India and Alumni

Cuddalore – On the great celebration of Republic Day in India, Don Guanella Boys Home also celebrated Alumni day, with 29 former students participating. This is a day in which the history of DGBH was reviewed and refreshed. It is a meeting of the past and present for the future. The program was organized by Fr. Peter Sebastian, the superior and director, with the community and it was presided over by Mr. Durairaj, the HOD. The testimony by the Alumni was mind-blowing and inspiring. The key points were: renewal of the relationship among the alumni; being grateful to the institute and memories imprinted on the minds of the Alumni. The younger brothers (the present students) honored their elder bothers with their performances. The Alumni inspired the younger ones with their eye-opening speeches. Finally the Alumni proved that they are not only made of words but also of actions by their generous hands.

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Traditions of India Honored

Cuddalore – St. Joseph’s Evening School celebrated the Pongal feast and Republic day on January 26th. Children from four different branches gathered for the fruitful and memorable event. All the children had very joyful moments throughout the day. There were around 120 together with the children, teachers and parents. The national flag was hoisted by Fr. Mathias, SdC, chief guest of the day. Afterwards he encouraged the children to always be happy, kind hearted and talented persons in their accomplishments and to aim for a bright future. Then the Pongal Celebration started. Games and sports were organized for the students, teachers and parents like pot breaking, rongoli for parents, musical chairs and many other competitions for the children. Then children from each branch presented their programs. Fr. Mathias, Fr. Anandhan and Fr. Amalraj distributed gifts for all the ninety students. Then they also distributed prizes for the winners of different competitions. Finally, Fr. Arockia Raj, the evening school director, thanked the gathering and encouraged the new branch students and teachers to make use of the opportunity for a better future. At the end, everyone enjoyed the sweet Pongal, sugarcane, tea and puffs. Thus the day went on happily and successfully.

Scholastic Gathering

Cuddalore – St. Joseph’s Seminary held a scholastic fraternal gathering on January 25th. The event was organized under the topic “Mercy and Compassion” by Fr. Vincent, SdC. Pondy- Cuddalore Minor Seminarians, SultanPet diocesan minor seminarians and St. Joseph’s Seminary students participated in the event. The spiritual session nurtured the hearts of the young chaps to march forward in their call. The sacrament of reconciliation was available to help the seminarians to become pure and holy. After the tea break, there was a friendly volleyball match. Therefore, this gathering boosted the seminarians both spiritually as well as physically.

New Wine in New Wineskins

Chennai – How wonderful it is to rejuvenate oneself with the energy that is passed on by our Holy Mother Church! In accordance with the formative program of Don Guanella Major Seminary, the Second Annual Don Mimi Theological forum was held on November 29th under the leadership of Bro. Raja Rathinam. The topic “New Wine in New Wineskins,” was inspired by a famous Church document given by Pope Francis to the Congregation of Consecrated Life. There were different speakers to present the topics of the document from different perspectives. Fr. Periyanayagam, Vice Rector, was the chief guest of the day; helping the forum by clarifying the doubts raised by the brothers. Fr. Samson, Rector, was also present and helped the forum with his insights to be a better person during formation. The forum also included evaluations and some entertainment in the form of party games. Overall it was a worthwhile forum in which brothers explored their knowledge of the Church. The forum ended with an expression of thanks proposed by Bro. Praveen.

Children’s Day

Chennai – It is mid-November again and time for a very special occasion, November 14th is Children’s Day. The day is celebrated across the nation to commemorate the birth anniversary of India’s first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. On this day, Don Guanella Special School celebrated with delight by giving a meticulous program by staff. The event began with a prayer song and continued with wonderful dances by staff. All of the performances gave life to the children, who admired the teachers dance and their joy was doubled. Children had a very good time and returned home with great happiness.

Educational Tour

Bangalore – Don Guanella Oratory children went on an educational tour on October 28th. These slum children were so excited to go on a tour; they boarded the bus smiling. The first stop was “HAL Aerospace museum”. The guide explained to the children about the growth and achievements of the institute, “Hindustan Aeronautic Limited” which began in 1940. She passionately shared how it has supplied the nation with many defense planes, helicopters and machinery. The children learned about the evolution of flight and they received knowledge and pride. The audio visual about how each flight served the nation in various ages and sectors was inspirational and exciting. The next stop was to see for themselves the different types of flights and helicopters. Next they visited “Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium”. The children were thrilled and excited by the galaxies of stars in 3D vision. They learned many things about the galaxy and planet earth. After lunch they were taken to the Aquarium, where varieties of fish were kept for admiration and knowledge. The last stop was for free rides for the children at Cubbon Park. Being fully exhausted from the games, rides and the tour which ended at dusk, they returned cherishing evening snacks while dancing playfully on the bus. We give thanks to God the Almighty for this wonderful outing.

Fr. Leo Learns about Art

Grass Lake– Since Fr. Satheesh has been installed as pastor at a Diocesan parish, Fr. Leo Joseph has been named chaplain of Huron Valley Catholic School in his place. Fr. Leo has quickly found favor with parents and students alike. He can often be seen interacting with the students and helping them with their work. In October the preschoolers were learning about color mixing. Fr. Leo dipped his hand in blue paint and a student in red. They high-fived and then stamped their hands on paper to see the results. Fr. Leo had just as much fun as the children.

You are Unique

Bangalore – What a wonderful thing it is to help the little ones understand how unique and beautifully they are made. On the October 14th Rainbow Brush group led by Christine, Guanellian Cooperators and GLM members organized a workshop at Guanella Preethi Nivas for the Oratory children. It was indeed a very fun filled day. The workshop began with some warm-ups, and a little Zumba dance to pep the little ones. The children were very excited to participate and learn new moves. Christine then narrated a small story where she made the children understand how they have been made so unique and beautiful. Some lack gifts but are not to be kept aside. We are to accept them and walk together. She also told the children not to bully anyone for their appearance but we need to always look into the heart of each person which is so beautifully created by God.
After this the main part of the workshop began, coloring a giant puzzle. The children were not sure what they were coloring until each piece was put together and they could see the exact picture. The student volunteers were trained at Rainbow Brush accompanied by their parents. We also had a group of volunteers from the University who helped us to coordinate activities, to organize sumptuous snacks for the kids and to give small gifts for the children to take home.

Children’s Day Out

Chennai – Life is busy, but it is also beautiful. Don Guanella Special School organized a one-day picnic for special children to Kailasa Kona, a famous waterfall. Fr. Lourduraj, the director, along with the children, staff and parents gathered at the school on August 11th. The children were very happy to go on this adventure; it was a new experience for them and kind of relaxing. After having toured the park, the children ate lunch and completed the rest of the programs. After evening snacks and tea everyone arrived at the school. All were very grateful that Fr. Lourduraj organized this event.

A New Beginning in Chelsea MI

Stephon Gohler, a St. Louis Center resident, graduated from the Washtenaw Intermediate School District Young Adult Program on Wednesday, June 6th. He was a favorite among his peers and was chosen to give the introduction to the media presentation “The Class of 2018.” Stephon was also given the “Martin Gersh Student Recognition Award,” chosen by […]

via A New Beginning — stlouiscenter