On Saturday, March 7th 2015, the canonical visit to the Region of India made by Father Javier and Father Pankras ended with an assembly and the Eucharist.
Javier and Pankras began their visit February 15 in Bangaloru (Karnataka) where Damien Seminary with some twenty students is located. Afterwards they went to Bhubaneswar (Odhisa) where the regional novitiate was begun just a few months ago. In that city there is also a community that serves the “Damien Institute,” founded by Bill Petrie ss.cc. in 1983. Finally they visited the communities of the area of Kolkata (West Bengal): two parishes (Dum Dum and Serampore) and the house of formation of professed in Dandadighila.
The SSCC community in India is a region of the USA Province. There are currently 18 professed brothers in India, 4 in temporary vows, over 6 local communities. There are four novices. Two brothers come from the USA. In addition to these 18 brothers in local communities, there are another 2 in special situations.
Moreover, there are 8 Indian brothers elsewhere in the Congregation: 5 in USA, 1 in Tonga, I in London I in the General House in Rome. Golok Poricha prepares himself to join the international community in Louvain.
The visitors were also with the sisters who have a community in Bhubaneswar (aspirant) and the other in Kolkata (pre-novitiate).
One of the main developments in recent time in the region has been the construction of the two houses of formation, inaugurated last year: Dangadighila (Kolkata) and the one in Bangaloru both with the capacity for more than thirty persons.
This young community of the Congregation is not without challenges: expanding the apostolic work, finding ways of self-financing, the accompaniment and discernment of vocations. All that exists in a context sometimes aggressive towards Christians, especially on the part of radical Hindus.
Click here to see pictures of the visit in the Galleries of SSCC Pictures
03/08/2015