Ivan Rodrigues sdb
AHMEDNAGAR, OCTOBER 7, 2009: “St. Therese of the Child Jesus or the Little Flower as she was affectionately called always did the Will of God in her life. Better known for her simplicity and utter humility, she is a model to be imitated in all our homes.” This was the message Fr. Vishwas Pereira sdb, the principal celebrant shared with the people of Tokewadi on the feast of the St. Therese, the patroness of the mission and of the village. He also drew other examples from the saint’s life and asked the faithful to bring up their children in a spiritual environment.
The liturgy was well animated and lively. As the Eucharist commenced there was heavy rain, but that did not dampen the spirit of the villagers. Rain on the feast day considered auspicious and blessings from God even as the region experienced deficient rains this year.
Tokewadi is situated on the outskirts of the Agadgoan village - a hilly terrain, about 25 km away from Ahmednagar, is looked after by St. John’s Church parish community. Some families moved out of Agadgon and made their habitation near their fields. The Salesians helped few families to build their homes. The people were given religious instructions and prepared well for the reception of the sacraments. The chapel was built in 1998 under the direction of Frs. Lloyd Rodrigues and Manuel Murzello, and inaugurated by Fr. Stephen Rodrigues the then vice – provincial of the Mumbai province.
The 13 catholic families are economically backward and rely very much on the good monsoon for their crops. Realizing the importance of education the parents send their children to school; and some have even completed their higher secondary education. Two boys had expressed their desire to join priesthood but the poor family situation has forced them to give priorities to work in the fields. Till today there is no electricity in their locality. There are huge windmills around the village that produces electricity but not for the villagers. The people hope that the situation will improve and they will see better days ahead.
During the last visitation, the Provincial Fr. Michael Fernandes blessed the people with his visit encouraging them to grow in their faith. The parish community is grateful to Cl. Ashwin Macwan from Don Bosco Youth Centre, Pune, has given a helping hand in catechizing the children during the last two years. Of late Dn. Briston Britto followed up the group. The Salesian priests celebrate the Eucharist in the village every fortnight while the catechist visits them every week.
AHMEDNAGAR, OCTOBER 7, 2009: “St. Therese of the Child Jesus or the Little Flower as she was affectionately called always did the Will of God in her life. Better known for her simplicity and utter humility, she is a model to be imitated in all our homes.” This was the message Fr. Vishwas Pereira sdb, the principal celebrant shared with the people of Tokewadi on the feast of the St. Therese, the patroness of the mission and of the village. He also drew other examples from the saint’s life and asked the faithful to bring up their children in a spiritual environment.
The liturgy was well animated and lively. As the Eucharist commenced there was heavy rain, but that did not dampen the spirit of the villagers. Rain on the feast day considered auspicious and blessings from God even as the region experienced deficient rains this year.
Tokewadi is situated on the outskirts of the Agadgoan village - a hilly terrain, about 25 km away from Ahmednagar, is looked after by St. John’s Church parish community. Some families moved out of Agadgon and made their habitation near their fields. The Salesians helped few families to build their homes. The people were given religious instructions and prepared well for the reception of the sacraments. The chapel was built in 1998 under the direction of Frs. Lloyd Rodrigues and Manuel Murzello, and inaugurated by Fr. Stephen Rodrigues the then vice – provincial of the Mumbai province.
The 13 catholic families are economically backward and rely very much on the good monsoon for their crops. Realizing the importance of education the parents send their children to school; and some have even completed their higher secondary education. Two boys had expressed their desire to join priesthood but the poor family situation has forced them to give priorities to work in the fields. Till today there is no electricity in their locality. There are huge windmills around the village that produces electricity but not for the villagers. The people hope that the situation will improve and they will see better days ahead.
During the last visitation, the Provincial Fr. Michael Fernandes blessed the people with his visit encouraging them to grow in their faith. The parish community is grateful to Cl. Ashwin Macwan from Don Bosco Youth Centre, Pune, has given a helping hand in catechizing the children during the last two years. Of late Dn. Briston Britto followed up the group. The Salesian priests celebrate the Eucharist in the village every fortnight while the catechist visits them every week.