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1. You have been principal of Vidya Bhavan College, Pune. What have been your most rewarding and meaningful experiences as a principal?
The college where I am teaching is a small Diocesan college, where the Management is Catholic, but the staff are government employees, as the college is affiliated to the University. When the principal retired in 2014, I found myself a reluctant candidate for the principal’s post. It took me some time to say Yes to assuming the position. Why did I hesitate? I could foresee the problems that as a woman I would have to face, in leading an almost entirely male staff (except for two part-time women lecturers who were not permanent staff either). I felt I would be having a tough time dealing with the male staff, particularly the office staff, with the added context of government-paid employees working in a Catholic college set-up.
Secondly, I am basically a teacher, and a passionate one at that, and I had never had any administrative experience before. So, the prospect of taking up administration wasn’t exactly attractive to me. It was, therefore, with much reluctance and lots of reservations that I assumed the reins of college management. However, I soon realized that being a woman having to handle mainly male staff was not so bad after all. In fact, in some ways, it was an advantage. As a woman, I found it easy to communicate both formally and informally with the staff. I started to have regular meetings with the staff to sort out some contentious issues that I had inherited with the post, and little by little some of the conflictive situations were settled amicably.

Maria Goretti Gonsalves

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The Sister Who Made a Difference

What made this nun and her amazing work known and appreciated all over the world is the Opus Prize she won in 2019. The award, worth one million dollars, is one of the world’s most prestigious recognitions of faith-based initiatives that seek to address grave social problems.
Sr Catherine Mutindi, who won the Opus Prize for the year 2019, was born in Kenya, became a Good Shepherd Sister, and worked there till 2012. In 2012 a bishop in the Democratic Republic of Congo invited her to come to the city of Kolwezi and work for widows and orphans. Before beginning her work, she decided to talk to the local people and listen to them keenly in order to understand their plight. She realized very soon that the problems of not merely widows and orphans but children, adolescents and a vast majority of the poor people were related to cobalt mining in the city.

Fr M A Joe Antony SJ

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Part II of the discussion on mental illness presented in the previous issue.

Two Cases
Edward came to therapy because he could not get along with his wife. He believed his wife does not want him to be happy. “She does everything possible to make sure I am not happy,” he said. “I am most unfortunate to have married her. She is ruining my life.” As an example, he narrated how his wife would deliberately rattle the dishes in the kitchen so that he could not sleep. He believed that she is actually the devil in disguise. As he unfolded his story in subsequent sessions, it became quite evident that he had misgivings not only about his wife, but about almost everyone around him as well. He believed, for instance, that all South Indians were against him because he was a North Indian and were trying to get him into trouble. The woman he worked with at the office was deliberately plotting to get him dismissed from the job. Auto-rickshaw drivers were honking as he passed them on the road to deliberately annoy him. His cousin was turning his aunt against him. His mother-in-law was sending him bad vibes, so that he would get sick and die….
Maryann was brought to therapy by her husband. He had been noticing strange behaviours in her for a year. She believed that building contractors in the town were out to poison the water supply. She had to protect people against them. God had chosen her specially to do this. She alone had the power to thwart their attempts. She does this with her own specially concocted water that she carries around wherever she goes. She intrudes into the houses of her neighbours and blesses them, assuring them that they will be protected from an impending disaster. She would also see very big ants and scorpions and other dangerous creatures swarming the houses—her own and the neighbours’. When she visited homes, she would point to these non-existing creatures and warn the family to be wary of them. Her actions have alienated the neighbours and affected her family relationships. These beliefs and behaviours began a year earlier, when her husband, who was in the construction business, faced some serious setbacks. Some developers had cheated him, and he suffered a huge loss. The family was thrown into acute financial distress….
Both Edward and Maryann were suffering from Schizophrenia—Edward with paranoid delusions, and Maryann with paranoid and grandiose delusions, as well as hallucinations.

