A New Beginning

Chennai – On January 4th, all the brothers of Don Guanella Major Seminary returned after their Christmas vacation. It is the custom of the House to begin the New Year with High Mass celebrated by the Provincial Superior. On January 5th Fr. Ronald, Provincial Superior, presided over the Mass and imparted his blessings to be prosperous in the holy ministry of the Lord. Fr. Samson took the opportunity to thank the Provincial for his support and prayers for the community. He also wished everyone God’s choicest blessings and gifts in the days to come.

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Twelve New Apostles for Servants of Charity in India

Cuddalore – This day will be chiseled with golden letters into the history of the Church and the Guanellian congregation. In response to the invitation of God to twelve Guanellian deacons, Fr. Anandan, Fr. Amalorpavanathan, Fr. Antony Samy, Fr. Bakthiswalagan, Fr. Sahayaraj, Fr. Paul Francis, Fr. Jegan, Fr. Shantham, Fr. Arputharaj, Fr. Franklin, Fr. Leo Joseph and Fr. Periyanayasamy said ‘yes’ to the Lord. By their ‘Yes’, they became Alter Christus, who will celebrate the love and faithfulness of Jesus in their lives and in turn offer His love by their constant faithfulness.

The ordination ceremony was held on August 6^th at St. Joseph’s Seminary, the Motherhouse of the Indian Guanellian Mission. Most Rev. Dr.  Antony Anandarayar, Archbishop of Pondy – Cuddalore, ordained the deacons as priest. Vice-Superior General Rev. Fr. Umberto Brugnoni took part in this ceremony as the representative of the General Council. Also present were Guanellian Fathers and sisters, various diocesan priests, sisters of various religious congregations, relatives and friends of the deacons. They enjoyed the holy presence of God and the Anointing of the Holy Spirit. The ceremony ended with a grand meal and time for fellowship.

To see more photos from this glorious event, see the event album on Facebook

Feast and Faith

Saigon – The Servants of Charity in Vietnam, celebrated the feast of St. Louis Guanella, the founder, on Sunday, October 21, 2012. It was very meaningful to celebrate the feast on that particular day because the local church of Vietnam officially inaugurated the Year of Faith. The celebration was at Ben Hai parish; which also remembered five martyrs of Vietnam who sacrificed their life for their faith. People carried the pictures of those martyrs along with the relic of St. Louis Guanella in a small car. As they marched towards the altar, the history of each martyr and of St. Louis Guanella was read aloud. The parish priest, Fr. Truong, celebrated the Holy Eucharist. Fr. Antony Dau, SDB, preached the homily in which he mentioned the relationship between St. Guanella and St. John Bosco. He also mentioned the importance of the mission of love with faith. He quoted St. Louis Guanella as a model and apostle of charity. A short video clip was played that contained a short history of St. Guanella and the congregation. The Servants of Charity also invited some of the other local religious congregations to join them to receive the blessing of St. Louis Guanella. This was really a great blessing as the congregation takes root in Vietnam.

New Branches

Saigon – The Servants of Charity have rooted and are sprouting in Vietnam; three new students have joined this year. Their names are Quoc, Tong and Hoang. They have already graduated from university. They heard about the Servants of Charity through other religious congregations and approached us. Fr. Felicks and Fr. Jerin visited their families and their parish priests. The new students were welcomed and initiated on September 1^st during the Holy Eucharist by Fr. Felicks, the resident in-charge. They are now going to the pastoral center at Ba Chuong Church (Dominicans) to learn the ‘Catechism of the Catholic Church’ in the Vietnamese language. God is blessing our congregation in Vietnam by providing us new branches to bear witness to Him through our mission of charity.