Matthew Coutinho sdb
MATUNGA, JUNE 19, 2008: The annual meeting of the Rectors and Leaders of Communities of the Mumbai Province began with a Eucharistic Celebration presided over by the Provincial Fr. Michael Fernandes at 9.00 am on June 18, 2008. Fr. Michael, in his homily, presented a stirring reminder of the role of the superior. As animator of the community, he is called to serve his brothers and to care for their needs. Among his primary responsibilities is to extend to them praise and recognition, in a spirit of self-donation and availability. Building strong communities will also ensure that the mission is accomplished faithful to the charism of Don Bosco in a spirit of faith. Elude The first session of the morning, presided over by Fr. Michael was preceded by a short clip on the meaning of Leadership. After welcoming the newly-appointed rectors, Fr. Michael dedicated the session to highlighting some of the more practical aspects of the role of the leader of the community in the light of the Province Directory that was updated at PC 2006. He exhorted a greater attention to the spiritual life of the community and care for practical trainees and those in initial formation. The final session of the morning consisted in an interesting input on the “Rights Based Approach” that has taken on greater significance in the light of the Strenna of the Rector Major for the current year. The resource person was Mr. Josanthony Joseph who dealt with the topic using his expertise in theology and advocacy. He indicated the evolving understanding that the Church has about its mission of practicing the commandment of love, noting a similar evolution in the way social workers see their task in society. With very apt examples from the present day scenario in the field of human rights and social work he proceeded to explain the need to move from a ‘charity-welfare’ ‘needs-based’ approach to a ‘liberation-transformation’ ‘rights-based’ approach. The post-lunch session was dedicated to examining the calendar for the year 2008-2009, with Fr. Godfrey D’Souza, Vice Provincial, indicating significant events that need to be marked in our calendars. Also discussed was the holiday apostolate of brothers in formation. Suggestions were made to introduce them to varied settings in the province ensuring they have a wide experience of the different apostolates. A brief presentation followed of some of the software programs being developed in Bosco Institute of Technology, Kurla, using free and open source software. The final session of the day was dedicated to an update on the various activities which form part of the Social Outreach of the province managed by Don Bosco Development Society. Fr. Savio Silveira lucidly presented the main activities being carried out and presented the priorities that could form part of each communities planning for the year ahead. Much is already being done and with networking and support we can truly reach out to those who are needy and marginalized in the spirit of article 33 of our constitutions.