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About two years before his ordination, this seminarian who belonged to the Holy Cross Congregation, was diagnosed with advanced tuberculosis. He had to be in the hospital for months. After a year the doctors told him he had only two options. He could have surgery, which was risky and did not guarantee a cure. What do you think was the other option? Prayer.

He had a wise mentor, Fr Cornelius Hagerty, of the Holy Cross Congregation. He urged the gravely sick seminarian to pray to our Blessed Mother. “What she asks for and insists on she always gets. She has never failed anyone who went to her with faith and perseverance.” The seminarian started praying the Rosary which had been a part of his life when he grew up.

After a week of ardent prayer, the seminarian surprised the doctors by declaring he had been cured. They examined him and were astounded to find he had indeed been cured. So his priestly formation continued and he was ordained, along with his older brother, on 15 June 1941. “That day I gave my heart and soul in love to Mary,” he said. He was Fr. Patrick Peyton, who came to be known around the world as ‘The Rosary priest’.

FR M.A. Joe Antony SJ

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In the Christian calendar, the season of Advent is a period of expectation and planning. It serves as a period of thought and anticipation before the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and signals the start of the liturgical year. Within the Church, there has been a growing understanding in recent years that the old ways of being and doing church need to change, to reflect the shifting social and cultural milieu. This essay analyzes the idea of Advent as a metaphor for the new way that the church will be and operate, stressing important ideas and practices that can direct this change.

1. Hope: A sense of expectation and hope marks the start of Advent. The Church also needs to foster a spirit of optimism for the future. In order to do this, the Church must reconsider its place in society, concentrate on the message of hope of the Gospel, and take an active role in addressing global issues.
2. Reconciliation and preparedness: Advent calls for reconciliation and preparedness. This entails accepting responsibility for past wrongdoing, working toward reconciliation, and laying the foundation for a more welcoming and caring community within the structure of the Church.
3. Community and Fellowship: The Church should place a high priority on community and fellowship, much as Advent promotes collective waiting and celebration. Within the Church, emphasizing connections and shared experiences helps increase the members’ feeling of purpose and sense of belonging.

Fr. John Singarayar SVD

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The Global Compact on Education (GCE), titled “Together to Look Beyond,” is not a plan for a new educational system. Instead, it is an invitation to dialogue and work together. It encourages us to come together to create a more fair and just world through education. In a meeting in May 2022, Pope Francis talked about how important education is for the strong foundation of society and for a better future. He said education can help create a fair and friendly world, letting people reach their full potential. With all the problems in the world, the Global Compact on Education comes at the right time, showing how important education is now. Pope Francis wants everyone to work together to build a better future through education.

Why the Global Compact?

Pope Francis presented the Global Compact on Education in September 2019 to address significant challenges in education worldwide. This initiative calls for people to work together to improve education. The goal is to create a fair and compassionate future while also taking care of the environment. Pope Francis believes that education is not just about learning facts but also about growing as a person. The GCE aims to ensure that everyone has access to education, treating each other with kindness and taking responsibility for the planet.

Fr Arnald Mahesh SDB

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Today we experience ‘a comprehensive crisis’ that cannot be reduced to any single sector. Pope Francis says, “The pandemic has led us to realize that what is really in crisis is our way of understanding reality and of relating to one another.” Since education is essential for achieving full human potential, developing an equitable, fraternal and just society, and promoting global as well as national development, it can be a vaccine for the comprehensive crisis of the present era. Analysing and comparing the educational dreams of the Catholic Church as well as those of India will throw light on the paradigm shift that the global education system has to undergo. Education needs a paradigm shift – from ‘syllabus memorization to critical thinking and problem-solving’ so that we come out of the ‘educational catastrophes’ of the present era. We need a renewed commitment to education that engages society at every level. A discussion on the ‘Global Compact on Education’ and the ‘National New Education Policy 2023’ of India will enlighten our efforts to create a ‘renewed global educational system.’
I. Global Compact on Education
On 12 September 2019, Pope Francis launched ‘an invitation to dialogue on how we are shaping the future of our planet and the need to employ the talents of all, since all change requires an educational process aimed at developing a new universal solidarity and a more welcoming society.’ For Pope Francis, education can no longer be reduced to what happens in the classroom. We need educational strategies that give a chance to the transformation and above all to the humanization of the world. To this end, he endorsed a ‘Global Compact on Education’ ‘to rekindle our dedication for and with young people, renewing our passion for a more open and inclusive education, including patient listening, constructive dialogue and better mutual understanding’.

Fr Binny Mary Das

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“The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.” These words of the third century Greek philosopher, Aristotle (who lived before Christ), are quoted frequently, so much so that it has become a clichéd jargon that many academicians use. Education refers to the transmission of knowledge, skills, experiences and character traits from one person to another, sometimes from one generation to another. There have been many teaching methods employed since the beginning of time; the first of them being oral tradition, wherein information was passed on orally, even before any writing system was known. Guru-shishya parampara in ancient India, Rabbinic teaching in ancient Israel, slowly evolved into the modern education system. From stone and clay tablets to papyrus, and from books to tablets, the education system has truly evolved. However, as it evolved, corruption started to seep into the education system. Only the affluent could access education; also, politics has a serious monopoly in education.

