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Write to the address given on page 4, or email to: crimagnet@gmail.com

E-mails, too, should carry the writer’s postal address and phone number.

Caution Needed

The article on Information Breach, published in October issue, is very informative, especially the Measures of CAUTION. These easures are known to us,  but the problem is we don’t practice. It’s like “Smoking is injurious to health.” Everyone knows that; but how many practice?

I am a customer of Indian Overseas Bank since 2013. After two years of opening an account, it’s time to renew my debit card. A month before its expiry, I received a call from a so-called ATM Bank. The banker revealed the exact date, month and the year of expiry. Believing him as a Good Samaritan, I answered all his queries. They were queries related to my debit card. Within a minute I received three messages. It was about money debited from my account.

How did they get all my information? Can the bank share all this? I believe no bank can do that. I might have used all this information sometime online.

We are in the era of Information Technology. Every communication, including business transactions, is carried out through it. No office is functioning without relying on systems with internet facility.

Don’t just get scared but be cautious, as explained in Information Breach by Rocky in MAGNET. Know internet related dangers and remain away from them. Not using internet is not the solution, but careful use of it will minimize the danger.

Rakesh Roshan Lakra
Sarai Julena, Delhi

A Treasure

God bless you and your effort to publish such a treasure, MAGNET. We never want to miss it.

Sister Mary Jayanti,
Vasai West, Maharashtra

Useful for All

I came across MAGNET magazine and found it attractive and gripping. True to its name! The topics appeal to all readers, not just to religious people. Being a teacher and parent, I found it useful for me in many ways. The July issue on parenting is worth mentioning. The October issue likewise has topics that are applicable to my way of life. I appreciate the articles written by Crystal and Kevin. I find them very interesting and inspiring. Special days are briefly explained, yet sufficiently informative and handy. In general, MAGNET is among the famous magazines with a uniqueness of its own. I would say that it has lasting contents that could serve as source of inspiration for anyone at any point of time. Congratulations to the MAGNET team. Wish you great success in your endeavour.

Mrs. Sbunlang
Jowai, Jaintia Hills

Nurtures Integration

Going through the October 2019 issue of MAGNET, I would like to thank you for articles that really make an impact. ‘Women’s Mid-Life Challenges’ by Fr Jose Parappully is a particularly enlightening and valuable article. It is not often that one comes across articles that throw light on this period in a women’s life wherein the changes can even be confusing and worrying. The article really helps one understand this phase better. A key point for me was that many of the psychological problems related to menopause are caused by unresolved pre-menopausal conflicts and emotional disorders. This more strongly brings out the need and importance of addressing our emotional challenges.

Thank you for featuring the article on Fr Andrea under the ‘Candles in the Dark’ section. Fr Andrea’s witness is truly inspiring. I have not had a chance to hear about Fr Andrea before and this also reminds me of so many religious and faithful who are leading lives with courage, faith and simplicity.

The magazine presents a variety of topics with an interesting mix of information, reflection and education! It truly is following its path of nurturing personal, social and spiritual integration. Thank you, MAGNET team, for lovingly creating content that helps us grow!

Pearl D’Souza,
Mumbai

Opens our Eyes! Made Me Fall in Love!

I congratulate the team of MAGNET for the wonderful and insightful magazine that gives its readers food for thought and reflection.  Every article has a powerful message.  My very first encounter with MAGNET (September 2019 Issue) has made me fall in love with it. I am sure everyone who will flip through its pages will say that it’s worth subscribing to. Coming to the October Issue (Minority Educational Rights), I would like to appreciate Sr Tresa Paul SCSC for this well-researched article with facts and figures that has enlightened us better on our rights, our responsibility and our duty.

The many instances of interference from the Government in different areas of our educational mission as highlighted by the article clearly show the present scenario of our country.  Some State Governments have already issued orders to private schools to follow strictly the set standard in fixing the fee structure.  All minority communities should stand united to fight against the unwanted forces that can destroy the soul and spirit of our positive intervention towards the future of the poor in our society. The right guaranteed by the Constitutions of India in the Art 30  (I) to the Minority is under threat; if we remain passive, we may run the risk of not being able to run our institutions the way we want it to be.

