home

Closeness to God and compassionate love, learnt from her mother, have kept Sr Nirmala happy to serve leprosy patients, or do any work, or face tough tragedies.

Sr Nirmala, you have been a novice mistress and vice-provincial. I have heard you say that one ministry in which you felt very happy was looking after leprosy patients. Many are afraid of that work. What made you happy working with leprosy patients?

When I joined religious life, I came with the idea that I am going to serve God. So, I was ready and available for any service. Since the main charism of the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate is “option for the poor,” it was begun, especially in India, with caring for the leprosy patients. So, even as a candidate, I was very happy to visit them. For three months, I  was given the duty of dressing their wounds, and helping those who had no fingers to eat. I had a great desire to care for the leprosy patients, but I got this opportunity for only one year.

What made me happy was being with them, making them feel loved, accepted and understood, and sharing their pain, listening to their sad stories with my heart, praying with them, sitting beside them,  finding joy in their smile,  assuring them, “We, FSI Sisters, are here to love you and care for you.”  We accompanied them till the end of their journey.

You also said your mother’s example influenced you a lot. How?

My mother was very kind to the poor and the lonely. Whenever any beggars come to my house, she treated them well. Sometimes she would take them inside the house and serve them food. While they ate, she would listen to their sad stories. She used to visit the leprosarium near my place with the parish group members. Sometimes I would accompany her; I was touched by her dealing with the leprosy patients with so much love and compassion.

Mother would often visit the sick, the lonely and the aged in my village. She spent lots of time with them. She consoled them and prayed for them. For the aged and the lonely, she did all they needed, like cooking, cleaning, giving them a bath regularly. She somehow found time to help them even though they were not my close neighbours or relatives. She was such a great service-minded person.

At home, the family rosary was compulsory, with singing and Bible reading. Mother enjoyed praying. She was regular for Holy Mass, and participated with great devotion. Even when she became sick, she used to be very cheerful, and prayed nine rosaries a day—or even more on some days. She read the Bible and meditated on the Word of God. She used to pray for the whole world. She never spoke ill of others, never argued or fought with anybody. She was good with all, and uttered only blessings to everyone. She was very generous in giving her things, time and her energy. She never got angry or punished any of her children; rather she just smiled with a compassionate look when something went wrong.

Her last instruction for me was: “Be faithful to your call, live your committed life, and do your service whole heartedly; be constant in reading the Bible and praying the rosary.”

Mother was very courageous in facing death. She was able to sense her approaching death, and told us that she would live only for a few more days. She asked for confession and Holy Communion. The only “sin” she had to confess was that she was unable to pray the rosary as before.

Five days before her death, we, her four daughters, gathered around her and prayed the full rosary. She too prayed, loud and clear. She then blessed all her children, praised and thanked  God, and prayed three times, “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, i give you my heart and my soul; Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,  assist me in my last agony; Jesus, Mary and Joseph, may my soul rest in peace in you.”

Later she felt restless. A doctor checked her and gave her an injection. Mother then went into a deep sleep, and breathed her last in peace. I believe that she continues to pray for us all.

In preparation to be a formator, you did some training in formation ministry. What are the main things you learnt in that training?

Through Vocational Growth Session (VGS), I learned to listen to myself and became aware of my own tendencies and desires. From then on, I began to make a journey within myself. Often a question which was asked by my guide, Father Mathew Vattamattam CMF came to my mind, “What could be going on in you?“ Like a screwdriver fixing a screw in place, this question really helped me to be honest with myself.

The group dynamics made me to realise the brokenness, woundedness, and the hidden positive energy in each one. The seminar on counselling taught me the art of listening. The Anthropology of Christian Vocation gave a boost to real life experience and learning to grow in holiness with all the ups and downs of human existence.

Many approaches, such as, Eclectic approach, NLP and TA,  and topics like Human Development, Theories of Personality, Sexuality and  Community Building helped me to have a deeper knowledge of  myself and of others. The Bachelor of Religious Science studies helped me to have a better knowledge about the Christian faith, greater love for the Bible, and deeper love for Jesus. Above all, I learned to grow in love, forgiveness, humility and gratitude to God and to others.

You have been a novice mistress for several years. What are the main lessons this experience has taught you?

I became more aware of myself, my temperament, my deepest desires and wishes. As the saying goes, “Even the expert swimmer does not know the deepest dimensions of the ocean.” I believe that there is more to learn from the formees in many areas, as well as mutual reciprocal learning.  There is brokenness and woundedness in every person. The more open and non-judgemental I am towards others, the more open and trustworthy they become.

