shrine to Our Lady at Carfin, then Mass at the cathedral. The religious were asked to participate in the liturgy as readers, in the offertory procession etc. After Mass in a packed cathedral each congregation met with school students, parishioners and friends around their exhibition stands.
Over the years there have been 6 sisters of St. Joseph of Annecy who came from the Diocese of Motherwell, including Sr. Bernardine who was missioned to India. Sr. Anna and I both grew up there and so we attended the event to represent the Sisters of St. Joseph of Annecy.
For me it was an evening of past, present and future coming together. I looked back to my.past as I returned to the cathedral for the first time in 24 years. The last time I had been there was for this same annual Vocation Mass- just a week or so before I entered, so my thoughts were very much with the sisters who had accompanied me then. It was also good to reconnect with several priests who had been in my parish during my early years or with whom I had been at school. In the present it was a real joy to see the various religious congregations spread out across the room -truly highlighting the breadth of religious life within the Church. And I looked ahead to the future as I spoke with the school pupils and young people. While religious life will not be the vocation of many of them, it was encouraging to see they are searching for God in their lives in some form.
Sr. Anna writes:
"It was a night of nostalgia and hope for me. My father and grandparents were parishioners of the cathedral for many years and some of my cousins still attend there. I was especially delighted to see so many young people at the Mass and exhibition. They were enthusiastic in their worship and showed a real interest in what the religious in the diocese are doing. Whether we find them knocking at our doors again is another matter but we can be heartened by the knowledge that so many young people took the trouble to come to share the evening with us".
For both Sr. Anna and I it was truly a time of “coming home” to our roots in Scotland to celebrate this Year of Consecrated Life. As Pope Francis has said, it was a time “to look to the past with gratitude, to live the present with passion and to embrace the future with hope.”
Sr. Anna and Sr. Marianne
The Sisters of St Joseph of Annecy is a Congregation of Apostolic religious women committed to the service of “our dear neighbour” in contemporary society. Inspired by our founder, a French Jesuit, Fr Jean Pierre Medaille, we continue to fulfil his vision of 1650 that we undertake any works which serve particularly the poorest and most neglected in society. We are keenly aware that today this includes the care of the earth and respecting the integrity and interconnectedness of all creation.
Our Congregational river had its source in Le Puy in 1650; it has brought life, energy and healing to many over the centuries. It is our privilege now to maintain its vitality at this time in our long history.
Orientations: General Chapter 2013
Today we are found in 11 countries across 3 continents:
Europe: France, Switzerland, England, Wales, Ireland
Africa: Senegal, The Gambia, The Congo, Tanzania, Kenya
Asia: India