The massive contribution of the minority communities, especially the Christian community,  found no mention in the Draft of the New Education Policy 2019 that was released on 30 May 2019.  This has sent a strong message of its indifference towards the minorities.

Reflecting on the issues discussed has helped many of us to have a closer look into the manner we manage our Institutions. I feel there is an urgent call.  It is best to have a reality check on how we function as persons responsible in the field of education.

It is time to set our house in order and feel a deep sense of responsibility to our Nation and Mission.

Sr Joplin Suchiang FMA
Shillong, Meghalaya

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Who are “minorities” in India?

What rights do they have?

What national and international laws are there to safeguard their rights?

The protection of the minorities gradually evolved and came to be covered within the concept of human rights and fundamental freedoms as enshrined in the United Nations Charter. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 declares that “all human beings are equal in dignity and rights” and prohibit all kinds of discrimination—racial, religious, etc. This was incorporated in Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as: “In those States in which ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities exist, persons belonging to such minorities shall not be denied the right, in community with other members of their group, to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practice their own religion, or use their own language.”

When speaking about India, we know that India is a colorful conglomeration of numerous races, religions, sects, languages, scripts, culture and traditions, with varying differences in dress, food habits, worship, customs, culture and language.  Therefore, the need to protect the interests of the minorities was felt even from the pre-independence era onwards. The vulnerability of the minorities was recognized. In the draft constitution of 1928 by Motilal Nehru, religious and cultural rights of the minorities and their protection were recognized. Emphasizing the importance of protecting the minorities, Jawaharlal Nehru stated the following;

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Sr Tresa Paul SCSC

KEVIN

I still remember some of my first impressions when Crystal passed along Father Joe’s invitation to write a column for a new magazine he was seeking to publish in India. While I have a great deal of respect and admiration for the intellect and spirituality of my dear bride, I have to admit feeling insecure about our ability to write something that might be relevant and relatable to an audience centered half a world away. Even in our short, two week stay in India I was able to identify some significant differences in the cultures of our two countries. I can only imagine how much I have not experienced and the differences that I can’t fully comprehend. All of those doubts came rushing back to me as I contemplated what we might offer on the subject of minority rights, a subject which has once again catapulted itself into forefront of cultural consciousness in the United Sates. As our politics have become ever more divisive and our appetite for identifying and sometimes self-identifying new minorities seeming to be insatiable, it is difficult to create a context to discuss minority rights these days. Life wasn’t always quite so complicated.

The American Experience

Perhaps the simplest and clearest way to express the context for a discussion on minority rights in the U.S. can be found in the Declaration of Independence authored in 1776 by a group of American revolutionaries seeking to become independent of British rule. In this document the colonists declared: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” In this context human rights were clearly focused as universal, God given rights to pursue a life free…

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Crystal and Kevin Sullivan

This article explains the meaning and implications of “fundamental rights”—a basic and crucial concept which all of us need to understand correctly. They are more basic than any man-made laws and restrictions.

The cover-story of this issue is “Minority Rights” – one of the fundamental rights enshrined in articles 29 and 30 of Constitution of India (CoI).  This column will provide you a general understanding of fundamental rights.

As I narrated in earlier issues, the constitutional values mentioned in the Preamble flow further in every Article of the CoI. Part I – articles 1 to 5 – enumerates the name and the territory of the Union; describes the formation of new states; alteration of areas, boundaries or names of the existing states.  Part II – articles 6 to 11 – recognizes the citizenship, not only at the time of the commencement of the Constitution, but also citizenship issues in the years to come.  This month, we focus our attention on another important segment of the CoI, namely, the fundamental rights enshrined in the Part III, in articles 12 to 35.  These fundamental rights are human rights.

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Fr Ravi Sagar SJ

“I’m blessed and I thank God for every day for everything that happens to me.” (Lil Wayne)

There is deep pain and heart-felt joy in what I am going to write.

For me, God is not just a wonderful creator of the universe, but above all a special and intimate God who cares for me and loves me beyond comprehension. He exists everywhere. However long my life may be, I will never be able to fathom the depth of His love. God has done so many wonderful things in my life that it is hard for me to recount every detail of it. I am happy that MAGNET Magazine has asked me to write about it. It means a lot to me.

