BIS Mumbai
BOSCO INFORMATION SERVICE # 3245
PATHARDI ADVENT RECOLLECTION FOR JESUITS
Bento D’Souza
BHINGAR-AHMEDNAGAR, NOVEMBER 29, 2012 : Fr. Dr. Nelson Falcao SDB preached the Advent Recollection to 
eighteen Jesuits on the Kristapurana of Englishman Thomas Stephens at Pathardi on November 27, 2012 from 10.00 am. to 1 o’clock.
In a carefully prepared process presentation, Fr Nelson F. integrated human development using the evaluation and visioning model called six hats of lateral thinking and linked it to the rich creativity of Thomas Stephen’s Kristapuranic Christian thought, philosophy & theology.
In the six hats exercise he evoked from all pure information of the Ahmednagar area, sharing of personal feeling, described the benefits, plotted the advantages, charted the new frontiers and made known the dangers of not taking the story of Jesus seriously as a sure compass and benchmark for our future Church life.
Besides, he invited the Jesuits to make an analysis and reflection of the present real situation of the Ahmednagar District and design the future course of action in view of the burning issue of Marriages and divorces-annulments taking place in Marriage tribunals and do something positive about dealing with the issues. The participants had ample opportunity to present their points of views regards designing their strategic road into the future.
This was an eye-opening process and the input integrated both human development and religious ideology. The Jesuits who listened were amazed at the rich heritage that Thomas Stephens leaves behind, as an enduring legacy of faith and devotion.
No more can Jesuits lament that ‘a religious community is one, where people come together without knowing each other, stay together without loving each other and die together, without mourning each other’. The Jesuits mourned the loss of the death of Thomas Stephens and his vision for Marathi-Christian literature and committed themselves to fulfill in their life-time the mission and mandate of making Christ and his Kingdom a reality in the lives of all people, Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam.
The loss of the work of T. S. by the Jesuits to the archives of History marks the gain of Salesians who have unearthed an exquisite and valuable catechetical tool for new evangelization in the poetic content of the Kristapurana, just four hundred years later. Decades ago, what began as a elitist art- form (genre) called the Kirtan in the portals of art and artistes in Church, now becomes available in the mainstream of the common man’s home, the streets and market place as the Christ of the ordinary human beings in the Kristapurana epic.
Congratulations to Fr. Nelson Falcao for being welcomed to intervene in the ‘ethos’ and ‘psyche’ of the Sons of Ignatius Loyola, our Partners in Ministry, and relevantly contribute what Thomas Stephen has to offer Marathi Life, Tradition & Culture today as a result of his erudite scholarship and successful academic Ph. D. ( Powering holistic Development) treasure hunt.
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