There is a lot of hidden capacity, goodness and talent in all of them beyond what they say or do. Human beings are a deep mystery,  unveiled gradually. There is a deep longing in every person to be united with God.

What are the main things a formator should keep in mind?

• Inspire them to pray and to taste the love of Jesus and His mission.
• To be a person of knowledge, love and compassionate listening.
• If I don’t love them, I have no right to correct them.
• The ground that I am walking on is holy, and the people I encounter are sacred.
• Create a family spirit of freedom and responsibility.
• Help the formees to be healed of their woundedness, learn to love oneself, make them feel loved by God and others.
• Formees are just at the beginning of a long road to maturity.

What are the main strengths and weaknesses of today’s candidates?

 Today, almost one third of them seem to join with mixed motivation. Often, they are undecided, and not firm in their decision. There is a lot of distraction and confusion on the journey of discernment. Some of them find it hard to understand the value of silence.

 The positive side is that most of them are genuine, generous, open and sincere, and able to verbalize their faults and defects. They have the desire to learn and improve. They are hard-working and show a deep sense of commitment.

Besides your mother, who are the main people who inspired and influenced you? What did you learn from them?

From the time I joined the congregation, I feel this is my second family, where I am experiencing a lot of family spirit, love and care, encouragement and support. There are many sisters who are very generous, available, ready to listen and share, including my own community members. I am grateful to God for the many opportunities the congregation is providing me. In every community I experienced a family spirit and simplicity of life and the meaningful mission of selfless service.

 Persons who have been special sources of inspiration include: My novice mistress, Sr K Y Elsy, through her prayerfulness and her hard work; Sr Maria Rosa, through her commitment and missionary zeal;  Fr Mathew Vattamattam CMF,  my guide during the formators’ programme, through his patient listening, gentle guidance and awakening my spiritual journey; lay charismatic preacher (the late) Sister Cynthia Lobo, through her great enthusiasm for the Word of God and prayer. I continue to be inspired by these and other great persons.

What gives you strength to face the ups and downs of life, and to be happy and positive?

It is God who gives me strength to bear up all that comes on my way. God’s abiding presence is everywhere. The word of God gives great strength and consolation. Other helps: Encouragement of my sisters in the congregation, of my family and friends and the good books I read. I deeply believe that God’s power envelopes the whole universe, and His ocean of mercy is present everywhere. God’s creative power and His vibrating presence is everywhere; therefore, I am never alone. I find great joy in my personal prayer and community prayer. Through my prayer life, I learn to surrender everything that comes on my way. In all the deep losses, I learned to “let go.” God knows what is best. Everything that happens in my life has a purpose. Everything is a passing reality; God alone is a permanent reality. Therefore, when the storms of life toss me, I cling to Him.

Would you like to share how you experience God in your life?

My experience of God kept on changing from my childhood. I have encountered many uncertainties.

When I was seven, my twelve-year-old sister, who was also my best friend, died. Before that, I had lost my eldest brother, who was eight, a two-year-old baby brother, as well as a six-month-old baby sister. Though the whole family suffered the loss, my mother never stopped praying, nor complained about God. Her faith and the gentle supporting presence of my father and their perseverance in prayer kept everyone alive in faith.

I am one of twins. I had a twin brother, who was my best and dearest friend.  We grew up as a happy family, four girls and a boy. My three sisters are married. I was a twenty-five-year-old junior religious sister when I received the news that my brother passed away. He was in Muscat.  My superior told me that he was coming home, since he was not well. So, they sent me home to see him. But, during my bus journey home, I had a dream that he was kept in a coffin, wrapped in white, with many people dressed in white surrounding him. One of them put her arms around me and consoled me, saying not to worry, and that he is with God. Then on, I had great courage and strength, though my heart was broken and half my soul was gone.

I was worried about my parents. How would they face this shock? When my brother’s body arrived, there was a big crowed of people in my house to console my family. There was a loud cry. Everyone came forward to pay their last respects, but my mother sat inside the house, singing and praising God with deep devotion. They pulled her out to have a last look at her son in the coffin; she just kissed him without a cry and went inside again. After the funeral service was over, she started to console me, saying that the gardener has the right to cut any plant he chooses.

