Legacy

Golden Jubilee of Calcutta Province

We are grateful to God that a special provision was made to arrange the JCSA Meeting within Calcutta Province this year in order to have the presence of Fr. General with us. What prompted us to make this special request and the subsequent adjustments made by the Curia Generalizia was that we deeply desired to have the special blessings upon us as we celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Calcutta becoming an Independent Province.

On 25th February, when Fr. General presided over the Eucharistic celebration at St. Xavier’s College Kolkata for all the members of the Province, it was indeed a moment of great blessing for all of us as he not only inaugurated the Jubilee Year, but also received the Final Vows of two of our men on the occasion. As we reminiscence the marvels God has done through the instrumentality of great missionaries of the past and look forward with hope a faithful continuation God’s Mission, we are challenged in the present to live with passion and toil under the banner of the Cross.

Away from the urban set up, Fr. General also made a visit to Gurap, one of the Santhal Mission Stations with a quasi parish, school and boarding. The exuberance of the children brimming with joy, the elegant attire and rhythmic steps of the dancers, the warm welcome accorded with traditional flavours etc., certainly helped ease the fatigue of a hectic schedule Fr. General and the Team had to endure.

The semi-urban situation in Raghabpur, where we have a confluence of one of the oldest Jesuit parishes, the not so modern Bengali medium school and the most modern St. Xavier College rural campus, provided us with a glimpse of the past glory, the travails of the present and the hope of the things to come.

The maiden visit of Fr. General to the Bangladesh Mission too was experienced as a time of grace. His schedule included meeting the Jesuits, collaborators, teachers, students, formees etc. One of the high points of the visit was the Eucharistic celebration during which one more of our men pronounced the Final Vows. May all the planned programmes during the coming days of the Jubilee Year bring God’s abundance blessings and renewal for all of us.