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The term needs to be understood correctly. Superiors needs not only legal authority, but also moral authority.

In the award-winning film, Gandhi, directed by Richard Attenborough, there is a scene where Mahatma Gandhi is under arrest and produced before the judge.  As Gandhiji enters the court, there is an expression of awe on the face of the judge and he rises from his chair.  Seeing the judge rise, the entire court stands up, paying respect to Gandhiji.  The judge’s action was a spontaneous response to the authority possessed by Gandhiji. The judge said, with evident admiration for the great man: “It is impossible for me to ignore that you are in a different category from any person I have ever tried or am likely to try…”

What is authority?

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Disasters affect millions of people every year.  They disrupt the normal life and add to the sufferings of the people.  During the outbreak of the COVID-19, the provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, were invoked by the authorities to deal with the pandemic.  As per the order dated 24.03.2020 of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) ‘to take measures for ensuring social-distancing to prevent the spread of COVID 19’, the national lockdown was imposed under the provisions of DMA-2005.  Additional guidelines were issued on the same day by the Ministry of Home Affairs, being the Ministry having administrative control of disaster management.

The Disaster Management Act, 2005 (DMA-2005):

The Disaster Management Bill, having been passed by both the Houses of Parliament, received the assent of the President on 23 December 2005.  It came on the Statute Book as “The Disaster Management Act—2005” (DMA–2005).

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I learnt to move from self-pity to joy from people who had so little to give.

One of my dreams came true during Advent 1999 when I was living in Bogotá. Bogotá is the capital city of Colombia. Situated at around 2,700 metres above sea level, it is the third highest capital in South America. Our community was on top of one of the mountains called La Peña which surrounded the city. Ours was the last house; behind us was pure evergreen forest. Bogotá has a significant rainfall throughout the year. The average temperature is about 14ºC; it never gets hot.

Little Josecito with his donkey

One of the Colombian traditions during Advent is the praying of the Christmas Novena. People gather in the main square of their neighbourhoods every night starting on December 16. Together they pray and sing traditional Christmas carols and then drink hot chocolate with buñuelos—deep fried balls of dough and cheese.

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 I am Sr Soja. I belong to a religious congregation caring for the destitute and abandoned.  According to our constitutions, the period of Juniorate lasts six years, which may be extended to nine years according to the judgement of the superior general and council.  But two sisters from my senior batch were posted to a new mission station to be opened in Rome by anticipating their perpetual profession by three months, while others made their profession only after the completion of six years.  This year my brother priest is selected for pursuing PhD in France.  My brother desired to participate in my perpetual profession ceremony.  So, I applied in writing to my superior general requesting to anticipate my profession by four months.  But she did not agree to it.  If they could allow two of the sisters to anticipate their profession, why did they deny the favour for me? Please explain also the importance of the document of the act of profession.

Conditions for a Valid Perpetual Profession

To answer your query, let us look into the canons on the conditions for the validity of perpetual profession.  According to CIC cc. 658, 656 and CCEO cc. 464, 532 and 526, the following are the conditions: 1) that the person should have completed at least twenty-one years of age; 2) there has been previous temporary profession for at least 3 years; 3) that the person has renewed the profession according to the norms of law; 4) the admission has been granted freely and in accordance with the norms of law, by the competent superior after a vote of their council…..

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Here is how a Catholic laywoman, who knows many religious for very long, both as a student and as a teacher, sees religious life today.

1. Tell us a little about yourself: Age, studies completed, profession, how and how long you have been familiar with members of religious orders.

I am sixty years old. I am a teacher in the school run by nuns. I have been teaching for forty-two years. From the time I joined the school, I am constantly in contact with the sisters, individually and socially. I belong to a not so well-to-do family of thirteen brothers and sisters. Our house is next to three religious houses, the sisters’ convent, a theological college and a parish. I feel very lucky to have been familiar with the members of the religious orders ever since I was born, and growing up in the vicinity of many religious.

2. What is your general impression of religious (both women and men)? Do most look happy and enthusiastic? Do their spontaneous comments show that they take following Christ and living a committed life of mission seriously?