Later she told me about a vision she had seen. She saw a big white cloud, and thousands of first Holy Communion children dressed in white with lighted candles entered the house along with my brother, and thousands of candles were placed around my brother with sweet smelling incense. They all sang to an angelic music, praising God. My mother was lost in worship along with them. As she shared this with me, I too felt the deep personal touch of Jesus. Whether we live or die, we all belong to Him. In all these experiences, I learned to “let go.” I experience God with deep awe and wonder. Everything comes from Him and goes back to Him. I experience His presence in everyone and in everything. Through personal prayer, reading the Word of God, celebration of the Eucharist, Eucharistic adoration and other ways of praying, I experience the deep abiding presence of God.

Sr Nirmala Vasanthiyappan FSI is the novice mistress of the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate in India.

---

Interview with Sr Nirmala Vasanthiappan FSI

To subscribe to the magazine, click Subscribe

7 November: Infant Protection Day

The day is also called Baby Safety Day. It aims at spreading awareness about the safety and proper care of infants.

In India, the infant mortality rate is higher than in many other countries due to the lack of health care and basic health services. Hence the government has initiated various schemes for the benefit of infants and the well-being of their mothers.

The first few hours and days of the newborn’s life are a critical period for both bay and mother. Due to lack of awareness, there has not been the expected reduction in infant mortality. Sometimes even basic amenities, such as, ambulance facilities, are lacking. The lives of mothers and babes are often lost on the way. The absence of proper nutrition is another factor. Babies are little and vulnerable. They need parental care and assurance. This gets simpler once you find out about your newborn’s fundamental needs and how to accommodate them.

A sad factor is the still unwelcome attitude towards the girl child. Her life is threatened even while in the womb. When will these attitudes change? When will she be allowed to have a fair chance in life, to enjoy what every child is born to have? Every child is a gift from God and a sign that He loves our world. Every newborn child spells the future and the continuance of our race.

The mother’s milk is like nectar for the child. Unfortunately, today it is becoming fashionable for some women not to breastfeed. With no grandparents or relatives to tend to their child, working mothers in nuclear families resort to a baby-sitter or to baby-care centres. They leave their infants with them while they are at work. The babes are left there at a very tender age and for longer and longer time frames. The child’s basic needs may be provided for. But we are missing the chance to give them the individual attention they need. Both parents and kids are thus deprived of the unique chance that nature gives for mutual bonding and nurturing. That is the privileged time for cuddling, fondling and caring. Once gone, it is lost forever!

21 November: World Fisheries Day

The WFD is a chance to recognize the sea as a food source for millions of humans.  Most human settlements, whether villages or cities, are situated near water bodies. This has led to severe coastal pollution and mass fish mortality. The depletion of fish stocks in the vicinity leads to fishing farther and farther away.

Yet one in ten people on the planet rely on fisheries and aquaculture for their livelihood.

More than 25% of the world’s dietary protein comes from fish.

Humans consume over 100 million tons of fish annually.

India has over 8,000 kilometres of coastline and over 2 million square kilometres of freshwater resources, making fisheries vital in the economy of the country.

Despite the growth of aquaculture,  small-scale fisheries operating in rivers, lakes, wetlands, coral reefs and estuaries in coastal seas will continue to supply most of the fish consumed. Yet these fisheries are frequently overlooked in discussions on the sustainable and equitable use of oceans, seas and inland water bodies. The voice of fishers and workers needs to be heard. There are still too many cases of unacceptable practices, human rights violations and abuses.

Recent UN studies reported that more than two-thirds of the world’s fisheries have been overfished or are fully harvested. More than one third fisheries are in a state of decline. WFD highlights the importance of healthy oceans ecosystems and complete accountability of fishers, discouraging them from targeting at-risk species, overfishing and mechanization.

But there are reasons for optimism too. Fish diversity determines the health of seas, lakes, ponds and rivers. Extensive new research has demonstrated that Fish Stock Regeneration is possible if sustainable conditions are created. An abundance of fish will help even coral reefs to recover. These have suffered because of warming and plastic pollution, leading to coral bleaching and a massive loss of biodiversity. The regeneration of fish stocks can give these reefs a much-needed boost.

---

Sr Esme da Cunha FDCC

To subscribe to the magazine, click Subscribe

93 Days
Director:  Steve Gukas. Cast: Bimbo Akintola, Danny Glover, Somkele Idhalama, Bimbo Manuel, Alastair Mackenzie. 2016. 125 minutes.

