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In ancient Roman religion and mythology, Janus was the God who held the key to the metaphorical doors or gateways between what was and what is to come — the liminal space of transitioning out of one period and into something new. Ancient Romans believed Janus ruled over life events such as weddings, births, and deaths. He oversaw seasonal events such as planting, harvests, and the New Year. The worship of Janus traditionally dated back to Romulus even before the actual founding of the city of Rome. There were many jani (ceremonial gateways) in Rome; these were usually freestanding structures that were used for symbolically auspicious entrances or exits.

In Roman mythology, Janus is portrayed with two faces — one facing the past, and one facing the future. He also holds a key in his right hand, which symbolizes his protection of doors, gates, thresholds, and other separations or openings between spatial boundaries. In ancient Rome, the symbol of the key also signified that a traveller has come to find a safe harbour or trade goods in peace.

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Br Carmel Duca

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At the dawn of a new year, isn’t it good to look at a Pope who came to be known all over the world as ‘the smiling Pope’? Anyone can sport a plastic, artificial smile on certain situations. But to be able to wear a genuine smile, as if it was a part of you at all times, ah, that is not easy. What made that smile possible for this Pope was his faith and compassion, his serenity and simplicity.

Pope John Paul I was born Albino Luciani on 17 October 1912 in a town called Canale d’Argordo in northern Italy. His father, Giovanni Luciani, was an ordinary labourer, in fact a bricklayer. He was also the local organizer of the Socialist Party. A sermon preached by a Franciscan friar during the Lenten season helped Albino discern his vocation to priesthood. His father told him he could become a priest, provided he always stood on the side of the workers. Entering the minor seminary at the age of 11, he went on to become a priest and a respected preacher. His book on religious education, Catechism Crumbs, went into six editions. He spent many years teaching in the seminary and as its Rector.

Pope John XXIII, a former Patriarch of Venice, made him a Bishop. Pope Paul VI, his successor, made him a Cardinal and named him the Patriarch of Venice. When he assumed charge, he cancelled the traditional, pompous procession of gondolas. He sold the pectoral cross given to him by Pope John XXIII and with that money launched a fund-raising drive to build a centre for the mentally challenged.

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– M.A. Joe Antony, SJ

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I am Brother Clarion, Superior General of a lay Religious Congregation (only Brothers) of Pontifical rite. One of our brothers was sent for higher studies abroad. For six months he maintained regular communications with his Major Superior. After that he stopped all communication with the Superiors. We have taken recourse to various means to approach him but our efforts have been futile. It is more than a year now that, we have had any communication with him, and we do not know about his whereabouts. Can you suggest the canonical step we would need to take in this matter?

Community life is just as essential as the public vows for those who make public profession of evangelical counsels in the Religious Institutes. Every community is under the authority of a superior (can. 608 of CIC), who resides in the house (can. 629 of CIC). The authority which superiors receive from God through the ministry of the Church is to be exercised by them in a spirit of service (can. 618 of CIC). Religious men and women are to reside in their own house; if they are to be away for a short while, they are to obtain permission to stay elsewhere (can. 665, §1 of CIC).

Assuring the importance of community life for Religious, Pope Francis through a document titled “Communis Vita” (Community Life), amended the Code of Canon Law (can. 694 of CIC) to include the automatic dismissal of religious who are absent without authorization from their community for at least 12 months. Thus, the Pope has made it easier for religious Congregation’s to dismiss a member who leaves the community without permission, stays away and does not communicate with his or her superior. The amendment was made on 19 March, 2019 and it came into effect on 10 April, 2019.

The amended canon 694 of CIC reads: A religious must be held as dismissed ipso facto from an institute who:

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Sr Navya Thattil OSF

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A Conversation with Fr. Keith D’Souza S J

Fr Keith D’Souza SJ was Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies at St Pius College, Mumbai, Maharashtra for over 20 years.  Presently he is rector of St Xavier’s College, Mumbai.  Keith is a philosopher, writer, leader, visionary and above all one who constantly expands his mind and heart to reach out in love and compassion to the depth of the divine and human mystery within himself and around.  This interview with Janina Gomes, our veteran writer and conversationalist, uncovers the nuances in his perspectives to theology, philosophy, and priesthood, a critical process that is much needed in today’s context.   

