Author: Bindu Michael
25 years of Journey with Hope
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever, his faithfulness continues through all generations.”(Psalm 100)
It is with great joy and gratitude that we celebrated the 25th anniversary of the erection of the Region of India in all our communities of the Region on 6th October 2022. On the same day we celebrated the 54th anniversary of our foundation in India.
So with sentiments of gratitude, we remembered the commitment, hard work, and sacrifices of our beloved sisters Josefa Queralt, Catherine Hanley, Maria Dolores Tena, Celia Garcia, and all the former Regional Superiors; Srs. Josefina LLach, Audry Andrade, Aleena Rodrigues and Margaret Durom. We gave thanks to the Lord for all the benefits received in the Region.
We had planned a thanksgiving Eucharist and fellowship along with aci family, benefactors, collaborators, our staff, and students. Each community celebrated the day in a very unique way with a creative liturgy.
We were able to begin 2 new shoots on this auspicious day with the help of Proacis Foundation. In snehanilaym, Kochi we blessed and inaugurated Sneha Nursery as part of the new vocational unit for Adults with Special Needs.
In Vyppin, we blessed and inaugurated the new Physiotherapy Centre in the presence of the parish priest, neighbours and aci family. The parish Priest, some delegates from the political parties, and the Government officials etc felicitated the sisters for this new initiative in that area,
We bow our heads with humility for His faithfulness to each one of us in the Region. Yes! This is what our hearts and souls were singing aloud at the end of the day…
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.”
His mercies never come to an end.
Great is Your faithfulness, O Lord,
Great is your faithfulness.”
Migrants day Celebration at Odisha
We the Senhadhara Trust celebrated the Migrants’ day on 25 th September
with the rickshaw pullers, their families and the station children with whom
we work; on the Occasion of International migrants’ day. For the
programme ‘Railway Protection Force’ (RPF) sub inspector Dhananjoy Kar
and his team was present. The programme began at 11.30 am with the
lighting of the lamp followed by the prayer dance and the cultural
programmed performed by our hostel girls and the candidates, to give the
message and making them aware of their rights and duties. Inspector
Dhananjoy spoke during the programme encouraging the people to have a
goal in their life and fulfill it and give a better life for their families. He also
assured RPF collaboration with the Snehadhara Trust in their vision i.e. of
‘Empowering the Marginalized’ specially working with the street children.
After the programme we served the food for all the people and distributed
the gift for each family as a remembrance of this programme. The RPF
team also joined us in our ‘AGAPE’. They were impressed by our work and
happy to join their hands with us. We thank all the donors who contributed
generously to make this day a memorable one to the people who are poor
and marginalized.
“Migration is an expression of the human aspiration for dignity, safety and a
better future. It is part of the social fabric, part of our very make-up as a
human family” – Ban Ki- Moon.
International Migrants Day
International Migrants day was celebrated at Dilkhush on 24th Saturday 2022. 30 women
were part of this celebration. There was interaction in the group, why do people migrate
and what are the difficulties they face when they come to city. The women enjoyed
different group games. They felt relaxed and happy. The celebration was concluded with
gifts and snacks box for each one.
Corpus Christi Toddler Group
Our Toddler Group runs every Wednesday during term-time in Corpus Christi Parish Hall from 10 – 11.30am.
It is a voluntary run group which now has a core team, plus a wider team; who attend on a weekly or rota basis, offering their time and talents.
Our Toddling team not only helps with the practical realities of running the group, but also provide an invaluable listening ear to the many who attend the group, and to one another. Srs Jo and Janet provide a listening spiritual ear and voice, as well as providing practical help each week.
The Group has grown in the last couple of years and now reaches in excess of 20 children each week.
With all monies from the group (we ask for £2 donation per family) going back into the group, we have been able to purchase new resources and toys which all the children and their parents have benefitted from.
