Catholic students in a well known Jesuit College in Bihar may have been a bit surprised to see a Catholic Priest hold up the Constitution of India and say, “This is the most Sacred Book of the Citizen of India. Not the Bible, Not the Quran, Not the Bhagwad Gita.” The priest who was addressing […]
Archbishop Joseph Pamplany of Tellicherry on March 18 assured the BJP at least one seat from the southern Indian state if the federal government raises the price of rubber to 300 rupees. Predictably, there were gasps and shocked responses from well meaning Christians across the land. Joseph Pamplany, some seem to indicate, is a modern […]
The arson, and damage to the Nation’s wealth by so called ‘students’ is an Act of War Enough is enough! To those are trying to find some devious political excuses to condone the burning of trains, and destruction of property happening in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and other places: why are you supporting a bunch […]
Today,on the 18th of June, is the very first ‘global’ day dedicated to ‘Countering Hate Speech’. According to the UN, hate speech is any kind of speech or writing that attacks or discriminates against a person or a group based on religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, color, descent, gender, or any other identity factor. Speech should […]
‘Listen!’This was the theme for the World day of Social Communications, celebrated by Catholic communicators the world over on Ascension Sunday.The 56th World Communications day, which fell on Sunday, 29 May. Never before has a theme been so apt for those who are engaged in the dissemination of the ‘good news’.In a countries being buffeted […]
Pope Francis has turned the spotlight on nuns and women religious, a significant action for the entire Church the world over. The Catholic Church celebrates the 26th World Day for Consecrated life on Wednesday, February 2 . For the 26th edition of the celebration this year, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies […]
Patna, Bihar: For the small Catholic community in Bihar, the month of September has special significance. September 9 marks the 100th anniversary of the formation of Patna Diocese (now archdiocese). On Sunday, September 8, most of the churches within the Archdiocese, – which currently includes the diocese of Bhagalpur (1956), Muzaffarpur (1980), Bettiah (1998), and […]
Called to follow Christ through Baptism, the call to be a teacher is a call within a call: for those who are Christian teachers, the question is, “Do we understand that ours is not a mere profession, but a call to spread the light of knowledge and values, so that we can be instruments of […]
Someone sent me a photograph via WhatsApp this Sunday morning from the tiny parish of Sikandra in the Jamui District of Bihar. The Church of St. Francis Xavier hosted a Fathers’ Day event, where the Dads who came to church, whether in their 20s or their 80s were felicitated and handed flowers. Along with today […]
Strange isn’t it? Just yesterday, the 20th of March, we the ‘conscious intelligentsia’ marked two events or ‘international days’. One was the day of the house sparrow, and the other was the international day of Happiness, whatever that means. The sparrows that would nest in the rafters of our houses and bungalows a few decades […]
In these troubled times, and despite what the apologists for a particular political regime want to say, these are definitely troubled times; three thousand Catholics, over half of them the rural poor, congregated at a church in Patna to acknowledge the source of their faith. And for so many who came, this was an act […]
I attended the First Vinay Kanth Memorial Lecture at the Bharatiya Nritya Kala Mandir conference hall. One reason I went was to ‘catch up’ with familiar faces I knew would be there , ( fully well knowing that most of the catching up would be a wave, a smile, and a nod), but it would […]
