New Wine in New Wine Skins, Patna, India

Our Lady of the Assumption Province, Patna
Province Assembly, October 18^_20, 2017
Theme: New Wine in New Wine Skins

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The province assembly saw the gathering of 125 Sisters at the Provincial House, Patna, from all our 33 affiliations. It was a joy to have Sister Mary Sreeja, the Assistant General, and Sister M. Marina, the Treasurer General, present for the assembly. We were privileged to have Sister M. Sujita as the facilitator of the proceedings.

The theme of assembly was “New Wine in New Wine Skins.”  In her orientation talk, Sister M. Tessy, quoting Pope Francis, said, “Consecrated life today is placed before a lot of challenges. During this difficult and hard period, we are asked to reproduce the holiness and creativity of (our) own founders.”

Fr. Louis Prakash, SJ, a well known social activist, gave a very enlightening presentation on the present social, political, and cultural scenario in our country. He commented on the laudable work our Sisters are doing in the area of women’s development.

Sister M. Sreeja gave an overview of the document “New Wine in New Wineskins” and enriched the assembly with her sharing on the lived reality in other provinces and delegations.

A very significant segment of the time was devoted to presentations by the ministry co-ordinators. On the second day of the assembly, group discussions and plenary sessions focused on the issues, needs, and possibilities.  The participation in the discussions was commendable, with respectful listening and a discerning spirit.

Various communities took take care of the morning and evening prayers.  The well-prepared prayer sessions, with relevant reflections on the theme using multimedia and soul-elevating melodies, added richness to the assembly days

The celebrants of the liturgy: Fr. Jose Vadassery, SJ, Fr. Pius Thekkemury, SJ, and Fr. Gregory Gomes, SJ, propounded deep reflection on the chapter theme. They energized and challenged the assembly to be open to the new wine that is being poured into our wineskins.

The general feeling at the concluding session was one of deep satisfaction and gratitude for the experience of the province assembly. There were many favourable comments on the mature tone of the discussions and the whole-hearted participation of the members. We thank and praise God for the peaceful and fruitful province assembly, 2017.