This docu-fiction presents the real-life heroism of a group of health workers in Nigeria whose self-sacrifice and quick action saved millions of lives in the face of the Ebola pandemic of 2014.

The drama starts on 20^th June 2014, when Patrick Sawyer, a sick Liberian-American diplomat, lands in Lagos airport and is taken to First Consultants Medical Center, where they are suspicious of Ebola infection. Sawyer bullies the staff to let him out of quarantine. Dr Stella Ameyo Adadevoh, the physician in attendance, tries to retain him to run tests for Ebola. The case is confirmed the next morning—the first case in Nigeria. The news spreads. Nigeria has now to gear up to prevent an outbreak which can lead to deaths of millions. On 5^th July, Patrick Sawyer is found dead, spreading more alarm.  He had caused much trouble in the hospital, and inadvertently infected the health staff.

Ill equipped to meet with a mass spread, the health team starts to admit the newly infected ones. The overworked Dr Stella leads the fight against the deadly disease, providing her fellows with information and procuring protective equipment and mobilizing the government machinery. Soon she shows symptoms and is confirmed of infection. She is admitted to the isolation ward to face death. Suffering intensely and facing death, she still keeps up her faith and courage, inspiring others to fight. Immediately before her death she wishes her son happy birthday over the phone and asks his dad to get him a present. What could have resulted in the devastation of a mega city of twenty million people ended claiming only eight lives out of the twenty infected. Four of the victims were health workers in the First Consultant Hospital. Their self-sacrifice and quick, courageous action prevented a huge human tragedy.

On October 20^th, 2014 WHO declared Nigeria Ebola-free.

Bridge to Terabithia
Director: Gábor Csupó Cast: Josh Hutcherson Anna Sophia Robb, Zooey Deschanel Bailey Madison, Robert Patrick. 2007. 95 minutes.

This movie deals with the experience of growing up and reconciling with death. Twelve-year-old Jesse Aarons has two brothers and a little sister May Belle. In school he is often bullied. His teacher discovers Jesse’s artistic talent. Jesse and a classmate, a girl called Leslie Burke, become friends.

On their way back home from school, Jesse and Leslie explore a forest and discover a rope hanging from a tree to swing across a deep creek. On the other side they find an abandoned tree house and rusty vehicles which provide them a magic world of joy and fun. There they meet fantastic projections of their enemies at school appearing as trolls whom they have to fight. They name it Terabithia. They really have a great time there.

Then, suddenly, Jesse received a shocking news. His father tells him that Leslie is dead! She had drowned in the flooded creek while swinging on the rope. Jesse is shattered and disbelieving. Initially he is overwhelmed by a sense of guilt, thinking that he was somehow responsible for Leslie’s death. He throws his paints into the stream. He ill-treats his sister May Belle.

When his father comes looking for them, he thinks it is some dark spirit and tries to run away.  But his father’s hug and words of comfort pacify him. He commemorates Leslie by painting her caricature and floating it on the water on a raft. It helps him recover. He reconciles with his little sister and builds a wooden bridge upon a fallen tree so that his sister can cross over to Terabithia. Above the bridge he sets up the motto: “Nothing crushes us.” Together he and May Belle are received by beneficent spirits who welcome them as king and queen in Terabithia. Love and art help him reconcile with the loss. He joyfully takes his sister into the magically transformed Terabithia.

---

Prof Gigy Joseph

To subscribe to the magazine, click Subscribe

CRI ENCYCLOPEDIA
2 volumes. 1974 pages. Editor-in-Chief: Fr George Panthanmackel MSFS, Executive Editor: Fr. Jose Karipadathu MSFS; Managing Editor: Fr V M Thomas SDB

Published by the Conference of Religious, India. Co-publisher and distributor: Asian Trading Corporation, Bangalore. 2020. Rs 2500. [Discounted and subsidized price for religious and for seminary libraries: Rs 2000.]

This monumental publication gives brief and up-to-date information on the 504 Institutes of Consecrated Life, Societies of Apostolic Life and Secular Institutes serving in India. Every entry on a religious order is written by a member, thus ensuring accuracy.

The two volumes are structured as follows:

The whole of Volume I and a good part of Volume II are devoted to brief presentations of the 504 religious orders, in alphabetical order.

