Monthly Recollection

The Monthly Recollection for January will be held on Wednesday, the 11th of Jan, 2012.

Programme:

10.00 am : Holy Hour
11.15 am : Discussion

PRF / ECMF

The Vicar General requests the diocesan priests to say 12 Masses for intention of ECMF and PRF for the year 2011 and send the Notification slip to the Financial Administrator as early as possible.

Note from the Financial Desk

The Financial Administrator requests those Parish Priests who have not paid their Diocesan Collection for the year 2011 to pay it before the 15th of January 2012.

From the Chancellor’s Desk

Every year, we are expected to send a consolidated statistical report of our diocese to the Congregation for Evangelization of Peoples, Rome. To facilitate this spruces, the Chancellor will be mailing the Annual Return Form to all the parish priests in duplicate. The Parish Priests are requested to send one copy of the completed form to the Chancellor before the end of Jan 2012 and retain the other in the parish file.

Important Events of December 2011

1.Bishop went to Mannargudi (Infant Jesus Church) for Confirmation on 4 Dec.
2.New Presbytery in the Charismatic Centre was blessed and opened by the Bishop on 5 Dec.
3.Bishop celebrated Christmas along with the vicariate priests in Palayamkottai. It was followed by a concelebrated mass since it was his feast day as well.
4.On 9 Dec, Bishop blessed the Tsunami Warning System at Vailankanni.
5.A village chapel was blessed in Malayapuram in Ammapet Parish on 11 Dec.
6.On 13 Dec, Bishop blessed and opened St Xavier’s Commercial Building at Vallam.
7.The Senate Meeting was held at the Pastoral Centre on 16 Dec.
8.Bishop celebrated Christmas at Osanam Illam, Thanjavur on 16 Dec.
9.Christmas Celebration for the Diocesan Higher Educations Institutions was held at Don Bosco Auditorium on 17 Dec.
10.Bishop participated in the Children Sponsorship Christmas Programme at the Pastoral Centre on 18 Dec.
11.Bishop blessed the Grotto at Thatchankurichy on 20 Dec

Message of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI for Celebrating the World Day of Peace
EDUCATING YOUNG PEOPLE IN JUSTICE AND PEACE

I would like to devote this message for the XLV World Day of Peace to the theme of education: “Educating Young People in Justice and Peace”, in the conviction that the young, with their enthusiasm and idealism, can offer new hope to the world.

Educators

First of all, parents are the first educators. The family is the primary cell of society; “it is in the family that children learn the human and Christian values which enable them to have a constructive and peaceful coexistence. It is in the family that they learn solidarity between the generations, respect for rules, forgiveness and how   to welcome others.” (1) The family is the first school in which we are trained in justice and peace.

The presence of the parents makes it possible to share more deeply in the journey of life and thus to pass on experiences and convictions gained with the passing of the years, experiences and convictions which can only be communicated by spending time together. I would urge parents not to grow disheartened! May they encourage children by the example of their lives to put their hope before all else in God, the one source of authentic justice and peace.

I would also like to address a word to those in charge of educational institutions: with a great sense of responsibility may they ensure that the dignity of each person is always respected and appreciated.

Every educational setting can be a place of openness to the transcendent and to others; a place of dialogue, cohesiveness and attentive listening, where young people feel appreciated for their personal abilities and inner riches, and can learn to esteem their brothers and sisters.

Educating in truth and freedom

The human face of a society depends very much on the contribution of education to keep this irrepressible question alive. Education, indeed, is concerned with the integral formation of the person, including the moral and spiritual dimension, focused upon man’s final end and the good of the society to which he belongs. Therefore, in order to educate in truth, it is necessary first and foremost to know who the human person is, to know human nature. The grateful recognition that life is an inestimable gift, then, leads to the discovery of one’s own profound dignity and the inviolability of every single person.

The right use of freedom is central to the promotion of justice and peace, which require respect for oneself and others, including those whose way of being and living differs greatly from one’s own. This attitude engenders the elements without which peace and justice remain merely words without content: mutual trust, the capacity to hold constructive dialogue, the possibility of forgiveness, which one constantly wishes to receive but finds hard to bestow, mutual charity, compassion towards the weakest, as well as readiness to make sacrifices.

Educating in justice

Justice is not simply a human convention, since what is just is ultimately determined not by positive law, but by the profound identity of the human being. It is the integral vision of man that saves us from falling into a contractual conception of justice and enables us to locate justice within the horizon of solidarity and love.

Educating in peace

Peace for all is the fruit of justice for all, and no one can shirk this essential task of promoting justice, according to one’s particular areas of competence and responsibility. To the young, who have such a strong attachment to ideals, I extend a particular invitation to be patient and persevering in seeking justice and peace, in cultivating the taste for what is just and true, even when it involves sacrifice and swimming against the tide.

Raising one’s eyes to God

Let us look with greater hope to the future; let us encourage one another on our journey; let us work together to give our world a more humane and fraternal face; and let us feel a common responsibility towards present and future generations, especially in the task of training them to be people of peace and builders of peace. With these thoughts I offer my reflections and I appeal to everyone: let us pool our spiritual, moral and material resources for the great goal of “educating young people in justice and peace”.

From the Vatican, 8 December 2011