Looking back, I must admit that I used to be very jealous of the religious. They never seem to be either sick or sad. Whenever we saw them, they always wore a captivating smile that enticed us young children to flock around them like bees to a hive. We never knew if they were busy or not. As far as my memory can go, there was never a time when we were shooed away. Come to think about it now, I keep pondering about how Jesus was always followed around by the crowds. The lives they live with love make our religious selfless and tolerant to all situations in life. Their enthusiasm in imparting the Word of God and teaching Catechism whenever the slightest chance was opened left me in awe. Following in the footsteps and living the teachings of Jesus, they never fail to influence us and always lead other people to a holistic way of life. The influence they had on young children was so much that on holidays we were ready to leave our family behind to accompany the sisters on village tours and house visits. I remember that all the children wanted to become religious like the committed and dedicated religious we met. They made it look that religious life is so perfect. We understood nothing about their mission then, but now I realised the greatness of their enthusiasm and their faithfulness in fulfilling their mission.

3. What are their greatest contributions to humanity? What are the good things they are doing well, and should keep doing?

Nobody can ever forget what the Catholic religious men and women did and are still doing in various parts of our beloved land. The impact of their works is so great that they are so much revered and idolised wherever they go—by elderly people, youths and small children alike. These good and able people of God left no stone unturned in perfecting the gigantic missionary work even in the remotest villages. Importance was given to areas of character formation and love of life.  Persistence in doing even the smallest thing in the proper way is the key for their achievements. It is an injustice to these religious if I fail to mention how they toil and scrape their minds and hearts in schools, youth centres, dispensaries, hospitals, vocational training centres, village tours, prison ministry, youth ministry, counselling, free tuition for dropouts and children from very poor families, orphanages, shelter homes, hospitals, night schools for working girls and boys, old age homes and all types of development, spiritually, psychologically and  mentally. The energy spent and regained is simply divine. There is no threat big enough to prevent these religious from reaching out to the poor and the marginal. We owe much to the religious men and women for most of our achievements. Their involvement armed with a proper qualification and knowledge, and the positive influence has greatly and positively affected our society.

The most important field for improvement now, I feel, is ‘youth development.’ It is an undeniable fact that the youth of today are very much advanced in all aspects positively and negatively. The negative influence seems to be so strong that young people become confused and tend to follow the wrong path of life. Suicides are so frequent and drug addiction is so high. This is where the help of all religious is very much needed, and, to be able to do so, they should be qualified and tactful. I sincerely wish with all my heart that the strength of the religious grows from day to day till the end of time, to lead, to inspire, to console and comfort.

4. In what ways do religious disappoint the lay people?

Do the religious disappoint the lay people? We should keep in mind that religious are very much human like any of us. They have their own short comings too, but unfortunately the majority of lay people do not accept this reality. Most people seem to expect the religious  to be godlike creatures, filled with every good quality imaginable. A slight mistake on their part results in the disappointment of the lay people. To be honest, there are a few areas where religious disappoint us. To name a few, the not too committed attitude towards their religious duties, the materialistic lifestyle, not detaching themselves from the world. Partiality in words and action, hurting comments, senior members speaking harshly to the juniors, especially in front of other people. Not taking proper care of their own health for reasons they alone know is also disappointing.

5. Would you recommend this way of life to a young man or woman who is capable and dear to you (e.g., a son or daughter, younger brother or sister)? Why, or why not?

If any youth is capable and has the qualities of a religious vocation, I would whole heartedly recommend him or her to follow this path, because I believe that blessings and graces are in abundance not only to a religious person but to their family and the society as well. This is a mystery that words fail to define. Religious can do a lot more than the lay people in certain specific work. They are revered and idolised and therefore have the upper hand in materialising many issues, especially in the evangelical work of bridging the gap between God and people.

6. In any group, there will be heroes, mediocrities and counter-witnesses. If you were to allot percentages, what percentage of religious do you see as: (a) heroic (genuinely committed, inspiring, saintly, exemplary…whatever term you prefer); (b) mediocre (neither inspiring not crooked, but living lives of comfortable mediocrity, doing jobs that anyone can do, avoiding sacrifice, looking neither very happy nor very unhappy, present at community prayer but not spiritual in interests or values); (c) counter-witness (going against what they profess, seeking positions and luxuries, dividing people on the basis of ethnicity, language, etc., creating a bad atmosphere through gossip, harsh behaviour, double life, etc.):

I would categorise the religious as follows:

• Heroes: 86%;
• Mediocrities: ;12%
• Counter-witnesses: 2%.