The rest of Volume II is thematic. It presents short articles on the following select topics relevant to religious life in India today:

Advocacy, Agriculture,  Architecture, Consecrated Life: History of, Consecrated Life: Meaning, Dance, Ecumenical effort: A Personal Testimony, Ecumenism, Education, Education (Inclusive) of the Differently Abled, Family Apostolate, Feminism and Women Religious, Healing Ministry, Holiness, Holy Persons, Human Rights, Human Trafficking and Transgender Bias, Indigenous Religious Congregations, Inter-Faith Relations, Legal Services, Literature, Music, Peace effort in Northeast India: Pointers for Progress, Philosophizing, Print Media, Prison Ministry, Public Domain, Religious Life: Charism and Apostolate, Religious Life: Spirituality of, Retreat and Renewal Ministries, Rites and Liturgy, Science and Technology, Secular Institutes: Spirituality of, Social Communications, Social Research, Theology,  Tribal Development, Universal Church, Youth Ministry.
This is followed by a list of all the religious orders working in India, as well as the orders founded in India. It concludes with a useful glossary, a detailed index, and a supplement presenting the involvement of religious in reaching out to those affected by the pandemic and the lockdown in India.

The comprehensive and up-to-date information it provides make this Encyclopedia a real asset for institutions and for scholars. We see it as a great contribution by and to the religious of India, and a must for any religious library. Its writers and editors, headed by Fr George Panthanmackel MSFS, deserve our gratitude and heartfelt appreciation.

Registered Charitable and Religious Trusts in India A Handbook on Temporal Administration: Guidelines on the Financial, Legal, Structural and Administrative Matters
By Fr Alex G SJ (Gujarat Sahitya Prakash and Jnana Deepa Vidyapeeth, 2020. 372 pp. Rs 600)

Panicky about the drastic changes and demands of the Income Tax Act, FCRA and other laws? Don’t fret. This book will guide you with updated knowledge.

It will benefit all those involved in the financial and structural management of the registered trusts and societies, both as beginners and as competent practitioners. Training the Church personnel in financial and general administration is the main objective of this book.

The Chapter on Temporal Administration has been written from a Christian perspective. Provisions in the Canon Law of the Catholic Church have been taken and applied.

The theoretical and practical approach in the book to Temporal Administration, though Christian in orientation, is applicable to people of all faiths and institutions and organizations with 12A.

Topics covered: Accounting & Financial Statements, including audit requirements; banking  information and procedures, necessary for beginners; Financial Planning and Management, Budgeting, Cash-flow Management and Saving for investment; investing in Mutual Funds; Statutory Compliances, dealing with income tax exemption for NPOs, FCRA, TDS, GST and Registered Legal Entities and the way to run such legal entities; Temporal Administration in the Church, including the Spirituality of Temporal Administration.

The relevance of the topics covered and the competence and clarity of the author make this book a reliable companion for any religious and charitable trust.

---

Fr Joe Mannath SDB

To subscribe to the magazine, click Subscribe

DEEPLY IMPRESSED
I saw the Golden Issue of Magnet, on-line.!
Deeply impressed, as I read through the whole issue!
Let me sincerely congratulate you and your team, especially for the content: rich, personal and inspiring sharing; for the lay out: attractive pictures; font-selection and presentation, and above all, very readable and captivating language!
Congratulations, and sincere thanks!

Bishop Alex Vadakumthala
Kannur, Kerala.

IN LOVE WITH MAGNET
MAGNET is indeed a much appreciated and valuable gift which will be treasured and be put to the best use.
I have been a silent fan of MAGNET and am grateful to you and your efficient team for making each Issue a success.

Sr Queenie Anna Fernandes FHIC 

Very useful, resourceful and informative articles, especially the main article on Discernment (August 2020). It is helpful for all times. It urges us to sift through our needs and wants and to make the proper choices.

Sr Elsa SCC
Amravati, Maharashtra.

We are enjoying Magnet magazine. We are indeed very happy to receive it.  You are doing wonderfully well and  we assure you  that the ‘Kingdom Values’ are promoted through this Magazine.

Sr Veena OCD
Prioress, Carmel Ashram,
Sitagarha, Jharkhand.

Every month we look forward to receiving the magazine.

Sr Catherine Varkey FMM
Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

I know the worth of MAGNET. I know you are not boasting; the quality is really good and appreciated.
I shall try to spread it.

Fr Maria Arokiam Kanaga SDB, Provincial,
Università Pontificia Salesiana, Roma, Italy.

The magazine is very inspiring and enriching.

Sr Marina PS
Priyadarshini Vihar, New Delhi.

