Sisters Mary Shruti, Mary Vijaya, Mary Sarita, Mary Madhuri, Mary Manasi, Mary Manjukta, and Mary Sunari attended a Seminar at the Institute of Consecrated Life—Sanyasa, Bangalore, India, on the theme Pilgrims of Hope Ensuring ‘Dignitas Infinita’ for God’s people. The purpose of the seminar was to understand and reflect on the document ‘Dignitas Infinita’ along with the 2025 Jubilee theme.
There were five plenary sessions held over the period of two days. Fr Paulson Veliyannoor, CMF, gave a very elaborate presentation about the background of this document and its chapters that speak about a growing awareness of the centrality of human dignity, the role of the Church in proclaiming, promoting, and assuring it, and the grave violations that are happening in the present world. In the second session, Fr. Jose Cristo Rey, CMF, spoke about the pneumatology of Dignity and Hope. Post lunch, there was a voluntary poster presentation on the theme of the seminar for which prior registration was required. Ten creative and insightful posters were displayed by different Congregations.
The third session was on “Recovering Hope and Dignity of the Pilgrims in the Indian Peripheries” by Fr. George Kannathanam. Issues highlighting the degrading hope and dignity in the Indian scenario were brought up. Practical and concrete actions were also discussed on how Indian religion could be a beacon of hope and dignity to the marginalized and the poor. Day one ended with the celebration of the Holy Eucharist by His Excellency Peter Machado, Archbishop of Bangalore.
The fourth session on day two was led by Sr. Lalita Thomas, SJT, who was one of the women religious representatives of India and Asia at the Synod. She spoke about “Hope of Dignity within the Church and Consecrated Life.” Her sharing was mainly based on the experience of synodality during the first and second synod assemblies. The fifth session of the seminar was led by Bro. Paul Raj, SG based on “Ministers of Hope and Dignity: Formative Implications.” The session was directed towards addressing issues related to hope and dignity in religious formation. The seminar was concluded with a panel discussion where the speakers of days one and two answered and clarified the questions of the participants.
It was a deeply enriching experience. The sessions provided profound insights into the sacredness of every human life and reinforced our commitment to treating others with respect, compassion, and love. Through engaging discussions and reflective moments, we gained a deeper understanding of how to uphold human dignity in our daily interactions and community service.
by Dreamhost