Religious persons in the Catholic Church should first become disciples of Jesus before trying to make others His followers, says former Supreme Court judge Justice Kurian Joseph.

“Becoming a disciple of Jesus is a difficult task whereas becoming a devotee is easy. Our call as religious is to become disciples and make people disciples of Jesus,’ Justice Joseph told the general plenary assembly of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate, India’s first indigenous religious congregation for men.

The January 4-8 assembly, now underway at Jerusalem Retreat Centre, Thrissur, is expected to evaluate the relevance and impact of the 187-year-old congregation’s ministries and revisit its vision and orientation for the next ten years.

Faced with the evil done to children, “no one can remain silent,” says Bishop John Rodrigues, rector of the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Bandra (Mumbai).

The prelate was addressing the Mass on December 28 for the feast day of the Holy Innocents, which commemorates the massacre of children ordered by Herod, king of Judea, with the aim of killing Jesus. In his homily, Bp Rodrigues said: “They proclaimed and bore witness to Christ even before they could speak. We pray for all children that they are safe and grow up with love and understanding.”

The bishop also spoke against “abortion, abuse, neglect, child labor, child trafficking, child soldiers.”

“Christ, the light of the world, came to save the world. And yet we see evil and darkness around. We are called to be children of the light,” he explained.

Father Cedric Prakash of the Jesuit Gujarat Province has just returned from the Middle East after a three-year stint with the Jesuit Refugee Service there. On his religious vocation he says: “That is a long story: to cut it short – it was a CALL – and I said “YES” to it – and I have not regretted that decision for a single moment, ever since. I believe I am called to serve Jesus through His people. I try my best to do so: willingly and joyfully!”

Fr Cedric is an internationally acclaimed human rights and peace activist and recipient of several awards including the ‘Legion of Honour’ from the President of France and the ‘Kabir Puraskar’ from the government of India.

He was in the Middle East for three years from January 2016. He was invited by the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region to work among the refugees and displaced in the Region (Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Lebanon). He was based in Beirut, Lebanon and entrusted with the responsibility of advocacy and communications for the Region. He spoke in an interview “The current scenario for human rights activism in India is very bad. We hear about threats, intimidation, arrests, foisting of false cases and even death for all those who take a stand for human rights, justice and peace.”

Lynching has become the new normal. The Government is wedded to crony capitalism: “we have seen it in demonetization and how they have mainstreamed corruption. The poor become poorer everyday.

“The fascist, fundamentalist forces must be put in place. We must hold political parties accountable for their misdeeds and ensure that they focus on Governance and on serving the people. Too much of ‘fekuism’: myths, lies, false promises have been foisted on the nation. We must ensure that we exercise our franchise and motivate all others to do so too. We need to educate people on our Constitutional values and fundamental rights. We need to engage with the media and also be active on it. Yes all of us can do plenty to stem the rot that is taking place in the country.”

“Christians and the Church in India must play a very active role in addressing the ills of the country. We cannot be fence-sitters. We have to be vocal and visible for a more just, free and equitable India. This I believe is what Jesus expects from us today.”

India’s Latin-rite bisho-ps were gathering in the hold-ing their plenary assembly in the seaside town of Mahabalipuram in southern India’s Tamil Nadu State.

The Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) of the Latin-rite bishops, was held its 31st plenary assembly at the Joe Animation Centre from January 8 to 14 on the theme, “Evangelii Gaudium,” or “The Joy of the Gospel,” the Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis that deals with the Church’s primary mission of evangelizations in the modern world. Several speakers, including a nun and a lay man are scheduled to address the bishops on various aspects and ways to promote the “Joy of the Gospel” in the Church in India by upholding the ministry of love and compassion.

The CCBI plenary meeting will also look into the present situation of the Church in India.

Most Rev. Dr Filipe Neri Ferrão, Archbishop of Goa and Daman was elected as the new President of the CCBI by the 31st Plenary Assembly of the National Episcopal Conference of India. Most Rev. Dr George Antonysamy Archbishop of Chennai-Mylapore and Most Rev. Dr Anil Joseph Thomas Couto, the Archbishop of Delhi were re-elected CCBI Vice president and Secretary General respectively. According to Fr Alathara, the CCBI, with 132 dioceses and 189 bishops, is the largest bishops’ conference in Asia and the fourth largest in the world.

Ten years ago, Hindu nationalists persecuted and destroyed their home during the pogroms in the district of Kandhamal, in Orissa. They both decided to serve the Church in consecrated life.

They are Fr Anand Pradhan and Sr Anjali Pradhan, brother and sister, who survived the violence against Christians unleashed by Hindu radicals in 2008. At that time they had to escape from their village of origin to save themselves. And it is precisely here, where Hindu families have always prevented them from rebuilding their house, that they have returned for a ceremony of reconciliation and thanksgiving. This time though, the whole village has been celebrating.