My personal experience of God was, is, and will always be, the best experience in my life. In my home, we all pray to God everyday, personally asking for his blessing upon each and every one of us. I am close to God and go to him in ways convenient to me and speak to him as I would  my mother. He takes the first place in my life. As for my mother, I always give her a place next to God, for she is like a god to me. My first experience of God is through her in my life. What Rudyard Kipling says, “God could not be everywhere, and therefore He made mothers,” comes alive in my unique and memorable experiences of Him through my mother.  When you read what comes next, you will understand why.

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Kamnipaia Suja

During my 8^th and 9^th grades, Thérèse was my mathematics and faith formation teacher. She belonged to the Holy Cross Congregation. I knew she was a Sister, but we did not have to call her “Sister.” She just related with all as a sister, without any air of piety, or ‘holier than thou’ attitude. Apart from the fact that she did not wear any fancy dress, make up or jewelry, Thérèse looked absolutely ‘normal.’ She was completely ‘one among u.’ It took me years to be able to realize the generosity and distinctiveness of her commitment to God and to people.

Thérèse was a vivacious and cheerful woman. The problem was: I really loathed maths, her main subject. Thérèse thought a lot about how to help students learn and improve not only in her subject but as human beings.

One day, she came up with a new idea. She paired us, an academically strong student with a struggling one. I still remember being a bit annoyed with her plan, but she did not give us any choice. On the whole it proved a very ‘bearable experiment.’ My companion was a kind, soft-spoken boy with whom it was impossible not to get along.

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Sr Marie Gabrielle Riopel SCSM

For a woman, midlife is the period when her sexual drive and the demands for sexual pleasure are at their highest point. Her sexual drive (arousals, urges) is awakened in the late twenties or even later and reaches its peak in the late 30’s or early 40’s. Midlife can be for a woman a time of sexual self-discovery, greater sexual enjoyment and adventurism, and, sexually speaking, one of the richest and most fulfilling periods in her life. It is quite common for women at this stage to seek outlets for this increased sexual drive and longing for pleasure.

EXPERIENCE OF WOMEN RELIGIOUS

“Any man will do!” Anne Marie said during discussions at a workshop on Psychosexual and Celibate Integration at Midlife. What she meant was that her sexual urges were so intense that she would have been happy to have had a sexual experience with any man to satisfy those urges. Not everyone might experience such intense urges, or dare to admit it in public if they do, but almost everyone experiences some form of sexual awakening or reawakening at midlife.

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Fr Jose Parappully SDB

This article explains the pros and cons of registering a religious order, province or diocese as one single legal body or as multiple entities.

Some religious congregations and dioceses have a single registered body for the entire congregation, province or diocese.  Some others have multiple registered bodies.  In the case of the latter, almost every institution in the province or diocese is registered as a trust or society.  There are also individual institutions having more than one registered legal entity.

The question for us now is: Which is better – to have one registered body for the entire set up or multiple bodies?  There are both advantages and disadvantages in both.  This article discusses the pros and cons of both sides and proposes what may be better in the present context.

 ONE SOCIETY?

Advantages

There are some advantages of having only one registered society:

1. If we have only one registered society, it is easy to administer the society. We can concentrate our energy, focus and personnel on that one society. All the statutory and legal compliances will be paid attention to.  It is much easier to find the required personnel and train them to take up the role of the officials of the society, such as the Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Members, etc.
2. The quality of the running of the society will be much better. Meetings can be regular and documents can be preserved properly.

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Fr Alex Gnanapragasam SJ

Telangana state police have recently arrested an engineer working at an IT firm in Chennai and taken him to Hyderabad for further investigation. His fake job portal had attracted many young women by offering various job opportunities according to their qualification with an alluring pay package; and those who contacted him were asked to send through WhatsApp, their personal information, photos and videos.  He downloaded this information and then used it to blackmail them. He collected lots of money from these young women by threatening to use the information that he had gathered. (Courtesy:

https://www.maalaimalar.com/health/womensafety/2019/09/04081730/1259538/How-to-Avoid-Cyber-crime.vpf)

The discovery of the cell phone, one of the most prominently used internet-connected communications devices in the world, has reached a peak.  Every application (App) is created for the use and help of human beings.  The same app can be used to steal your information too.