7. What is your greatest expectation from members of religious orders (Sisters, Brothers, Priests? [We understand that most lay people and persons of other faiths tend to speak of “priests and nuns,” without making any distinction between religious and diocesan priests.]

My best wishes to all the members of the religious orders for toiling so hard and selflessly in their mission. The vineyard is vast and there is still a lot to be improved on. This world is becoming such a confusing place that help from dedicated and committed souls like the religious souls is very much needed. We support you dear religious with our prayers. But, equally important,  pray much yourselves, since prayer is the most powerful weapon that can fight all evils.

Mrs Amabilis Susngi

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Candles acquire a warm and tender radiance during the Christmas season, don’t they?

The centre of the festive season is a homeless child – a child that had to be born in a stable. Quite appropriately, therefore, the two ‘candles’ I will hold aloft for you this time have a ‘homeless’ connection.

Murdered by a Man He had helped

The President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, announced on 7 October 2020 that he had just signed a decree, conferring the country’s highest honour for civil valour on a Catholic priest, Fr Roberto Malgesini.

Fr Malgesini was known for his selfless service to the homeless and migrants in his diocese of Como in Northern Italy. He was the coordinator of a group that helped the homeless and others in difficult situations, like the migrants. Every morning, along with volunteers, he got ready warm food and took it to the homeless people. If the homeless people could not find a shelter for the night, he let them sleep in the church.

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Dare to Be Kind: How Extraordinary Compassion Can Transform Our World

by Lizzie Velasquez.

Hachette Books, 2017, 208 pages (available on Amazon.in for Rs 819.00).

Lizzie Velasquez is twenty-eight years old. As a child and as a teenager, she suffered much bullying, including being called the “ugliest woman in the world.” Because of a congenital illness, she could not gain any weight, and was hence extremely thin. She suffered from anxiety and depression.

When she was seventeen, she saw an online video of “The World’s Ugliest Woman” with thousands of hits. To her shock, she found that it referred to her! She decided to do something positive about it. With her parents’ constant help, she prepared and gave a TED talk to speak up for victims of bullying and encourage kindness. This talk and her book have made her well known and much admired. Her YouTube channel has some half a million hits.

This YouTube star says that life has been a struggle, but we need to build resilience. She wrote the book to tell people that everyone, not just ourselves, needs compassion. : “I consider it not just my work but also my purpose to speak out and reach as many people as I can with my message that we must be kind to each other, no matter what. We are all the same.”

Velasquez stresses the importance of home upbringing and the key role played by parents. We need to learn kindness at home. She has tips for parents, including monitoring their social media use and helping them if they are bullied.

The book has received star reviews. An Italian reviewer wrote: “The book leaves you breathless. She is the most beautiful person you can come across.”

Another reviewer gushed: “Oh my gosh! I feel blessed to be on the same planet with Lizzie. What an incredible human and amazing story!” (Bonnie Clark).

Booklist calls this book “a wonderful and fast read, full of vitality that captures the luminous spirit of kindness that Velasquez so beautifully embodies.”

Isn’t it great when, far from being embittered from bullying and health problems, a person decides to spread the message of kindness?

How to be an Everyday Philanthropist: 330 Ways to Make a Difference.

by Nicole Bouchard Boles

Workman Publishing, 2009.

The book begins with this quotation from Benjamin Franklin, “The noblest question in the world is: What good may I do in it?”

The author, a wife and mother, starts by saying that she has not done anything extraordinary, like giving away huge sums in donations, or finding a cure for cancer. She is not a millionaire. But she believes that everyone of us can make a difference in the lives of at least some people. “Through simple steps I take each day—actions that cost nothing more than a bit of my time—I am joining with thousands of other people who are trying to make a difference and give what we can to those who need it most.”

The book is filled with examples of ordinary people who reached out and helped—and made a difference.