Christmas should help people lead lives with values like ‘samvedana’ (sensitivity) and ‘karuna’ (compassion), which form the ethos of the Indian civilization, Goa’s Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao said in his annual civic reception address on Dec. 28.

“May he lead our lives along the paths of ‘samvedana’ and ‘karuna’ and enable us to live according to these profound values enshrined into the ethos of our Indian civilization,” Ferrao said.

The civic reception held at the Bishop’s House in Panaji on Dec. 28 evening, was attended by top functionaries of the state including Goa Governor Mridula Sinha, top ministers, bureaucrats, among others.

“If there is one season why we need to intensify our ‘samvedana’ and ‘karuna’ to the poor around us, it is this holy season of Christmas, when we contemplate the divine child being born in total poverty and being laid in a manger, thus identifying Himself with the poorest of the poor and the homeless, and beckoning us to do the same,” Ferrao said.

Four survivors of the worst anti-Christian violence in modern India were ordained as Capuchin priests on Dec.27.

“God chose you like Moses to be faithful, responsible to lead the people,” Bishop Sarat Chandra Nayak of Berhampur, who led the ordination ceremony, told the newly ordained during his homily.

Around 1,500 people, including 47 priests and 20 nuns, attended the ceremony at Mary Matha Parish, Simonbadi, Kandhamal district under Cuttack-Bhubaneswar archdiocese of Odisha State.

The venue of the ordination ceremony was 12 km from Arundaya Capuchin Ashram Minor Seminary at Barokhoma that was attacked twice during the 2007-2008 anti-Christian violence that engulfed the Kandhamal district of Odisha State in eastern India.

“Over a thousand years after Abraham, the Jews were living as slaves in Egypt. Moses led the Jews out of slavery in Egypt and led them to the Holy Land that God had promised them. It was a challenging call for Moses from God,” the prelate reminded Fathers Rahul Bastaray, George Patmajhi, Anand Pradhan and Amar Kumar Singh.

He said the communal violence took away everything from the Christians of Kandhamal except their faith in Jesus Christ “because God preferred to live in us.”

Rhythmic cheering echoed around the streets of Chechema village as hundreds of Naga people, most of them Christians, began pulling a huge rectangular stone.

The traditional stone-pulling ceremony performed by the Angami Naga tribal people in Nagaland in northeast India was the highlight of the Dec. 1-10. Hornbill Festival sponsored by the Christian-majority state.

The function was graced by state Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, a practicing Christian, and federal Tourism Minister K.J. Alphons, a Catholic projected as the Christian face of the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Despite Christians forming 90% of Nagaland’s 2 million people, the BJP gained political prominence and became part of the state government following an election in February, which many say was the result of alarming levels of corruption among the political leadership.

“Nagas were animists worshipping every bit of nature” before Christianity arrived in 1871, said Father John Kavas of Kohima Diocese as the men in their traditional costumes pulled the stone 3.5 kilometres to Chipobozou village in the northern Angami Hills in Kohima district.

“Stones were revered and at times pulled from one corner to the other in the spirit of merrymaking, teamwork and a display of valour.”

Nagas change their political affiliation with as much ease and fun as they pull the stone because “they care not much about political parties. Elections are won or lost by candidates,” said Kouley Angami of Chechema village.

“Apparently many Nagas voted for the BJP [because of money]. We are not taking up political matters, but people do raise these questions,” the priest said.

More than 4,800 Salesian scouts and guides from around the country are scheduled to congregate at Nashik, a holy city in Maharashtra State, for their annual national gathering titled, Boscoree.

Organized by the Mumbai Province of the Salesians of Don Bosco, the 13th Boscoree has chosen the theme, ‘Health, Harmony and Holiness.’

As many as 4,815 people have registered for the five-day mega extravaganza that opens on December 30.

Bishop Lourdes Daniel of Nashik will open the meet in the presence of Shri Ravindra Kumar Singhal, Police Commissioner of Nashik. A total of 141 units from 22 states and two Union territories from the Salesian and FMA institutions belonging to the 12 provinces of India will live in 200 tents spread over 16 sub-camps.

Don Bosco and Kilbil schools along with Divyadaan Salesian College of Philosophy, Salesian Training Institute, Sacred Heart Training Centre and Maria Vihar will host the event.

He further says, “The purpose of scouting is to actively engage and support young people in their personal development, empowering them to make a positive contribution to society.”

Unidentified miscreants have vandalized St Thomas Catholic Church and its grotto in Chapatoli village near Duliajan in Assam.

The incident came to light on the morning of December 15 when villagers were going for their works through the church area. They noticed the church door opened and spotted the statue of Mother Mary dislodged from the grotto.

The miscreants also damaged a crucifix after resorting to vandalism inside the church, Johan Lugun, a local resident said.

As the news spread, thousands of people flocked to the village from nearby areas. Police immediately picked up two suspects from the area for questioning.