The morning routine is the same each week. We have a free play session with the different toys and activities put out in the hall on a rotational basis, a craft table (usually with a theme or to celebrate a particular holiday or event such as Mother’s Day, or a learning point for the children) followed by a healthy snack time and song-time to finish.
We always begin our snack-time with a thank you prayer. The children and parents know it well and do the actions too!
We enjoy celebrating many of the festivals throughout the calendar year. Christmas and Easter parties are enjoyed by all! We also have a Summer outing to a park or farm, for example.
In summary, this group is wonderful to be a part of and to see it thriving, is great!
It is a real community group where the sum of its parts make up a beautiful whole!
We thank Fr Adrian and the Parish of Corpus Christi for providing us with the hall and giving the group the support it needs to keep on growing.
Sr.Janet Andrade.aci
Aci family Encounter – Mangalore.
“Let us do all that we can, so that all may know and love Him”
1st and 2nd March, 2018 went down into history of Handmaids in India, as the first Regional Encounter of ACI Family took place
in Mangalore. It was a special experience of celebrating our life with the extended family- a true gift of the Holy Spirit. The desire was to share the richness of our Charism, journey through the common roots, and experience the joy of stepping into the sacred terrain of their lives. There was such a joy in meeting together all 27 of them representing the three existing groups – Mumbai, Roha and Vyppin along with the sisters who journey with them. Sr.Margaret in her inaugural address appreciated the sanctity of this lay vocation that they share with us.
Three days of the encounter proved that when the hearts really love and communicate, no language and culture can become barriers in relating. There were moments of listening, reflecting, mutual learning, praying together, sharing, planning and enjoying and in all, there was a lot of laughter, love and care for one another. They not only listened through the life, mission, history of the Institute, but also participated actively in planning out the future
of ACI family in India. Out of 27 members, 26 of them made their commitment during the festive Eucharist of 2nd March- the feast of ACI family and many of them did it for the first time. The enthusiasm that continues after the encounter in living out this special vocation proves that, it indeed was the work of the Holy Spirit. I feel privileged to be part of this sacred encounter, as I recognize the sanctity of each person in the Aci family. Yes, each one of them costed all of His Blood. Thanks to Sr.Margaret, Mangalore community and to all the commission members who made this a meaningful encounter.
Sr.Bridget Viji aci.
From the Aci Family Members!!!!
The Aci family from three different groups from the Region of India met together at Mangalore on 1st and 2nd March 2018 for their first national meeting as part of the celebration of the 50 glorious years of the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in India. Not a small period at all. A brain child of our foundress Sr.St. Raphaela Mary Porras y Ayllon “a gift to the world”.
A trip down memory lane displays the ample dedication by the followers of St. Raphaela in the service of God and one’s fellowmen echoing the intention of St.Raphaela: “My life must be a continual act of love and service”. She wanted to give her all to ‘”GOD” because of His greatness and our littleness. She spelt out the chief Charism of the congregation, and that is “To forgive, to be reconciled, to unite ourselves and to be healed, through Reparation’, The Holy Eucharist was at the centre of the mission with Eucharistic Adoration and Reparation.
As for me, I was drawn to the Congregation and joined the ACI family 10 years ago, We are considered as the extended family of the Handmaids and have our meetings on the last Wednesday of every month, a topic chosen for discussion, followed my adoration and thereafter fellowship.
The Charism of the Institution prompted me to attend daily Mass, with visits to the Blessed Sacrament, and devotion to the Divine Mercy thus enhancing my spiritual life.
Many a times I was asked as to why I visited the Blessed Sacrament almost daily, At that time I had no concrete answer to give, But ever since I spent my two days in Mangalore, I learnt the reason why I spent time with our Lord in the Blessed sacrament. May be at the back of my mind was to imitate the charism of our foundress, St. Raphaela whose entire life was based on her unshakable devotion to our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and towards making Reparation. Indeed being in Mangalore was a dream come true along with my fellow sisters, I experienced a new outlook to serve the Lord more deeply jelling the Divine with Nature, not forgetting Sr. Bridgette’s contribution to the Healing service and Holy Spirit – filled conducting of the Holy Hour which was so edifying.