Here are some reviews:

“With this book, anyone can learn to bring positive change to their community.” (Mary J. Blige)

“This is the perfect guide for those who want to do the right thing, but can’t figure our how.” (Julie Salamon)

The chapter headings give us an idea of the kind of “philanthropy” Boles has in mind. The first chapter, for instance, is: Use Your body. It gives us instances of what we can do with our body to help others. Besides obvious examples like helping to keep surroundings clean, it presents the case of a nursing mother who read about African children whose mothers were HIV-positive, and hence unable to drink mother’s milk. The woman in question found ways of donating her milk. Many others did the same, when they learnt that there were ways of making the milk reach needy children in their own country or elsewhere.

Other chapter headings give us clues to the rest of the topics. Chapters 1 to 10 show how we can use our body, family, computer, talents, belongings, trash, time, community, decisions and awareness to help others. The final chapter is about sharing (a little bit of) our resources.

Without waiting to be very rich or influential, we can all be philanthropists, can’t we? In fact, some of the most generous givers are people who deprive themselves to help others. If we wait until all our needs and wants are met before we help others, we will never really help. We can all learn much from the everyday philanthropists who are not millionaires, but who find many, many ways of helping those in greater need.

Joe Mannath SDB

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December 9: Anti-Corruption Day

The Theme for the International Anti-Corruption Day 2020 is: “Corruption begets more corruption, and fosters a corrosive culture of impunity”.

On 31 October 2003, the UN General Assembly designated this Day to raise public awareness on corruption. The UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) is the first international anti-Corruption instrument that provides a global response to corruption. A treaty was signed on 9 December and came into effect from 14 December 2005.

It legally binds the member states to take steps to reduce corruption and enforce law and order.

Five main points are stressed:

• Prevention of Corruption
• Enforcement of Law and Order
• International Cooperation for reducing Corruption
• Asset Recovery and its return to the Country of Origin
• Technical Assistance and Information Exchange

So far, 186 states have signed the treaty. India officially validated its consent on 9 May 2013, reaffirming its commitment to fight corruption.

Corruption is a serious crime affecting every country: bribery, manipulation in electoral processes, disturbing law and order, drug peddling, human trafficking, tampering with judicial processes, covering up mistakes or silencing whistleblowers, abuse of power for private gain, …

United against Corruption

We need a new generation of change-makers to assure accountability and integrity in global leadership, business, politics, media and civil society.

“Your NO Counts” is an international campaign to fight corruption.

It stresses that it is not enough to just know about corruption, but to take action, hold leaders accountable and become leaders of integrity ourselves.

‘What can I do about it?’  Most people shrug it off and believe that nothing much can be done. But this is not true.  This fight can only be won through unity. There are many ways by which we can contribute our bit for the cause.

Some of them are:

• Spread awareness, and be vigilant about corruption;
• Be vocal and courageous enough to report it;
• Remember that every ‘NO’ counts;
• Demand transparency in all official and government dealings;
• Support those who have raised their voice.

When you fight corruption, you contribute to the progress of humanity. A corruption-free society is possible if we work in unison.

11 December: UNICEF Day

The UN General Assembly created UNICEF – the UN International Children’s Emergency Fund, on 11 December 1946. The programme was initiated to improve the health, nutrition, education, and general welfare of children devastated by World War II.

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save the lives of children, defend their rights and help them fulfil their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

UNICEF upholds and aims at assuring:

• Physical and Moral Safety
• The right to survive and thrive in a safe and inclusive environment. This is denied where there is child labour, physical and sexual abuse, female infanticide …
• Protection in emergency situations, like war and conflict

Some thirty million children have been displaced by conflict. Many are being enslaved, trafficked, abused and exploited. Many are without official immigration status or access to education and health care. Warring parties are ignoring one of the most basic rules of war: the protection of children.

• Nutrition and Medical Aid
• The reduction of poverty and shielding children from its lifelong consequences. The overall number of children under the age of five who develop severe malnutrition, is around 2.4 million.
• Lowering the percentage of infant mortality

§  Preventing and controlling infections

The spread of Ebola first and now COVID-19 is terrifying for adults, but even more so for children. They are exposed to death, suffering and loss of loved ones. They may be infected themselves or may have to spend weeks in isolation.

• Education
• The right to quality learning for every child
• The empowerment of girls and women, to ensure their full participation in political, social and economic systems.

