While bouts of heavy rain continued to accompany us in Bangalore during the last week of the General Conference, we were able to conduct our meetings and visits without interruption.
Fr. Charles Lasrado, SJ, Director of St. Joseph’s College of Commerce in Bangalore, joined us on October 15 for a presentation on finance, stewardship and sustainability. It was evident that Father is a master teacher as he used case studies and discussion to keep us engaged while helping us gain a deeper understanding of implications of financial principles, civil and canon law in real-life situations. We spent a day reviewing plans for the 175th Congreational jubilee in 2025, preparations for the young sisters gathering in March, 2025, reviewing and offering suggestions regarding the draft of a comprehensive tertian program for the congregation, needs for personnel at the Motherhouse and other topics.
On Thursday, October 17, we visited the local community and Notre Dame Academy in Choodasandra. Unfortunately, we missed seeing the over 2000 students since the school had to be closed due to the persistent rains. We still enjoyed being greeted by many teachers who came for the day, toured of the wonderful school facilities and had a festive lunch served to us by members of the Parent-Teacher Association. During morning refreshments at the sister’s house, each Sister shared about her ministry and members of the women’s empowerment group greeted us with songs and dancing.
Our last two days of meetings gave us the opportunity to learn more about healthcare for our sisters. Dayna Larson-Hurst, a registered nurse from the USA who has worked for many years helping religious communities plan for appropriate care for their elderly sisters, gave us a presentation entitled “Growing Together,” focused on understanding our sisters who experience dementia and other types of cognitive memory loss. Provincial and Delegation Superiors also had a group sharing about providing for the physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual needs of all our sisters. This was a valuable forum for sharing new learnings and best practices.
We are most grateful to Sr. Mary Chetana and the sisters of the Bangalore province for their hospitality and gracious welcome during our stay. We also thank Sr. Mary Alice and our sisters in the Patna province for their welcome before and after the conference to experience the life and ministry of our Sisters in northern India. Thank you, Sisters, for your prayers and interest during the days of the General Conference!
by Dreamhost