It is not easy to put down every detail of what I learnt. I left Mangalore with fond memories and it will go a long way in cementing our relationship knowing that we are called to serve Our Lord by following the charism of St. Raphaela Mary. I am convinced that our foundress is looking down from high above and spiritually directing her mission here on earth.
All glory to God for this wonderful experience and thanks to the Parish Priest Fr. Vincent and Fr. Walter for their warm welcome to each one of us, for their constant support and cooperation. Sr. Margaret Durom, Regional Superior, for her meticulous planning of the entire programme and the grace to listen patiently to her voice ,enlightening us about St. Raphaela spirituality and its charism ,Sr. Suvarna Superior of the Mangolore community who worked tirelessly for the lovely arrangements by taking care of our stay and tasty delicacies, Sr. Bridgette, Coordinator for this program ,for being so vibrant and instrumental in planning and organizing the whole programme and conducting lively sessions with group discussions and appropriate use of audio visual material. To all the sisters of the Handmaids of the Sacred of Jesus for their help and kind disposition who worked selflessly with one heart and one mind and for bringing us all together for the first Regional gathering of the Aci family, wherein, all aci committed participants along with benefited immensely from these interactions with spiritually fulfilling experiences. Special thanks to Sr. Sheeba our aci coordinator from Mumbai community for her motivation and encouragement. Last but not the least a big thank you to all the parishioners for displaying their talents in a cultural programme which was outstanding followed by dinner.
I would like to end with the words of our foundress “Eucharist never finishes in the life of the Handmaids”
I bring the whole world to Jesus in Adoration” and give Christ to others as well as experience Christ with each of us. Mrs.Vivette Pereira ( Mumbai)
ACI family gathering was a beautiful experience. We enjoyed more than we expected or we thought off. We came to know more about St. Raphaela Mary and about the congregation very closely. We understood not only prayer but giving importance to prayer, and if we do anything with sacrificial mentality it can be fulfilled. We will not get this kind of experience from anywhere .Most important thing was that we were able to mingle with the ACI family members from the other states. Language was a problem but slowly our fear of language disappeared and we realized that the language of love was enough to communicate.
Sisters and the Novices treated us and welcomed us very lovingly. It gave us lot of joy and happiness. When we took the commitment we became aware of St. Raphaela Mary’s presence with us and she will also intercede for us. We felt happy and proud of being part of the ACI Congregation sisters. We have decided to encourage more girls to join this congregation and by sharing our experience we will try to bring more members to ACI family. We are very proud of being part of this group . Mrs.Mini Willson -Vyppin
This was the first and new experience for going for the programme which made me very enthusiastic. I thank Srs. Margaret and Brigit who organized and invited all of us for the ACI gathering at Mangalore.
I was very happy to attend the Inaugural session conducted by Sr.Brigit. I like the place where we were accommodated very silent and clean place. The sessions held by Sr.Margaret about Rapheala Mary touched my heart. The way Sr.Brigit elaborated the life of Rapheala Mary made me keener to know about her. The group discussion and the sharing of our feelings made us to know each other. The Mass was very nice and overwhelming.
The knowledge shared with us about our Earth and planet was amazing and I was impressed by it. The cultural programme held by the members of the Parish made all of us happy and enthusiastic. I would like to thank all the sisters’ especially Sr.Suvarna for the delicious food. Thank you for all the care and concern which you have shown to us…you have taken trouble to make this trip a memorable one…May God bless all of you. Ms.Kamal Satpal -Mumbai
On Feb 27th 1018, 12 members of the ACI family along with the handmaids journeyed on towards mangalore. On our long train journey we were accompanied by 10 members from Roha. The groups from Cochin n Vipon joined us at our destination on the 28th. Sr. Survana of Paldane Mangalore welcomed each and every one. The two days seminar was very interesting with talks, dialogues, video clips and slides display given by Sr. Margaret Regional Superior and Sr. Bridget ACI fly Co-ordinator. They did a wonderful job of interpretation in Malayalam. They very well explained the history of ACI fly and the charism of Saint Raphaela Mary and to give importance to the daily Eucharist and Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament.