 Before COVID-19, around two million children in India were out of school. Now, with schools closed around the country, some 7.8 million children are unable to access education.

At least 175 million children – 50 per cent of the world’s pre-primary-age population – are not enrolled in pre-primary programmes.

UNICEF dedicates its services to this precious and most vulnerable section of our society on which the future of our world depends.

Sr Esme da Cunha FDCC

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People suffering from mental illness and distress need our urgent attention and help, say the Australian Bishops

08 August 2020

In this Social Justice Statement, To Live Life to the Full: Mental Health in Australia Today, the Catholic Bishops of Australia encourage faith communities, governments and each one of us, to make mental health a priority.

In the foreword, Archbishop Mark Coleridge, President of Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, has highlighted the present major factor impacting mental health – the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of us, he says, will experience a mental health problem at some point in our lives – and this may well be the time.

They are “Us”

We all need the bonds of family, friends and the broader community to celebrate the joys and hopes of life. These bonds help us to face the usual challenges of life, but they are even more important in times of anxiety or despair. Therefore, the need to understand that people experiencing mental ill-health are not some ‘other’ people; they are ‘us.’ People in our families, faith communities, workplaces and society are suffering mental ill-health – and they can be of any age or socio-economic background.

The document includes first-person narrations from those suffering from various forms of mental illness, as well as practitioners and pastoral ministers who assist folks struggling with mental health issues. It also impressively engages both the best of medical and scientific research as well as the Catholic theological and pastoral tradition.

The Australian bishops also go to great length to successfully make clear that “mental ill-health is not a moral failure, the result of a lack of faith, or of weak will,” adding, “Jesus himself was labelled mad (Mark 3:21; John 10:19) and, like us, he suffered psychological distress (Luke 22:44; Matthew 26:37; Mark 14:33; John 12:27).”

Prevalent Among the Young

The document also demonstrates that the feedback from young adults in 2017 ahead of the 2018 Synod of Bishops was not in vain. The bishops actually listened to the young people and published their own report summarizing the results! The mental health document begins with the experience and wisdom of these young Australians, noting that they listed “mental health, followed by school or study, drugs and alcohol, and body image, as the main issues facing young people today.”

It builds on the young adults’ feedback by noting other populations that also suffer, including older people, families struggling with divorce, pregnancy issues, or domestic violence, and other historically disenfranchised communities, such as refugees, asylum-seekers and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. By and large, the same situation is prevailing in other countries too.

The Australian bishops note the national history of governmental policies that have made access to mental health care less readily available, rightly calling this trend a justice issue and a life issue. Furthermore, they name intersecting factors that compound mental health suffering, such as economic instability and the growing “gig economy,” homelessness, incarceration, climate change and, most acutely, the novel coronavirus pandemic, among others.

Factors Causing Mental Distress

Other than the ravaging pandemic, there are many other uncontrollable disorders, unprecedented hazards in the world that lead to mental illness. Prolonged drought has hit rural communities, threatening livelihoods, straining local economies and eroding community networks. ‘Environment-related’ anxieties have led to resignation and loss of hope. The recent bushfires wiped out entire communities. Lives were lost, communities displaced, homes and businesses were destroyed. The greater frequency and intensity of weather-related disasters amplify the impact climate change is having on mental health. Many immigration detainees already experience poor mental health as a result of the disasters and wars, persecution and torture from which they have fled.

The number of people experiencing or at risk of mental ill-health has increased during this period of pandemic. Many more will be distressed or relive previous trauma through the impact the virus is having in their lives.

The document’s directness, honesty and humility make an important contribution to the de-stigmatizing of mental illness and models for Catholics—and all people of goodwill—a way of discussing, sharing and responding to the needs of sufferers without shame. The significance of this cannot be overstated.

The Real Cost of Mental Illness

The real cost of mental illness is far more than economic. It is felt in the stigma and discrimination experienced by the most vulnerable–being labelled, shunned, denied support, or not even being recognised. This denies a person’s human dignity and one’s right to live life to the full. It is a rejection of the gifts that they have to offer and their membership in the Body of Christ. The statement says that parishes, organisations and communities can be places of acceptance, inclusion, care and healing, not places of rejection, judgment or stigma against those experiencing mental health issues. Furthermore, as Pope Francis constantly reminds us, we have to take the initiative to go out to those pushed to the edges, rather than waiting for them to come to us seeking welcome.

