Papal Intention for July: Pope Francis invites us to pray specially for the sick as we offer pastoral care to them. The prayer must be focused on asking God to confer his power to those who receive the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick and their loved ones. It thus becomes ever more the visible sign of compassion and hope for all. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches: “This assistance from the Lord by the power of his Spirit is meant to lead the sick person to healing of the soul, but also of the body if such is God’s will” (CCC 1520). As a preparation for the final journey, “this last anointing fortifies the end of our earthly life like a solid rampart for the final struggles before entering the Father’s house” (1523).
Laudato Sì Sunday: On 7 July 2024: This year, we have truly experienced a hot summer, and in many parts of India and abroad, people were dying of heat waves and scarcity of drinking water. We cannot be insensitive to this painful situation.
We can do yeoman service to people by planting saplings, doing water harvesting and making our surroundings plastic-free zones. In our diocese, we celebrate Laudato Sì Sunday on 7 July as a special event to protect the environment and to take care of Mother Earth. Let us join hands with the people of goodwill to promote a healthy atmosphere around us. Let us pray that the Lord send sufficient rain for cultivation and for all the basic needs.
Annual Retreat: This year, the Retreat for the first batch will be held at the Pastoral Centre from 7 to 12 July 2024. Kindly register your names by 5 July. The Retreat Preacher is Rev. Fr Jacob Parappally, MSFS. Professor Parappally holds a doctorate in theology from Germany and has long teaching experience in systematic theology at various institutes in India and abroad. He is the Chief-editor of Journal of Indian Theology He has published several books and scholarly articles. He was the President of the Indian Theological Association. We welcome our Retreat Preacher cordially. I invite the priests to make the best use of this time of prayer and reflection.
Building and Updating Parish Websites: It has been brought to our notice that in our diocese, 35 Parishes have active Websites, 19 Parishes have inactive Websites, and 70 Parishes have no Websites. In this digital world, people search for authentic and updated information regarding our Parishes and institutions, and sometimes they get disillusioned when they find outdated information or no information at all. A Website is the “virtual face” of any institution. In today’s digital age, a robust online presence is crucial for effective communication, outreach and community engagement. There is an offer from the Diocesan Commission for Social Communication. On Wednesday, 17 July, a workshop is scheduled to train the members of the Commission for Social Communication to empower the Parish teams in order to build zero-cost Websites and to update them regularly. Practical guidance and resources will be provided to the Parish teams at the Pastoral Centre. Parish Priests are requested to send at least two persons each to get trained to maintain effective Websites and thereby achieve the objective of the Commission. For more information, contact the Secretary, Fr Anil Ivan Fernandes.
Pope’s Message for the World Day for Grandparents and Elderly: Pope Francis has chosen a line from Psalm 71 — “Do not cast me off in my old age” — as the theme for the 2024 celebration of the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. He says, they are “the firm foundation” on which “new” stones can rest in order to join in erecting a spiritual edifice (cf. 1 Peter 2:5). The Holy Father laments that “nowadays many women and men seek personal fulfilment in a life as independent as possible and detached from other people.” He observes, “The passage from ‘us’ to ‘me’ is one of the most evident signs of our times.” The Holy Father concludes with an appeal: “In place of the self-centred attitude that leads to loneliness and abandonment, let us instead show the open heart and the joyful face of men and women who have the courage to say ‘I will not abandon you’, and to set out on a different path.” Let the celebration on 28 July be an inspiration to love and appreciate the grandparents and the elderly.
Ongoing Formation for Clergy: On 20 and 21 August 2024, the clergy will have the ongoing formation. Very Rev. Fr Dionysius Vaz, S.J, Provincial of Jesuits of Karnataka, is the resource person. The venue is the Pastoral Centre. The theme is “Living our Priesthood in these challenging times”. The theme is connected to the stressful challenges the priests face in pastoral care. If you are unable to attend the course on the scheduled date, kindly inform the Director of the Pastoral Centre. He has indicated the dates marked for the different deaneries.
Revised Pastoral Plan (2024-2026): The Pastoral Plan is revised under the leadership of the Coordinator, Fr Faustine Lobo. The Secretaries of various Commissions, with their team members, have worked hard to bring greater clarity to the vision and mission, goals and objectives of each Commission. The revised Pastoral Plan will be released on 31 July 2024 during the Diocesan Pastoral Council Meeting. I hope greater efforts will be taken to understand the dynamics of the Commissions so that one Pastoral Plan is executed in the whole diocese.
Study of the Church Documents: Though this year is declared as the Year of Prayer, we have not forgotten that it is also the Year of Studying the four Constitutions of the Second Vatican Council. I request the Vicars Forane to organize the workshops for the Parish Pastoral Councils of the Deanery to understand the impact of these fundamental documents and reflect on how they are an inspiration to live our Christian commitment to the proclamation of the Gospel with greater zeal. Till Pope Francis inaugurates the Jubilee Year on 24 December 2024 in the Vatican Basilica, we have ample time to study and reflect on these precious documents. Each month could be dedicated to one document, e.g., in July on Church (Lumen Gentium), in August on Divine Revelation (Dei Verbum), in September on Sacred Liturgy (Sacrosanctum Concilium), and in October on the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et Spes). Then, the participants will realize that “The Church, in the Word of God, celebrates the Mysteries of Christ for the Salvation of the World”. May the Lord bless every family, the elderly and the earth, our common home.
Peter Paul Saldanha
Bishop of Mangalore