1. How and when did you experience the call to become a Jesuit and what attracted you to their Order?

I studied in a Jesuit School (St. Mary’s) and a Jesuit College (St. Xavier’s), both in South Mumbai, and was impressed by the contribution of committed Jesuits and lay collaborators. Both institutions had illustrious alumni who were very grateful for the education imparted by their alma mater. During our rural outreach camps, I was very impressed with the generous and dedicated work put in by the Jesuit Fathers and Cannosian Sisters for marginalized communities. These early influences motivated me to consider joining the Jesuits soon after I graduated.

2. You are highly qualified to teach Philosophy, Theology and Ethics, and you taught Philosophy to the seminarians at St. Pius X College in Goregaon, Mumbai for over 20 years. Why do you feel such subjects are important for future priests?

I graduated in B.Sc. (Physics) at St. Xavier’s, Mumbai, but after joining the Jesuits I was deputed to do higher studies in Philosophy at Mumbai University and subsequently at Marquette University, Wisconsin, USA. I also did a Master’s course in Theology at Jnana Deepa in Pune. This exposure to science, philosophy and theology enabled me to develop a holistic outlook to life, and in turn, to share both an analytic and synthetic approach with my students at the many institutions in which I have taught. The formation for Catholic priesthood is unparalleled in terms of its scope and depth for clerical training. Seminarians are expected to develop critical thinking, an educated and mature understanding of scripture and tradition, and a balanced socio-pastoral outlook. Priests are expected to have spiritual depth, be inspiring leaders, efficient managers and lively animators of the communities they serve. All of this requires a comprehensive formation.

3. You specialized in hermeneutics (the interpretation of the Bible and other literary texts) at Marquette University in the U.S.  How did your doctorate in hermeneutics help you teach young priests in an area which is crucial for them today?

My specialization was in philosophical hermeneutics, which is the theory of interpretation. Every aspect of life—texts, customs, social relations and hierarchies—entails some form of interpretation or the other. Hermeneutics allows for a critical distance from all of our “normal” beliefs and practices, in order to inquire whether these can be improved upon in some way or the other. Theologically, hermeneutics has to do with appropriately “reading the signs of the times”, and responding to them positively and creatively. This demands a fundamental openness to change.

4. You are the Rector of St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, since 2018. What do you feel is really important for an autonomous educational institute to focus on these days?

Autonomy has given us the academic freedom to design and run our curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular programmes. One hopes that the new National Education Policy will facilitate autonomy and not fall into the trap of standardization of education—which will eventually result in a nationalization of mediocrity. Our three core values at Xavier’s are professional innovation, personal integration and social inclusion. All three are tall orders: critical and creative thinking are not normally encouraged in our school and college campuses; we have a major problem with issues of integrity and transparency; and we live in a very hierarchical and binary oriented society, ridden with multiple types of discrimination. Besides providing high quality formal and professional education, it is important that these complimentary aspects of education are given equal importance in teaching and learning processes.

5. You have been a Christian presence in philosophical societies and have been a life member of the Bombay Philosophical Society and its Vice President from 2018-2020. Did your association with this Society and your role as Life Member of the Association of Christian Philosophers of India (ACPI), and its President from 2015-2022 give a sense of direction to these Societies by upholding Christian values?

Critical thinking, which is at the heart of the discipline of philosophy, was employed assiduously by Jesus when he engaged with his interlocutors, and by St. Ignatius of Loyola, when he espoused the art of discernment in decision making. Both Jesus and Ignatius were interested in creating more just and humane communities. I have tried to uphold these values in various philosophical forums. Along with a critical mass of thinkers in the ACPI, we have helped promote a distinctively “socio-critical school” of philosophy. From the Indian as well as Christian perspective, philosophical thinking needs to be consciously placed at the service of a critical understanding of social issues and a constructive resolution of social problems.

6. You have widened the scope of your ministry to include the direction of leadership, management and spirituality programmes.  Are you embracing contemporary issues and developments so important for priestly formation?

For more than a decade, I used to be on the faculty of “Power to Lead”—a leadership and management programme for lay people in Mumbai. Besides this, I have directed numerous retreats and workshops for clergy, Religious and laity, in India and abroad. I have adopted an integrated “psycho-socio-spiritual” approach in all of these endeavours, based on sound philosophical, theological and sociological presuppositions. The cultivation of such an approach, I believe, is important for priestly formation.

7. You have also widened the scope of your activities to the formation of young Jesuits from Bombay Province, since 2014, and by teaching religious studies at St. Pius X college in Goregaon. These have led you to develop a vision for young priests. Could you share your vision with us?