We thank you and your team for the painstaking efforts to bring out the best information in the MAGNET. It has got a lot and variety of content which helps us in various fields of our ministries and personal life as well.

Sr Viva Pinto SCSC
Bangalore, Karnataka.

Thank you for sending us copies of MAGNET. It is always helpful and inspiring.

Sr Aline P. Barde ACI
Naga City, Philippines.

Thanks for the trouble you take to make this magazine relevant and insightful for us.

Sr Flory D’Souza SCSC
Provincial Superior
Bangalore, Karnataka.

MAGNET is very good and we appreciate it very much. When it comes, everyone likes to read it.

Sr Mary Jyothi SSpSAP
Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters (Contemplatives)
Bangalore, Karnataka.

Thank you so much for MAGNET. The name is well chosen; it keeps attracting us and making us reflect.
My heartiest congratulations to you and to the team of contributors.  It is a wonderful resource and contribution to the religious thinking of the consecrated people.

Fr Jayapalan Raphael SDB
Rome and Chennai.

Much to Share with My Brothers
It’s hard to believe that the October issue is #50!!
There is much here to share with my SVD brothers.
The article on religious life as a journey is very good. It is not said in the article, but I have gotten a real aversion to the phrase “final vows” instead of “perpetual vows.” Final vows plays into the idea that once we take our vows–as the article so wisely says–we are perfectly chaste, poor, and obedient. But that is not my experience at all! This is a perpetual, everyday task, to commit myself to fidelity and growth. One of my friends pointed out that “perpetual” comes from the Latin word, petere, which means “to ask”–so to ask every day to be faithful to what we’ve committed ourselves to. A journey indeed!
Brother Carmel’s articles are always amazing. What experience he has with working with the “poorest of the poor.” He is really inspiring!
I thought the responses of so many women and men were very interesting, especially in terms of how many religious were outstanding, mediocre, and troublemakers! Being on our provincial council I see that very clearly. Sadly, most of us are rather mediocre, and not very versatile in terms of how we can serve the vision of the society (another good article, by the way). Sobering, I think.
I really liked your longer article on religious life and I will share it with my provincial. Maybe he can share it more widely in the province. I liked the idea of “celibate community” rather than “consecrated life.” We always have to focus on what we have in common with other Christians rather than how we are different or superior. And I liked your points for the future of religious life.
I thought the article about viruses in religious life and their antidotes was very clever and very true. Another article to share with my provincial!
The article on Peter Claver and slavery today was also very good and very sobering.
And, of course, the collection of quotations is always a highlight for me!
Thanks for a fine issue. May there be many more than 50 issues of Magnet!

Fr Steve Bevans SVD, Professor, CTU, Chicago, USA

Send an Article a Day to Our Members
My provincial forwarded to me the recent issue of MAGNET. Most of the articles, especially the answers to your questions on heroic, mediocre and counter-witness types of religious and  your article on Celibate Communities are truly revealing, enlightening, enriching and challenging,  I have requested my provincial to send  one each of those articles every day  to our members.
Thank you for this challenging issue.

Fr Anand Mathew IMS
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

The two really limited—and hence most precious—gifts we have are: time and health. We do not know how much time we still have on this earth, and how long we will be healthy enough to do all the things we dream of doing or enjoying.
The real issue is not whether we will die (!) or even when, but what we will do with the limited time at our disposal.
November is the month when Catholics remember, revere and pray for the dead in a special way. Its real purpose, however, is to remind us of our mortality, and help us so live that, when we are gone, those who are still on the way can not only pray for us, but pray to us. I do that with my parents every night. I experience their wise and loving guidance.

•

This issue of MAGNET focuses on this truth.
Rather than give exhortations to our readers, we prefer to learn from people who have faced death in ways we can all learn from—the deaths of dear ones and being on the point of death themselves.
You are going to meet:

• A young woman who learnt much from the serenity and strength of her older sister as she faced death from cancer;
• A young priest who almost died in a car accident, and now sees life in a new way;
• Another priest who saw his mother and his sister die, and was seriously sick twice;
• A sister’s reflection on death as another birth;
• A middle-aged woman who learnt much from the saints, and experienced deep peace, even joy, when faced with the probability of dying.

We then have a look what wise people can teach us about dying and living, and how we can move from panic to confidence and peace.

•

The interview this month is with a formator who found deep joy in caring for leprosy patients, and whose mother taught her precious lessons, including how to face death.