The stigma associated with mental ill-health can be as debilitating as the symptoms of the illness. Negative stereotyping of mental illness can have a huge impact socially. People are often avoided, excluded or experience dismissive treatment at community gatherings. Meanwhile, in the workplace people with mental ill-health can be judged incompetent and denied opportunities for advancement. If Jesus embraced our human experiences, including mental distress, and being called insane, can we not welcome and value those who are living through such distress today?

The Need to Build a Caring Community

The significant theme of the letter is its emphasis on the need to build a caring community for those who are mentally ill. In the late twentieth century, Australia began closing its mental health hospitals and reintegrating people into the community to receive medical and psychosocial support. This process reduced the number of acute psychiatric beds from 30,000 in the 1960s to around 6,000 by 2005. Hence, there is a need for a ‘normal community environment’ for people experiencing mental illness. For this, the commitment of governments to the humanitarian principle of community integration has a major role to play.

There are many accounts of psychological distress in the Bible where community integration proves vital. God’s response to Elijah suggests an integrated approach to mental health. The story of Naomi and Ruth highlights the importance of social support in times of psychological distress. In neither case does God chastise the one who is suffering or coax them to pray more or to repent of sin! The account of the Gerasene demoniac is a story of the dignity of the person-in-community. The man himself, while still ill, takes the initiative and runs towards Jesus (Mark 5:6-7). When he is cured, the man is restored not only to health, but also to community. He is freed from the stigma of mental ill-health. Furthermore, he is invited to participate in Jesus’ mission and becomes a witness. He is sent out to proclaim God’s action in his life (Mark 5:19-20).

Not everyone who experiences mental illness will recover, but all share in Jesus’ promise of the fullness of life (John 10:10). If we seek only to cure, rather than to accompany people experiencing mental ill-health, we will be of no help to people seeking meaning in their experience. We will not notice the action of God in their lives or learn what they have to teach us.

During this time of pandemic, we have often heard it said that “we are all in this together”.

Citing Pope Francis, the statement says that the test of our society’s commitment to the common good is the care we show for the people who are most vulnerable or disadvantaged.

From Stigma to Loving Relationships

A commitment to the common good means attending to the good of all of us, without exception. It means paying special attention to those who are most often overlooked, pushed aside, or fall through the gaps. The common good is both universal and intergenerational because the human dignity of people does not depend on their location in time or space. As the COVID-19 pandemic has made painfully clear, we are one human family. We are called to loving relationships with all people regardless of nationality or visa status.

It is surely time for us to make mental health a real priority. In our parish communities, our institutions and throughout the Church, we have a duty to break through the stigma of mental illness. Together, we promote the fullness of life for all when we ensure appropriate care for everyone experiencing mental ill-health.

Our society tends to push away or draw away from those who confront us with our frailties and limitations. This is not the way of Jesus. We need to, like him, draw near to those who are experiencing mental ill-health and acknowledge that they are members of the Body of Christ–‘they’ are part of ‘us.’ Only then can we say, ‘we are all in this together.’ Only then can we ‘live life to the full.’

Mental health is an urgent issue—not just in Australia, but all over. We, members of the Indian Church, can learn from the sensitivity and concern of the Australian bishops. What are we doing for our brothers and sisters suffering from mental sickness or distress? Do we see them as “outsiders” or as part of us? Are we a caring community?

AUTHENTICUM CHARISMATIS:

New Directives on the Founding of Religious Orders

Any religious order belongs to the whole church—not simply to a diocese or locality. The real approving authority, therefore, is the Vatican, not the local bishop.

In a “Motu Proprio” dated November 4, 2020, Pope Francis has ordered the implementation of stricter oversight on the creation of new religious orders. [“Motu proprio” refers to a document issued by the pope on his own initiative and personally signed by him.]

The pontiff has modified Canon 579 of the Code of Canon Law, which concerns the creation of religious orders and congregations. The new law requires a bishop to have permission from the Holy See prior to establishing a new religious institute in his diocese.

