Cl. Dustin Yarde sdb
DIVYADAAN, MARCH 05, 2012: On March 1, 2012, the community of Divyadaan bade farewell to all the outgoing brothers who successfully completed their beautiful years of initial formation at Divyadaan. Three of the twenty three brothers were preparing to receive their perpetual profession and the remainder for their practical training.
The day began with an animated meditation leading the community to thank God for all the beautiful moments of fellowship and for the gift of these brothers who enriched the community in these past years with all their varied talents and personalities. In the evening, the entire community came together as a family to partake in the Lord's Supper. The outgoing brothers entered in procession with lit candles, while the celebrants were welcomed with an aarti. During the Holy Eucharist, Fr. Savio D'Souza, the Rector of Divyadaan exhorted the brothers to build up a loving Father-Son relationship with God as well as healthy loving relations with those who would be entrusted to their care, as they were on the threshold of moving into another phase of their formation. He further exhorted them to give of their very best in all that they do and to be 'Divyadaan' or 'God's gift' to all their beneficiaries, wherever they went.
After the Holy Eucharist, there was a family get-together for the occasion. Fr. Matthew inaugurated this thanksgiving programme with his welcome note where he reminded the brothers that while we are happy for them, at the same time we cannot ignore the sadness within us due to their departures. The brothers of different courses staged songs, a dance, a well prepared address cum Power Point presentation and a party game for the outgoing brothers. The outgoing brothers expressed their sentiments of thanksgiving by way of a Hindi song. The brothers who would be celebrating their birthdays away from the community joined in the cutting of a common birthday cake. The celebrations then came to an end with dinner and night prayers.
During the Good Night talk, on behalf of the outgoing brothers, Cl. Anil expressed gratitude to the community for everything received. He brought alive the words of Don Bosco to one of his benefactress, 'Sana, Sapienta, Sancta' which meant 'be healthy, be wise and be holy'.