Young priests need to be given the space to creatively discover newer ways of engaging with, and ministering to people. This is especially needed if we are to connect with youth, who may not appreciate traditional ways of belief and practice. Young priests need to tap into the high levels of energy and generosity of many competent and committed laity you will find in any typical parish. If we wish to put new wine into new wineskins, then we will need to encourage seminarians and young priests to use their talents and to work collaboratively with willing lay people, rather than smother their enthusiasm by adopting authoritative and bureaucratic mentalities.

8. You have been an editor of many books, and been on the editorial team of the ambitious ACPI Encyclopedia of Philosophy. You are obviously part of the thinking Church in India. Tell us something about the value of archiving information like this for future generations.

India is still largely an oral tradition. We need to develop the art and science of independent thinking and scholarly writing. The ACPI has encouraged young researchers to publish their articles in an annual publication. A revised and enlarged edition of the ACPI Encyclopedia of Philosophy is on the anvil. This archived philosophical contribution is invaluable, as most Western philosophical literature is rather dense and technical, and most Indian philosophical thinking is fused with spiritual and theological thinking. The ACPI has provided a unique corpus of philosophical writing which is understandable (reader friendly), critical and socially relevant.

9. You have written more than 50 articles on topics such as the “Mystical and Prophetic Wisdom of South Asia”, “Respecting our Common Home”, “Globalization and its Discontents” and even the “Contribution of Hinduism to Indian Culture”. How important is it to share this information with a larger audience, which may not have been exposed to these ideas before?

It is important for philosophers to enter into public discourse. Unfortunately, very few intellectuals in the Church have been able to contribute to public debate, even though we have a huge number who are able to do so. We also need to write in a manner which is reader friendly, rather than esoteric and accessible to only a few. The clergy need to share their learnings with the faithful and the general public, as an integral part of their ministry.

10. Is there anything else you would like to add?

The Church is largely old and insular. We need to speak a new language of love and energy, relevant and understandable to the masses. We also need to get out of the ghettoes in which we largely live. We run successful institutions, but our work is often in silos. We need to engage with those who live beyond our parishes, institutions and organizations. Otherwise, we will continue to be misunderstood, and not sufficiently appreciated for our immense contribution. We will also not be able to make a significant impact in terms of enhancing the common good. We need to enter into ongoing dialogue outside our ghettoes, without sacrificing our identity, in an empathetic and collaborative, yet responsibly assertive manner.

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Miracle in the Valley (2016)     96 minutes

Director: Don Schroeder

Cast: Emily Hoffman, Pat Boone, Edward Asner, Diane Ladd, Richard Tyson, Stephanie Linus, Shari Rigby, Kassandra Voyagis.

Set in the year 1906, in Booneville town, Anderson Valley, Northern California, this movie tells the story of the teen aged Melinda who is born out of wedlock. She is ill-treated by her stepfather Maddox and treated with disdain by the local community. Alice, her mother, is bullied by Maddox and is helpless. Melinda’s father is rumored to be dead. Her initial attempts to find what happened to her father Thomas Briggs fail except for some tidbits of information. Alice is haunted by guilt on account of her thoughtless decisions. The wealthy, unfaithful and overbearing Maddox virtually controls the town with his wealth and cunning. Unable to protect Melinda, following the mysterious murder of the local pastor who was her only consolation, Alice is forced to send the child to her grandmother. Melinda has no choice but to stay with Mary, her cranky and ailing grandmother, whom she nurses. Her grandmother provides her with what she has missed in life—love and family closeness. She also enjoys the new friendship with a younger boy named William who is an ardent Shakespeare fan who quotes extensively from Shakespeare’s plays, claiming that he composed them. Mary, in her fits of delusion, speaks a remote language called ‘Boontling’ practised in the valley long time back. Melinda picks it up and through it comes to learn about her father. She chooses to remain with the old woman and enjoys her life of freedom away from the bullying stepfather.  However, her grandmother is laid up after an accident and during an earthquake, dies. When a man named Jeb adopts William things take a new turn. Heroically determined to unravel the truth about her father, Melinda seeks out the people of the town who know the story from whom she collects the carefully hidden facts of the case. She comes to know that the murderous Maddox was the man behind the loss of her father. Maddox is brought to justice. His power over the townspeople is broken when ordinary people provide evidence in the court. Alice is then restored to true faith by her friend.  Melinda’s courage and faith eventually teaches everyone lessons of forgiveness, and reunites her lost family. Her search for truth brings grace.