•

The Finance article shows us how to implement the new FCRA requirements.
The Law column explains the meaning and purpose of a law regarding essential services.
The Movies reviewed deal with life and death.
This month’s Candle in the Dark is a man who worked for the poor in Uttarkhand.
The Psychology article looks at the serious and wide-ranging impact of COVID-19.
A young woman professional tells us how she climbed from poverty to managerial level of corporate life.
In Friendly Feedback, a respected Catholic layman shares his impressions of religious today.
And, to help us create a more human and fraternal world, we look at the key points of Fratelli Tutti.
I learnt much from reading and re-reading these articles as I edited them. May your reading be equally rewarding!

---

Fr Joe Mannath SDB

To subscribe to the magazine, click Subscribe

I prefer the term, “Celibate Communities,” rather than “Consecrated Life” (for every baptized person is consecrated to God) or “religious life” (God alone knows who is more religious or less so), or “vowed life” (for married people too make a vow). What distinguishes me from my parents or married relatives and friends, is celibacy, lived in community with other adults of the same gender. Celibacy and same gender community evidently distinguish us from lay persons. I do not claim to be more “religious” than my married siblings, nor more “consecrated” than they, who received the same Baptism that I did. Both they and I have vows to keep.

Relevance and Necessity Unclear

How relevant and meaningful is this way of today? Should we propose it to today’s young women and men? For what? Does it have a future? Or, is it largely an outdated and somewhat irrelevant form of life which may have served a purpose in earlier times, but is irrelevant today—as many seem to think?

To read the entire article, click Subscribe

---

Fr Joe Mannath SDB

Rather than quote books or theorize about religious life, we preferred to hear directly from those who are living it today, here, in our setting. In any profession or vocation, after all, it is those who live it who know it best.

We were blessed to get personal answers from eleven religious—a Bishop, four Sisters, three Brothers, two Priests and a Theology student. We also got frank and sensible feedback from a laywoman and a layman, both of whom know women and men religious from close quarters and for long. Their friendly feedback will appear in later issues of MAGNET. Here we present the “insiders’ views” that we received.

We sent each of them the following eight questions. In replying, most followed the same order. A few made slight changes.

To read the entire article, click Subscribe

---

KEVIN

Over the past few years Crystal and I have been privileged, honored and blessed to be permitted to share our thoughts and ideas with the readers of Magnet. Each time I sit down to write a little something, I am absolutely humbled as I contemplate the magnificent and holy people who read this publication. I feel so unworthy as I read all of the wisdom and insights of those who write articles and comments. Yet we trust in the vision of our beloved editor Fr Joe Mannath and bow to his persistent belief that we might actually have something for the readers to consider. In these last years we have sought to share from a different vocational perspective on the same issues and themes on which others were writing. Admittedly, we occasionally had doubts that what a married couple from the West might have to say on the given theme would be relevant to most of the readers. Yet it was always rewarding to consider how to be relevant to a group of dedicated Catholic priests, religious and laity.  Now, we are going to give up!  No, not on writing for Magnet. Remember that persistent editor? Well, he has granted us a new freedom to share not only our perspective with you but also to share more of our lived experience in our vocation of a married couple. So that is what we will try to do in the months ahead.

To read the entire article, click Subscribe

---

Crystal and Kevin Sullivan

I am Sr Rosmia, member of a religious congregation with the main mission of educating women, girls and children.  I made my first profession in October, 2019. Since I joined as a graduate in commerce, my vocation promoter, who is also the principal in one of our colleges, wanted to employ me in the college office.  I was delighted at the proposal.  But my provincial and junior mistress did not agree to the proposal.  Since it is a government aided college, I will lose this chance as the vacancy would be filled in by someone else.  Why do my superiors make such a decision?

The initial formation of religious does not end with the novitiate.  In fact, the first profession inaugurates a new phase of formation, in which the human and spiritual growth of the temporarily professed religious continues and the fruits of the formation in the novitiate are reaped.  The Codes of Canon Law of both the Eastern and Latin Churches deal with formation after the temporary profession. ‘Directives on Formation in Religious Institutes’ [Potissimum institutioni] issued by the Holy See in 1990 further stipulates in detail the formation of religious in temporary profession, its significance and requirements in nn. 59-65. To answer your query, we shall look into the canons first and then proceed to the above cited document.

To read the entire article, click Subscribe

---

Sr Licia SMI