Photos & Report: Fr Anil Fernandes
MANGALORE; FEB 21:The young priests of Mangalore Diocese ordained between 2011 and 2021 including the deacons attended a two day workshop on “Affective Maturity” at Shanthi Kiran, Diocesan Pastoral Centre, Mangalore from February 21 to 22, 2022.
Rev. Fr Jose Parappully SDB, a well known clinical Psychologist, the Founder-Director of Sumedha Centre, Jeolikote, Uttarakhand was the resource person.
More than 50 priests and five deacons serving in different parishes, schools and colleges and other diocesan institutions attended the same.
At the introductory session, Most Rev. Dr Peter Paul Saldanha, bishop of Mangalore introduced the resource person. In his introductory remarks the bishop said, “Affective Maturity is a topic of great interest for us as every priest, a minister of God, is supposed to be mature in handling his own emotional life and especially when he deals with people, he should act in a mature way.”
Further the bishop said, “As young priests, with different experiences in the Seminary, and in the Parishes, all have by now understood what are the areas we need to attend to for our integral well being. We have not chosen not a normal life. Naturally, it requires an adequate amount of maturity of spiritual, intellectual, emotional and physical quotient while we are in our active ministry. We are not sick people. We are called to be people of greater maturity.” he added.
Fr Jose facilitated the workshop focussing deeply on the various aspects of growing in affective (Psycho-sexual) maturity. He made the sessions lively by way of interactions, group discussions and sharing.
More About Fr Jose Parappully SDB:
Fr Jose is a well known clinical Psychologist, the Founder-Director of Sumedha Centre, att Jeolikote, Uttarakand which runs courses and retreats in psycho-spiritual integration. Sumedha Centre is situated at Kumaon foothills of the Himalayas, 18 km south of the tourist town of Nainital “Sumedha Sadhana is an inner journey in quest of greater healing and wholeness.” He continues a private psychotherapy practice in New Delhi. Psychological Assessment and Trauma Therapy are his areas of specialisation.
Fr Jose is an International Affiliate of the American Psychological Association, Life Member of the Indian Association of Clinical Psychologists, and Delhi Association of Clinical Psychologists. He served as founding Secretary of the Salesian Psychological Association for nine years. He was the founding President of the Conference of Catholic Psychologists of India. Currently he is the President of the Salesian Psychological Association, South Asia.
Fr Jose is the primary editor of the best selling two-volume book, Psychosexual Integration and Celibate Maturity: A Handbook for Religious and Priestly Formation (2012), and Co-editor of the recent 6-Volume Formation Towards Psychosexual and Celibate Integration: Manual for Formees (2021), both published by the Salesian Psychological Association and the South Asia Formation Commission of the Salesians. He is a regular contributor to Magnet, the journal published by the Conference of Religious of India. He also has a number of articles published in various Journals, as well as on his blog: https:sumedhabani.blogspot.com.
Fr Jose has an MA in Pastoral Counselling from Loyola University, Chicago, and a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, USA, besides other degrees.