The Passion of Bernadette (1990) 106 minutes

Director: by Jean Delannoy

Cast: Sydney Penny, Emmanuelle Riva, Catherine de Seynes, Malka Ribowska, Georges Wilson, Michèle André, Maurice Jacquemont, Roland Lesaffre, Michel Ruhl, Michèle Simonnet.

            The sequel to the earlier Bernadette (1988), this movie follows the lesser known second phase of St Bernadette’s life. The narrative closely follows actual events, highlighting the making of a great saint, confined to the convent, mostly in the infirmary both as patient and nurse.  Bernadette joined as an aspirant with the Sisters of Charity at Nevers in 1866, hoping to hide from her celebrity status. But things do not turn out as she had wished.  Innumerable Lourdes devotees seek her advice and intervention. Continued sickness and ecclesiastical scrutiny assail her. On her admission, the Mother superior orders her to speak to the inmates about her past, especially her visions at Massabielle. There are others too, curious to explore Bernadette’s past pestering her about the apparitions at Lourdes. Bernadette tells the group about Our Lady speaking of Herself as Immaculate Conception. A bishop who is confessor to the Pope also visits her along with a countess and her husband who want to donate money to the local parish through her hands, which she rejects. All that she wanted was to be all alone with God. A visit to an orphanage shows how easily she connected with the children, telling them stories and jokes which invite the comment that her vocation is the vocation of charity. Being described as “stupid” (which she joyfully and meekly accepts) she is assigned to the care of the sick and washing toilets. It is also revealed that she has the gift of healing. Four months after her entry, on the brink of death Bernadette is allowed to make her vows in bed. But her recovery and assurance that she will live a bit longer makes the Mother declare the vows invalid and she sends her back to the novitiate. She takes it all joyfully and humbly and takes final vows along with others. This remarkable movie clearly depicts her life of suffering and how she undertakes suffering as her vocation.

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That’s Not How We Do It Here! A Story about How Organizations Rise and Fall – and Can Rise Again.

John Kotter and Holger Rathgeber (2016)

The authors from Harvard Business School present vital tips to leaders and managers everywhere.  Through an animal fable, the book demonstrates how to turn challenges into opportunities.  The story is set in Kalahari, Southern Africa, where a clan of 150 meerkats settled in a fertile valley are growing steadily in numbers and are prospering. They possess a well-oiled bureaucracy, with set conventions and rules to follow. Unexpectedly a drought destroys the food resources and vultures invade. The old system is shaken up; the clan, unprepared to meet the unpredictable, begins to fall apart, engaging in blame and unable to seek out solutions.  Disagreements mount even on routine matters. Solutions suggested by experienced front-line workers are rejected from the top with the response: “That’s not how we do it here!” When there is a dearth of new ideas, Nadia an adventurous meerkat leaves in search of novel ideas to solve the problems. She is joined by her friend Ayo, who is chastised for violating the existing procedures of guard duty when he tries the revolutionary idea of climbing trees to watch out for predatory invasions. The two find other groups of meerkats who seem to be running things well and differently from their own. Some groups are just like theirs, in different states of disintegration. They meet Matt a rover who has left his clan. He seeks out a dynamic, small clan apparently doing well. Under the leadership of Lena, this group is devising new ways of combating the drought situation, turning challenges into opportunities and have developed creative solutions to meet the challenges of food and danger from vultures. Their small group is thriving in team work, organizational flexibility and innovation. However, as the clan grows, Nadia witnesses how they too begin to break down owing to a lack of a structure suited for an expanding group. Visionary leadership was not enough. Nadia has a discussion with Lena sharing her observations. With the insights learned she returns to her clan, hoping to rebuild it, combining visionary leadership smartness, discipline, creativity stability and innovation.  The book concludes with a study of the nature of “management” and the nature of “leadership”, how they are related and yet different.