FR JOSE PARAPPULLY SDB

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ANIMATION
“He is the life and soul of the community.” This is the observation I heard, just last week, about a priest in one of our formation communities. This is the meaning of animation – being the ‘life and soul of the community.’
In fact, the word ‘animation’ comes from the Latin word, ‘anima,’ which means soul, life. The superior has to be for the community what the soul is for any living being. What does the soul do for a living organism? The soul does mainly three things: i) it gives identity; ii) it gives unity; iii) it gives dynamism (life). As long as the soul is present, an organism manifests these three characteristics. Once the soul leaves, it loses these characteristics. Take the example of a human being. Till a particular moment we say he/she is alive, that is, he/she is a human being and has a name (identity); every part of the person is glued together and works together for the good of the whole (unity); and the person has vivacity, energy (dynamism). After a particular moment, we say he/she is dead. He/she becomes a corpse (loses identity); each part disintegrates (loses unity) and becomes inert (loses life). Like a soul, the superior has to give identity, unity and life to the community and its members.
The superior guarantees the identity of the community in two ways: i) The superior is the steward of the charism of the congregation and of the vision/ mission of the community. The superior ensures that only those things that promote the charism and mission are pursued by the members. ii) It is said that, over a period of time, every organization takes on the characteristics of the one who leads it. The superior cultivates in himself/herself those characteristics that are in keeping with the charism and mission, so as to be able to bequeath that to the community.

Fr Jose Kuttianimattathil SDB

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A year ago (March 2020), India Today magazine reported a 20% increase in patients with mental illness after the coronavirus outbreak in the country. The World Health Organization (WHO) emphasized that determinants of mental health and mental disorders include not only individual attributes, such as, the ability to manage one’s thoughts, emotions, behaviours and interactions with others, but also social, cultural, economic, political, and environmental factors, such as, national policies, social protection, living standards, working conditions, and community social supports.

Mental Health Issues in India
A holistic approach and comprehensive strategies are required for intervention, promotion, prevention, and treatment of mental health issues in India. National Mental Health Policies must be in place which not only promote treatment of mental health disorders but provide overarching directions on broader issues for ensuring mental health promotion. The WHO estimates that the burden of mental health problems in India is to the tune of 2,443 DALYs (“Disability-Adjusted Life Years”) per 1,00,000 population, and the age-adjusted suicide rate per 1,00,000 population is 21.1. It is also estimated that the economic loss due to mental health conditions between 2012-2030, is 1.03 trillion US dollars. The number of mental health workers in India show the inadequacy: For every 100,000 persons, we have only 0.3 psychiatrists, 0.12 nurses, 0.07 psychologists and 0.07 social workers.

Fr Ravi Sagar SJ

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I am Sr Perpetua, a major superior of an indigenous congregation. I would like to know what exactly is the authority of diocesan Bishops over institutes of consecrated life and their members.

This is a relevant question as many major superiors seek guidance on this topic. Since you have not specified whether your institute is of pontifical or diocesan right, we shall discuss areas common to both.

While CIC Canons 586 §§1-2 highlight the obligation of the diocesan bishop to protect and safeguard the autonomy of each religious institute, especially with regard to governance, life, discipline of members, missionary assignments, formation and administration of temporal goods, Canon 678§1 says, “In matters concerning the care of souls, the public exercise of divine worship and other works of the apostolate, religious are subject to the authority of the Bishops, whom they are bound to treat with sincere obedience and reverence.” This is further clarified in CCEO Canon 415, “All religious are subject to the power of the local hierarch in matters that pertain to the public celebration of divine worship, to the preaching of the word of God to the people, to the religious and moral education of the Christian faithful, especially of children, catechetical and liturgical instruction, to the decorum of the clerical state, as well as to various works that regard the apostolate.”

Sr Licia SMI

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I am hooked on crosswords almost to the point of being compulsive. I cannot see one. I get a thrill when I see a black and white grid. I am upset if it is very simple and can spend a long time trying to solve a difficult one. It is the first page I go to when I open any newspaper. But, there is a catch. Crosswords are in the entertainment section of any newspaper be it The Times of India, or the El Comercio in Perú, or the LA Times in Los Angeles. And that, creates a new problem for me as early as eight o’clock in the morning when I sit down and check my new challenge!

You see, I am also addicted to resentments! So, when I start looking at the photos of Chopra-Jonas’ wedding at a palace in Jodhpur, or that Virushka had a baby girl, or the type of shampoo you should use on your dog, or the best way to find a serious and honest relationship online, or when the Ambassador of “Timbuktu” gave a big banquet to his so-called friends, my resentments flare up—not because I am against these people, but because, I can never comprehend the absurdities of such news in cities where people are still trying to make ends meet. But that’s me!

Little by little I come back to the reality of other type of news—other faces, names and stories which start appearing and entwining into each other. Farmina, who lived with her husband Khurshid in Gurgaon and is being accused of slitting the throats of 7-year old Muskan, 5-year old Miskina, 3-year old Alsifa and an eight-month old. Shib Kumar Gupta, a hardware trader, who after being “upset” with the children who would play at his doorstep, apparently flung eighteen month-old Shivam from the fourth floor of a central Kolkata building in the beginning of lockdown. The 41-year old homemaker who killed her physically disabled teenage son and then hanged herself hours after attending the funeral of her husband Debnath—a COVID patient. Amit Agarwal, a 42-year old chartered accountant, who killed his estranged wife Shilpi, another chartered accountant in Bengaluru, and then, after he travelled to Kolkata, killed his mother-in-law.