Pope Francis cited the Apostolic Exhortation “Vita consecrata” that states that the vitality of new institutes and societies “must be judged by the authority of the Church, which has the responsibility of examining them in order to discern the authenticity of the purpose for their foundation and to prevent the proliferation of institutions similar to one another, with the consequent risk of a harmful fragmentation into excessively small groups.” The new Institutes of Consecrated Life and the new Societies of Apostolic Life, therefore, must be officially recognized by the Apostolic See, which alone has final judgement.

In recent years, the Vatican has cracked down on founders of some religious orders and lay institutes after they were found to have been frauds who sexually or spiritually abused their members. In his letter released on November 4, the pontiff said it is the responsibility of the Apostolic See to accompany the pastors in the process of discernment leading to the ecclesial recognition of a new institute or a new society under diocesan law.

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SR THERESA PHAWA FMA

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Wonder

Director: Stephen Chbosky. Cast: Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, Jacob Tremblay, Mandy Patinkin, Daveed Diggs. 2017. 113 minutes.

 August (Auggie) is a boy with a born disability called ‘Treacher Collins syndrome,’ a condition that affects the shape of a child’s skull and face. Auggie has had twenty-seven surgeries and is home-schooled, since Auggie’s father is anxious about his being ill-treated and bullied at school. But his determined mother enrolls him in a regular school in order to integrate him socially. Except for his strange face, Auggie is a normal kid loved by his parents, his sister Olivia and their dog. He is mischievous, fun-loving and a great fan of Star Wars movies and space science, making him wear his space helmet to school. Olivia accompanies him to school.  Being bullied and friendless, he sometimes gets frustrated with his strange appearance and asks his mother, “Why am I so ugly?” Soon Auggie rises to the challenges and gets tough. His resourcefulness and self-deprecatory humour make him popular.  His presence helps the others to learn to accept and even admire his qualities.  Olivia feels a certain amount of sibling jealousy on account of all the attention that Auggie receives. But she, Auggie and one of their friends team up to do a science project. The climax is when Auggie is awarded the Henry Ward Beecher Medal for his courage and strength during the year. He has a message for everyone: “Be kind, for everyone is fighting a hard battle. And, if you really want to see what people are, all you have to do is look.”

 Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl        

Director: Sharan Sharma. Cast: Janhvi Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Angad Bedi. 2020. 112 minutes.

A brilliantly fictionalized biopic of Gunjan Saxena, the first Indian Air Force woman officer who went to war. It shows how a Lucknow girl’s dream is realized through determination courage and resilience in the face of discouragement.  In 1984, during her first travel in an airplane, Gujan Saxena fights with her brother for the window seat. A flight attendant takes her to visit the cockpit. That moment is the turning point when the girl begins to nurture the ‘impossible’ dream of becoming a pilot–a profession not regarded as a womanly pursuit, especially by her loving but conventional mother. When she completes school with excellent grades, Gunjan has to fight with her mother and brother to pursue her dream of flying. Her father supports her.  But getting into the air force is no easy task. Apart from it being a male domain entirely, Gunjan is not able to qualify. She also faces strong discouragement from her brother, who is an army officer, and from her mother.  They tell her: “Air force is not for women!” With staunch support from her father Anup, she tries and is the only one selected for training as a helicopter pilot. But she is rejected for being overweight, and one centre too short. Once again her father stands by her and together they undertake a rigorous slimming regimen in which she sheds seven kilogrammes. Her lack of height is compensated by the length of her arms and legs which are sufficient for the job.  The tough part is to cope with the rigours of training schedules, to put up with male prejudice and skepticism and the inconveniences of having no facilities for women in the camp. She is not given enough flight hours to qualify till one trainer finally decides to help. She trains in all earnest and gives up her decision to leave when the Kargil war begins. Against her brother’s discouragement, she volunteers to undertake several dangerous mountain rescue operations for wounded Indian soldiers fighting on the Kargil front. When flying solo behind a colleague, the other pilot is shot down. Gunjan proves her mettle by taking huge risks under enemy fire to rescue the wounded pilot. She is honoured by the army for her daring and courage. The movie has its moments of thrilling action and suspense, but it is more about bursting the myths of male dominance in the services.

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Prof Gigy Joseph

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