Light Through the Bars: Understanding and Rethinking South Africa’s Prisons

by Fr Babychan Arackathara (2019)

Fr Babychen’s book  derives from  his experience of prison ministry in  some of the most notorious prisons in South Africa. It takes the readers inside  prisons and close to prisoners, erasing our  stereotyped notions about criminals and convicts and  helping to change the way we think of prison communities. The author started his mission in1998 in Mariental Namibia and the 20 years of his work experience comes alive in this brilliant, haunting book rousing our empathy towards those condemned to languish in the dark despair of prison cells. Archbishop William Slattery, head of prison outreach at Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference comments: “Father Babychan has brought the light of the Good News to people who are often the most abandoned and forgotten. His work has given hope, repentance and a new beginning to many of our brothers and sisters.”   Criminals are human. No one is born a criminal. Criminality is a demonstration of the brokenness of society as the stories of the convicts show. These stories can be treated as case studies for those who might engage in  prison ministry – a veritable guidebook to touch troubled souls in prison. Through the six chapters, the author looks at all aspects of human criminality.  He notes that everything begins in our families. Broken families produce broken people who may turn to crime. A close look inside prisons raises the question whether they do, in fact, offer correction, education and opportunities for rehabilitation, or are merely “schools for crime”. Simple supportive tools such as listening to them can bring change in the prison cultures and initiate rehabilitation.  The current models of punitive justice need to be replaced by restorative justice which is truly beneficial to the offenders as well as their victims.  Reintegration is the most challenging task before all ex-offenders as they rejoin society, hoping not to be shunned by their families and communities.  A list of practical suggestions for the problems observed during his prison ministry concludes the narrative.

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Happy New Year.  It is a time to transform oneself and to encounter life anew.

I want to start my new year’s editorial with this testimony written by a doctor who worked in Africa.  It speaks to my heart.

Isaiah 65:24: – “Before they call, I will answer.” 

One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labour ward; but in spite of doing all that we could do, she died, leaving us with a tiny, premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive; as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator). We also had no special feeding facilities.    Nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. The nurse went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates). “And it is our last hot water bottle!” she exclaimed.  “All right,” I said, “put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts. Your job is to keep the baby warm.”   The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me.  During prayer time, one ten -year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. “Please, God” she prayed, “Send us a hot water bottle today. It’ll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon.”  “And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she’ll know You really love her?” 

As often with children’s prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say “Amen?” I just did not believe that God could do this.  Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses’ training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there on the verandah was a large 22-pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot.  There were brightly-coloured, knitted jerseys, knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, raisins and other dry fruits.  

Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the…..could it really be? 

I grasped it and pulled it out. Yes, a brand new, rubber hot water bottle. I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could. 

Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, “If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!” 

Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully-dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted it! Looking up at me, she asked, “Can I go over with you and give this dolly to that little girl, so she’ll know that Jesus really loves her?” 

True transformation begins only when we have the simple faith of a child.  That’s why Jesus said, ‘become like children.’ Such child like faith begins with a spontaneous encounter of the divine, in you, around you and in others.  Life I believe is a series of encounters which happen only when I trust and trust is essential to any relationship. The divine exists only in relation and another name for relationships today is network.  After all, this true story of childlike trust from Africa was available to me only because of the social media network.  Social networking is not bad or good, it is the way I use it that makes it either.   This issue of Magnet with Social Media – To Transform & Encounter as its cover story contains numerous live examples of encounter – encounter with God, encounter with human pain, encounter with goodness embodied as human.  May you experience life in all its colour and authenticity as you read through the pages of this issue of Magnet.  Wishing you a bright and Joy filled 2023.

I am happy to introduce our new writer for our psychology column Fr Dr. Joseph Jeyaraj Swaminathan, SDB.   He trained as a Person-Centred Therapist (PCT) at Salford University, Manchester, UK and has been practising PCT, family counselling, youth and trauma counselling. He is the founder of Niraivagam – the Don Bosco Institute of Psychological Services, which is at Chennai, and is presently its director.  Fr Joseph Jeyaraj is an experienced writer, visionary and exemplary thinker as you will see already in his first article in this issue of Magnet.  It is indeed our privilege to have him as a regular columnist.

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Pushpa Joseph

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Aha! A fresh and lovely morning! Teena (name changed) threw her hands up and down in the air as she came out into the courtyard to relish the newness of the morning. She had slept well that night and that was a great success for her!  It is a year and a half since she is suffering from depression and is under medication. Her need to take medicine itself aggravates her helplessness and anger. At the age of 56 she misses her children who are settled abroad. She feels too tired to get up in the morning, to cook meals or to do any work. All her skills and education seem to be a mere waste.  She doubted if her husband loved her at all with those wrinkles appearing on her face and hands.