Bro Carmel Duca MC

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Here is a quick look at fifteen myths—false and misleading ideas—about mental illness, which can harm those affected and prevent the rest of us from doing what we can.

MYTH 1. MI is rare. Affects very few people
FACT: As shown in our February and March issues, mental illness affects more people than we may be aware of. According to some studies, one in four persons suffer from some form of mental illness. In India, it is likely that we do not have exact figures, but those suffering from mental illness will be in the millions.

MYTH 2: MI is inborn. Nothing can be done about it.
FACT: This is largely false. A few persons may have inherited tendencies towards some mental illnesses (e.g., bipolar illness), but mental illness can be caused or aggravated—just like physical illness—by the environment and by events, such as, the death of dear ones, a natural calamity (like the Tsunami), sexual or physical abuse.

MYTH 3: MI means that the person is “crazy” (mad).
FACT: This is not true at all! Just as we can get different types of bodily ailments—cold, fever, diabetes, heart disease—a person can have a type of mental illness, e.g., severe depression, and able to go about their work, and function normally in many areas of life. A mental illness, like physical ailments, can be mild, moderate or severe.

Fr Joe Mannath SDB

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Imprisoned, Abandoned & Desperate
Prashanthi (all names in this true story have been changed) was just eighteen years old when she given in marriage to Lokesh, an alcoholic. His drunkenness and irresponsible attitude made life miserable for Prashanthi. Even the basic needs of their little son, Anand, were not met. Lokesh came home drunk every day, beating her for no reason, so much so that, when she would see him coming home, she trembled with fear and hid behind the door. One night, he started thrashing her as usual. The two-year-old child was in her arms. Lokesh dragged his wife into the kitchen and battered her fiercely. In self-defense, she pulled out a log of firewood and hit him on the head. He dashed against a wall and dropped dead. Terrified, she ran to the police station with the child in her arms, and admitted to the involuntary murder of her husband. She was arrested and sent to prison along with the two-year-old Anand.
At the age of six, Anand was shifted to Kolbe Home in Bengaluru, a rehabilitation centre for prisoners’ children run by Prison Ministry India. With tears rolling down cheeks, Prashanthi told me, “If Anand had grown up with us, he would not have become the smart and intelligent boy that he is now. His talents in singing, dancing and in sports have also bloomed only because he has been under your care.”
Prashanti, now released from prison, and her son are two of the forty beneficiaries of the “Housing project” launched by Prison Ministry India (PMI) as part of the Ruby Jubilee celebrations (1981-2021). PMI is a national voluntary organization under the Justice, Peace and Development Commission of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), working for the integral human development of prisoners. Bishop Allwyn D’Silva is its Chairman, and Fr Francis Kodiyan MCBS the National Coordinator.

Sr Lini Sheeja MSC

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In continuation of the Finance column in the February issue, this article explains “objective clause” more thoroughly.
The “object clause” forms the heart of the Memorandum of Association (MA) or Trust Deed (TD). The main reason for the entity coming into existence is to carry out the purposes/objects laid down in the object clause. The objects should be drafted in a very simple, clear and unambiguous language. The objects should clearly portray the intentions of the subscribers to the MA and the settlor of the Trust. Much attention and thought should be invested in drafting the objects.

OBJECT CLAUSE UNDER THE INCOME TAX ACT
Under the IT Act 1961, it is necessary for the entity to be registered under sections 10(23) and/or 12A to be designated as a notified or approved entity. This registration entitles the society or trust to file its return as a charitable / religious / public utility entity and avail the benefits thereunder. The registration under the above sections is granted based solely on the objects of the entity. The income tax officials will thoroughly examine the objects and then classify the entity as charitable / religious / public utility. Once this registration is granted, then the entity acquires the identity and tag noted in the certificate. As 12A is a basic registration, the classification it receives matters.
Once the 12A registration is completed, the entity is obliged to utilise its funds only for carrying out the objects noted in the MA and TD. An entity cannot utilise its funds for objects not mentioned in its object clause. An entity cannot subsequently enlarge the scope of objects, on its own accord, without first amending the object clause.

Fr Trevor D’Souza OFM

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