On 1st and 2nd March, being the birth day and Baptisam of Saint Raphaela Mary we had the cake cutting ceremony. I agree to what Sr. Margaret pointed out that the best wine was kept for the last, That is the wonderful performance put up by the parishioners of Paldane of the ROCE ceremony of the Mangalorians. It was simply awesome. Each and every one loved the whole enactment of the ROCE and wedding ceremony. My sincere gratitude goes out to the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart who went out of their way to arrange the two days function. Sr Survana and her team for the two days arrangement. Sisters Margaret and Bridget for their heart provoking talks. Also each and every one who made it possible to attend the jubilee function and make it a grand success. Through the intercession of Saint Raphaela Mary we all had a safe and sound journey. Mrs.Bernadette Gonsalves – Mumbai
Visiting and participating the ACI gathering at Mangalore in St.Rapheala Mary Convent was indeed was a wonderful experience. The life of St.Rapheala Mary touched me deeply as I heard her life story. Her humble nature and forgiving attitude are the qualities which we should imbibe in our lives. Her communication with Lord Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament teach me to spent my time with Jesus not only in trails but each and every moment of my life. Each visit to the Blessed Sacrament brings me closer to HIM who is waiting for me.
I truly learnt that St.Rapheala Mary followed the footsteps of Jesus by being the servant, even though she was the superior she rendered her service to the community. I pray that may she touch the lives of many more people to follow the footsteps of Jesus. I Thank God for the wonderful opportunity to take part and to know many more other members of the ACI Family. Mr.Cyrus Mysquita – Mumbai
I came to know more about St.Raphaela Mary and the Eucharist which was the center of her life. Sisters shared with us the history of the ACI Family,International Assemblies,Mission of the Institute. Sr.Margaret shared that God loves us a lot but we forget to return that love. Adoration is exposed in all the chapels of the Handmaids, so we should spent more time in front of the Blessed Sacrament in prayer.
Because of my experience in Mangalore , I will bring more youth to ACI family. The most touching experience there for me was that I was able to take the commitment in the ACI Family. All those who came for this gathering with me was also very very happy.Mrs.Rosmi Mello -vyppin
Nutrition Project with the children on the street.
As part of the (two year) “Nutrition Project” for the children from the streets of Juhu, every second and fourth Saturdays of the month the children used to come to our house for two hours. They spent their time in Value education, Playing and sharing the nutritious meals. Children enjoy a lot to come and spent in playing and sharing the meals. On the 16th of December we had the Christmas celebration for them.
Our junior sisters conducted some activities for them and shared the Christmas message with them. Those innocent and the poor children but rich in heart were very much delighted as they received the gift. The community was lucky to have this amazing experience of being with the homeless and the poorest of the poor. Yes! An experience of being united with Baby Jesus who experienced the homelessness when HE was born….
Aci family’s Christmas celebration with the Premadhar Creche children
Christmas is wonderful and special time to share the love, peace and happiness of Jeusus with all our brothers and sisters. It was a beautiful experience of sharing the time with the Creche children. On 15th of December the ACI Family members of Dilkhush had the special privilege to experience the tenderness of the baby Jesus as we celebrated the Christmas with the Premadhar Creche children.the children were very happy as we had prepared the Carols, Gifts and snacks. The most exciting part of the celebration was the gifts which the Santa brought for the children. They were so happy to receive it from him.
As they were enjoying with the dance and the songs the snacks which was served to them gave more sweetness and happiness to it.
The Christmas celebration was in connection and close collaboration with the Special Gesture adopted by the Dilkhush Community of the Project GC XX. The members too were happy to meet the Jesus in the poor and the needy children of the society.