I have been reaching out to Teena for a while now.  Also, with a few other women in their late middle age and older, who go through immense stress; a battered wife even at the age of 63 years, a mother with a 22-year-old daughter with Down Syndrome, a widow struggling to bring up her children, families with heavy bank loans and some others submerged in loneliness and fear as they are left alone at home. If only one could touch their lives in some small ways!

Women at this age group became a priority for the two of us Good Shepherd Sisters as we found them as a stuck, hidden and ignored group in the so-called developed society in Kerala. This awareness paved the way for a new beginning. A Day Care Centre was initiated to accompany the elder women.  This new venture in consultation with the needy in itself was empowering for all. We welcome them cordially; have a lot of games, sing-songs, dance, creativity session, relaxation besides counseling and group work. Just three months since its establishment, this Centre proves to be an effective forum for unconditional support, wellness and empowerment for the attendees.

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Sr. (Dr) Shalini Podimattam RGS

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The phrase ‘New Beginnings’ denotes that there were old starts. This may mean that one is not satisfied with the earlier beginnings and would like to have a new beginning, or a new situation.  New challenges in life require new beginnings in order to move forward in one’s life journey. New beginnings have hope, expectations and have certain goals. New beginnings are the result of certain understanding and insights such as—Self Evaluation, Situational Evaluation, Mission Evaluation and so on. Certain events and certain seasons motivate one to a New Beginning. This Christmas season may we be motivated to have resolutions for New Beginnings. The need to have a new beginning will differ from person to person and from group to group. One such need for a new beginning is shared in this article.

Extra Money – A Persistent Slogan

Today the focus, the goal of the people in general is— ‘Make Money.’ Is making or earning money a bad thing? No, it is not; rather it is an essential one. But today there is a craving for ‘Extra Money.’ A salaried person wants to have some ‘Extra Money,’ a business person wants ‘Extra Money,’ a Producer of a commodity wants ‘Extra Money,’ a consumer wants ‘Extra Money,’ people involved in social work want ‘Extra Money,’ people involved in spiritual activity want ‘Extra Money,’ people’s representatives from grass root to the top want ‘Extra Money,’ the voters want ‘Extra Money’ and in short, given the chance, it appears that every one of us wants ‘Extra Money’ which is not ours, which is not legal and which is not right.

This ‘Extra Money’ is usually in the form of bribe, adulteration, cheating, duplication, low quality, buy one get one free, lottery, donations, corruption, horse trading, operation, selling the votes, freebies and so on.  But every one of them justifies the ‘Extra Money.’ This increasing craving for ‘Extra Money’ is one of the main causes for many of the evils that are found in society. This is one of the biggest hurdles in the way of change—be it Social or Political Change.

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K. John Don Bosco

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Christmas, for me, symbolizes a season of new beginnings, inviting us, to be hope to those who have lost hope and to restore dignity to those who are marginalised at every front.

My Great Desire

It has always been my great desire to do something for women’s empowerment. God placed me in Gujarat through my congregation to work with the most underprivileged Adivasi women. Since 1999, I have been involved in making efforts for empowering Adivasi women through skill education, leadership training and wider outreach to the village communities.

WEST – For the Underprivileged

I was happy, during this academic year, to collaborate with a Jesuit centre in Rajpipla, Gujarat in developing a programme called Women’s Empowerment for Social Transformation (WEST). It is a training programme for young women from the marginalised sections of the society, especially Adivasi women, to become lawyers and social workers. It is a five-year programme and in the first year, language and computer skills are given along with the training for transformation based on Paulo Freire’s pedagogy of education – self and social transformation.  Our outdated education systems have not contributed to the socio-economic development of Adivasi women.  And so, the WEST programme envisages a paradigm shift from the traditional education system in creating situational changes. Through this programme young women are trained to develop an ideology of change and value formation so that they are equipped to work for the transformation of their own society, to assert their rights and gain a rightful place in the society. As trained women in their respective professions, they will be the decision makers. This will provide them with space and expertise and thus they will break traditions and taboos in a non-threatening manner. It will become a naturally nurtured and accepted women leadership in the community. It will promote gender equality.

My Contribution

I taught life skills to these young women to develop their confidence and be focused. I could notice a positive change in their attitude and perspective after conducting a series of sessions with them. The common notion is that Adivasi women are not ambitious and are not  motivated to persevere in their career. It was an uphill task for me in the beginning to motivate them and get them on track. I was happy that I could help them to persevere in their studies.

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Sr Magy Allessu DHM

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