JUBILLEE MASS
INTRODUCTION
Jubilee time is a … Time to praise,
Time to thank…
Time to raise our eyes to God who
walks along…
Time to sing a song of trust, hope
and love…
Of promises fulfilled and new
dreams to be realized…
Time to pause and acknowledge His
blessings before continuing the journey ahead.
On this auspicious day when the
atmosphere around us is in the mood of jubilation and exultation, I stand here
on behalf of Rev.Sr. Joyce Thadathil, Rev. Sr. Sebastina Olickal Provincial
Superiors of St. Francis and St. Clare Province respectively and their
respective council members and all the members of St. Francis Province to
welcome you all.
We humbly acknowledge and appreciate the
benign presence of our beloved Archbishop Most. Rev. Dr. Anil J.T. Couto, who
has consented to preside over this Holy Eucharist to bring down the heavenly
blessings upon us. We welcome you, Your Grace. We extend a warm welcome to all
the con-celebrants, who have come from far and near to be part of this
celebration. We welcome you dear Fathers.
This day is also blessed by the graceful
presence of our sisters from far and near and from our neighboring religious
communities.
We welcome each one of you present here,
who have made it a point to be a part of today’s celebration. Dear fathers,
brothers & sisters. We welcome you all.
Indeed
our joy is doubled and feel honored and blessed as the digital technology has
made it possible for the family members of our Young sisters, friends,
benefactors, well-wishers and our sisters from far-off communities to witness
this celebration of love and unity virtually.
The twin celebration of the day invites
all of us to thank the good Lord for sustaining the members of St. Francis
Province as His collaborators in the service of the Church and for the world at
large for the past 50 years, and also for these young sisters who would be
making their final commitment to their Divine Bridegroom. We have been waiting
eagerly for this day! We are indeed glad that we have this unique and singular
privilege of celebrating it in a Franciscan way though enforced by the Covid-19
situation …No doubt …it is the way the Lord wants it to be…. We are really and
genuinely pleased that we have been blessed and allowed by the Lord to mark the
conclusion of the Jubilee Year with the Final Profession of our young Sisters.
As a Province we are “reaping golden
fruits of God’s enduring love”, fruit of the seeds sown by the struggles of
our pioneers and their successors since 1901. The daring step that our
youngsters are going to take in is a clear indication that we continue to “sow
seeds of fresh hope” for the present and future generations. They stand to
prove the relevance and vibrancy of the Eucharistic-Missionary Charism of the
Cfmss for the world today. Today, as we arrive at this closing moment of
celebration of this extraordinary year of Jubilee made even more extraordinary
by the particular situations we are going through due to the pandemic, we have
even more reason to praise and thank the Lord.
This
Golden Jubilee year beckons each one of us, the members of CFMSS family to
remember the noble souls of our pioneer members who gave their life for its
growth. We cannot forget but remember gratefully the first batch of
Missionaries who arrived in India in 1901, their successors who slogged for the
next 50 years without resources and recognition, Mother Benigna Gastaldon the
cornerstone of our Indian Mission, the initial batches of our Indian sisters
who paved the way for the emergence of the first Indian Province, namely St.
Francis Province.
Glad to note that we the Clarist
Franciscan Missionaries of the Most Blessed Sacrament continue to be guided by
the Major Superiors who never fail to consult the Eucharistic Jesus. Thus
keeping alive the spirit and legacy of our foundress venerable Mother Seraphina
Farolfi.
Enthuastically let us sing the praises
of the Lord, Gratefully thanking His accompanying us in our success and
failures as we carried and continue to carry
the flame of His Eucharistic love
to all both at home and abroad in the near and remote areas.
Let
us also thank God for the radiant and vibrant young sisters as they make their
final profession on this remarkable day. They are truly God’s Gift to our
Religious family. We bow our heads in adoration to the Lord for these beloved
sisters who are ready and willing to take the legacy forward and sow the seeds of fresh hope in the hearts of
the people to whom they are sent . Dear Friends, the Father of Mercies has
called these our sisters years ago to be a spark of His Divine Love. Today at
this historic moment, perhaps as they stand at the threshold of the most
momentous moment of their life, let us pray that the lamp that they light from
the flame of God’s love will be a spark that always renews itself and burns,
and constantly spreads its radiance! We thank the Lord for all the Formators
who have accompanied them in their formative journey and remember with
gratitude all those who assisted them in one way or the other, particularly,
their parents and siblings. May God reward them all! Let
us once again pray earnestly to the God who has called, consecrated, and
commissioned these our sisters that He may enlighten their path to be Ignited
by the Eucharist and be a Divine spark to the world.
With deep sentiments of gratitude,
praying for these young sisters, interceding for the noble souls of our pioneer
sisters who have contributed to the growth of St. Francis province and
imploring God’s mercy upon us, upon our Institute so that He may enrich the Church with genuine and
zealous laborers, let us participate in this Thanksgiving Eucharistic
Celebration.
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