Today’s digital hi-tech world has no place for PRIVACY.  A simple example is TrueCaller installed in many of our mobile phones.  It helps us to identify the person who is calling. But, in return, your number can be known with details (name, number with mobile service, email, place & location) by around thirty lakh people, most of them whom you do not know.  It’s the same with many of the commonly used Apps or websites like, WhatsApp, Hangouts, Google, Gmaps, Gmail, YouTube, FaceBook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Quora, Blogger, ShareChat, Hotstar, Play Store, Google Drive, Yahoo, Yahoo Mail, Ola/Uber, Swiggy/Zomato/Uber Eats/Foodpanda, Amazon, Flipkart, OLX, Snapdeal, Pinterest, Naukri, Indeed, many more Apps in your mobile (surprised to see more than 132 commonly used apps); as well as contacts, calendar, photos, or so linked with our email account.

It is always better to take some measures of CAUTION:

• While installing any App – it asks for confirmation with so many options – ALLOW / AGREE !!! : we are allowing someone else to enter or know every information about us.
• Switch on your Location only when you need & please put it off when you don’t.
• Do not be led to any website link which is pinged through your Message or WhatsApp or Email, with an attractive offer of some refund amount, or free gift, or “You have earned” message.
• Information and photos posted in Facebook are accessed and used by anyone in the world. They may also misuse the same information for their benefit.
• Mobile Tapping / Hacking: Even after switching off, the phone will be hot or warm because a tapping / hacking software is running in your mobile.

To check whether a mobile is tapped / hacked: Call another mobile number – when that number or mobile is close to you. The call will get cut only after three secondsafter you actually cut the call.Change the Sim Card or even the number, as well as the mobile instrument. DO NOT update anything from the google email ID of yours, because it may sync everything including the tapping / hacking.

• Everything can be taken through the camera in your mobile: Use a sticker or a paper in between the mobile and the mobile cover to block the camera. Remove to use the camera.  Remember to block the camera lens once again.
• Do not open any EMPTY message from an unknown number. All the information from your mobile (contacts, photos, videos, files, etc) can be used by hackers.

Don’t search these things on Google to stay safe: (by Gadgets Now Bureau)

Majority of internet users have the habit of opening on a Google Search window to get any information that they want. From basic food recipes to online banking and money transfer or even buying medicines, everything is just a Google search away. It is important to understand that Google doesn’t create this content. It is simply an online platform where you find websites that offer you the information that you need. So, everything that you see or learn by searching on Google doesn’t necessarily have to be correct and accurate.

 (Courtesy: https://m.gadgetsnow.com/slideshows/10-things-you-should-not-search-on-google/Dont-search-these-10-things-on-Google-to-stay-safe/amp_photolist/71143671.cms)

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Design and Concept: Rocky

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“My name is Sirisha.  I am a novice in a religious institute.  When I joined the institute, I was asked to submit my baptism and confirmation certificates issued within six months prior to my joining, as well as several other documents.  My father had to travel all the way to Mumbai to collect them. But there was another novice in my batch (let us call her Priyanka), who was accepted without insisting on producing certificates of baptism and confirmation.  All that she submitted was a letter from her godfather stating that she was baptized and confirmed on such and such a date in such and such parish and that he was a witness to it. If submitting these certificates are mandatory, is Priyanka’s admission to the novitiate valid?  And, if it was valid, why was I asked to produce those certificates?”

Document needed:

As part of the process of establishing the suitability of a candidate for admission to the novitiate, certain documentary evidences are required.  According to CCEO cc. 453§3 and 519, the prescripts of the constitutions are to be observed with regard to the documents to be produced, while CIC c. 645 §1 makes it clear that, before candidates are admitted to the novitiate, they must produce proof of baptism, confirmation and of their free status.  These certificates are to be obtained from the church or churches where these sacraments were administered.  They are to be signed by the parish priest or the administrator and authenticated with the seal of the parish (CIC c. 535 §3; CCEOc. 296).

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Sr Licia SMI