The Province Days of Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, Patna Province, were held from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, 2024, at Nazareth Convent, Mokama. Around 115 Sisters from near and far gathered at Mokama to participate in this sacred event for a time of reflection, spiritual renewal, and celebration of unity in community.
On the morning of the 31st, all the participants assembled at the entrance of the chapel, and the day began with a meaningful prayer ritual led by Sushma Bodra and Sushila Telra. The participants were welcomed into the assembly hall with the sprinkling of holy water and applying mud tikka, reminding us that God has created us in his image and likeness.
The prayer committee led us through a brief reflection on the themes of the Province Assembly, “Contemplative Discipleship for creative mission,” and the General Assembly, “Tread lightly embracing diversity, interiority, and communion for mission,” respectively. The assembly themes invited us to tread lightly, listen attentively, speak tenderly, and touch with reverence in all our interactions.
After the prayer, Sister Aruna Kerketta, the chairperson of the committee, welcomed Sister Jackulin Jesu, President of the Congregation, Sister Tessy Churanadu, the Facilitator for the Province Days, and all the participants. The session began with the lighting of the lamp by SCNs Jacky, Latika Kottuppallil, Mary Joseph, Usha Saldanha, and Prema Tudu.
Sister Tessy, the facilitator, invited Sister Jacky to deliver the keynote address. Basing her talk on the themes of the General Assembly 2023 and our Mission Statement, Sister Jacked called on the Sisters to reflect deeply on various aspects of our GA 2023 Commitments. She began her address by inviting the Sisters to visualize the parable of the Sower to emphasize the disposition we need to reflect deeply on the purpose of our gathering. Quoting Pope Francis, “We are here to walk together, with the gaze of Jesus, which is a blessing and welcoming gaze,” she asked us to begin our time together by gazing at Jesus, at one another, and at the world we inhabit.
Through her inspiring and thought-provoking input, interspersed with reflective questions and time for reflection, she helped us explore our Mission Statement and Commitments of GA 2023 and examine how these values shape our life and mission today. Some aspects she highlighted are: Deepening our spirituality for transformation; strengthening our community life; responding to the needs of oppressed and marginalized persons; and a call for ecological justice. She reminded us that the challenges we face will require hard work and perseverance. We are not alone in this journey—Christ walks with us, and our journey with God is one of trust, humility, love, and hope. She concluded her address with a question: What is the newness that is waiting to emerge?
The participants had time for further reflection and sharing in small groups and the large group. All were deeply grateful to Sr. Jacky for calling us to enflesh our SCN Charism in this present time in our history.
In the afternoon, the Patna Province Leadership Team—Sisters Latika Kottuppallil, Basanti Lakra, and Suchita Kullu, Board members Josephine Kisku and Usha Saldanha—presented the Province report from October 2022 to 2024. It was mainly based on the implementation of the decisions and recommendations of the Province Assembly 2022. It also included membership data, updates on formation, and the major happenings during the past two years. It was very informative, and the Sisters were very appreciative of the leadership, the local communities, and individuals for their dedicated and committed service through various ministries, especially to the marginalized sections of society. After supper, everyone gathered in the area where the items for the auction to support the OP (Office of Philanthropy) were displayed. There was a lot of enthusiasm, excitement, and enjoyment. All were happy, especially the OP team, with the outcome.
The second day, November 1st, began with prayer led by the Gaya community. In the first session, Sister Arpita Mundamattam shared the issues and concerns received from the local communities. The participants were divided into age groups, and questions were given for sharing on the issues and concerns. The reports from these groups were shared in the large group. In the second session, Sister Sangeeta Ayithamattam shared about community animation and spiritual direction. The group was divided by local community. All the groups expressed the need to have community-building sessions by SCN resource persons and the need for spiritual direction.
In the afternoon session, Dr. Sister Shanti James enlightened the participants on the health data of the Patna Province membership and topics related to holistic health. Her presentation helped us understand the importance of being responsible for one’s own health by paying attention to our lifestyle with regard to physical, mental, social, emotional, and spiritual health. She emphasized the need for a balanced diet and exercise and addressed in detail issues related to heart, thyroid, and diabetes. Dr. Amita Shree, physiotherapist, Srs. Sushma and Aruna, and Miss Anita from the Wellness department demonstrated a few exercises beneficial for all. After the tea break, Sisters Basanti, Suchita, and Josephine presented the evaluation report on the ministry locations of Mandair, Tendrabong, and Dharan. The committee will modify the report, and it will be shared with the local communities for further reflection. The day ended with celebrating the festival of lights.
On the last day, prayer was conducted by the Kutuderi Community. After the prayer, Sister Rohini and the team shared updates on rules and regulations related to account keeping, audit, etc., and this was followed by communication from the PLT. The Province Day committee members, Aruna Kerketta, Arpita Mundamattam, Sushila Telra, Sushila Marandi, and Nitya Toppo, were thanked by the PLT for their hard work and dedication. All the other committee members were especially remembered with gratitude.
These two and a half days of intense reflection and sharing were a rich spiritual experience for everyone. Province Day concluded with a closing ritual. It was a time for sharing, meeting, and enjoying the presence of one another.