Sch. Denver A. Pushpam, SJ

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Fr. Joseph Thekkedathu was a reputed Church historian.   A man of slender frame and few words he had a prodigious memory.  He was considered a just and upright person.  Apart from his classes which were very much appreciated, what the seminarians remember about him is how he apologized to them for some decisions he had made as the superior of the community and tried to firmly implement, which he later realized was not to the best interests of the community.  His apology raised his esteem among the seminarians.  Humility has a power, all its own!

Why are Leadership Studies Dealing with Humility?

            In the past it was not common to associate humility with leadership.  However, this is changing.  Some of the reasons why research on leadership is now dealing with humility are the following:

• Interdependence and the need to cooperate: Today, more than before, organizations and marketplaces are becoming interdependent. Let us take the simple example of a school.  Earlier, the principal and the teachers could manage a school more or less well.  Today they are dependent on agencies that sell the books, shops that provide the uniform, organizations that run the school bus, different technicians to deal with the various gadgets they use, the electricity board, the water authorities and a host of other service-providing agencies.  This calls for a capacity to collaborate and elicit collaboration.  Humility is a help for this as it enables a person to change one’s views and be open to the views of others.

Jose Kuttianimattathil, sdb

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I’m among those who firmly believe in the importance of building a strong and healthy personality and character through an internal structure rather than seeking an external structure such as a geographical solution. I often use the example of a drug addict who, even after moving to a totally new city, can quickly find the whereabouts of drug dealers in less than 24 hours.

However, Diego proved me wrong. His story challenged my perspective. Diego is one of the residents in our Hogar de la Paz in Peru, and he faces deep mental challenges. He is locked up in his own world, he does not talk or interact with anybody. Diego suffers from a condition known as coprophagia, which means that he eats his own faeces.

It comes as no surprise that very few people are inclined to approach Diego. Who would want to sit next to someone whose hands, nails, mouth, and teeth are persistently dirty and stinking? And this reluctance to engage with Diego, most likely worsens his self-isolation, pushing him further into his own fetish, to the point of self-harm. It’s as though he is caught in a vicious circle. I think it was Ionesco who remarked: ‘Take a circle, caress it, and it will turn vicious.’

Br Carmel Duca MC

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The recent Notification No. 7/2023, issued on 21st February 2023, by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) mandates the use of new audit reports, namely Form 10B and Form 10BB, for charitable and religious trusts. It is essential to determine which of these forms applies to our organization. Previously, Rule 16CC required Form 10BB for organizations under section 10(23C) and Rule 17B required Form 10B for those under section 12AB. This has now been completely changed. Understanding this change is crucial for complying with the updated regulations and managing our income accordingly.

Common Form depending on certain criteria

Rule 16CC and Rule 17B of the Income-Tax Rules, 1962 have been substituted with effect from 1^st April 2023 through the Income-tax (3^rd Amendment) Rules, 2023.  As per the amended Rules, common forms have been prescribed for organizations registered under section 12AB and those registered under section 10(23C) subject to fulfillment of certain criteria.

Fr Alex G SJ

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Many call Francis of Assisi the saint of our times, though it seems that his ideals go contrary to those of our world. However his influence on men and women down through eight hundred years is real. Often, however, he remains in the mind of many as a romantic or a pious figure, who could be taken with a pinch of salt. A critical look at his life will prove contrary to that image.

Search for a Pilgrim Spirituality

The late 12^th century was a time of experimentation in religious life. Several monks abandoned their monasteries to live individually as hermits or in smaller, isolated communities that rejected wealth, land and feudal privileges accumulated by their abbots. Simultaneously, the rise of lay poverty movements and independent preachers summoning people to penance and a reformed life led to serious consideration of precisely how one could live the Christian faith in the midst of a swiftly changing and suffering society. By the time Francis was born, the ordinary layman, by now almost completely alienated from the language and class of priests and monks, looked for a religious life that was neither clerical nor monastic in spirit and form. The spirituality of pilgrimage answered some of the needs of people seeking for God. Pilgrimages provided the laity a focus for their religious aspirations. Eventually, Francis of Assisi would hold the scriptural concept of being “pilgrims and strangers” in their world as the core value of life.

Gerry Lobo, OFM

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Every year, the Christian family (despite differences of denominations) unites worldwide in special prayer and action for the ‘Season of Creation’. The theme for this year is: “Let Justice and Peace Flow.” Season of Creation is a time to pray for nature, to act in small deeds, to commit oneself for the cause of creation and to advocate for a safe environment for generations to come. The “Season of Creation” came into existence when September 1 was established as an Annual Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. The Season of Creation is observed throughout the Christian world from September 1 to October 4. The Season of Creation concludes every year on the feast day of the patron saint of ecology, St. Francis of Assisi.

When we think of terms like ‘justice’ and ‘peace’ we associate them with people, conflicts, and so on. However, we fail to realize that these terms are applicable for nature as well. Indeed, nature is yearning for justice and peace. Anthropocentric activities have abused nature and have shaken the very foundations of nature. It is high time we realized this, before anything worse than the previous pandemic relapses. Thus, we are to become agents of justice and ambassadors of peace for nature.

Sch. Denver A. Pushpam, SJ

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