SCC National Convention Evaluation was a Booster!

Kolkata: The evaluation of the SCC National Hindi Convention proved a great energizer to the Kolkata Archdiocese in its effort to progress the SCC which has been existing in the Archdiocese for the past 30 years. The evaluation was held at Archbishop’s House on 9th November, 2019. In spite of the bad weather conditions, due to cyclone Bulbul, on 9th November 2019, the Religious Priests, Sisters and lay Animators attended the meeting held in Archbishop’s House at 10:00 am. The Meeting started with a Bible procession, a song sung by Fr. Dominic Gomes, Vicar General, and the participants.

The Word of God was read in Hindi and Bengali. Words of appreciation were given by Fr. Dominic Gomes, to the Parish Priests, Sisters and lay Cooperators who came forward to make the National
Hindi Convention a great success. He also apologized for some issues which went wrong as regards transport, etc. on 25th October, the first day of the Convention.

There was a sharing session, from the parishes, which iterated that the SCC must be spread in the Kolkata Archdiocese in order to strengthen the faith of each other. Many Parishes expressed that though the weather was bad, the people moved with full support and dedication to meet the delegates at the railway stations/airport or and to pick the outstation delegates from their parishes and take them to the houses/parishes/institutions. They also shared how difficult it was in the beginning to convince
the parishioners to keep the delegates in their homes but as time came near, the parishioners just came forward themselves and volunteered to play host to the delegates. There were some delegates who reached at midnight, but that also did not stop the families from welcoming them into their homes.

The 26th October 2019 “Exposure Program” held in every parish was a real lifetime memory event, as in most of the parishes all the parishioners participated and gave support in whatever way possible. It made everyone realise that neither age nor color comes in the way when everyone comes
together as one family in Christ. Everyone realized that the Holy Spirit was present and working  through each and every member so nothing could affect whether it was the bad weather condition or transport not reaching on time or even if it did not reach, everyone was at the St. Xavier’s College Ground on the 25th and 27th October 2019.

The touching point of our delegates staying with us was that they became a part of our families. There was no barrier of language and they too, like family members, visited houses around them. The
departure made great impact on our Parishioners. They were in tears while departing from each other. As a result, they are now in touch with them. Some parishes have made WhatsApp groups. Some offered gifts as a token of their love and the outstation guests also too have invited them to their houses. Some of the points to reflect and a strong message given by Father Soosai, it was that it was
an extraordinary moment of Grace descended on all. We now need to capture this beautiful opportunity and not allow it to fade but keep our churches alive vibrantly with SCCs – the grassroot Churches in every neighborhood. The meeting ended with a fellowship meal.

SCC NATIONAL HINDI CONVENTION 2019

ALTHEA PHILIPS

Kolkata, 25 October 2019:When it rains it pours. And poured it did, that too, quite mercilessly, on Friday, the first day of the SCC Hindi National Convention 2019. But neither the rains nor the flooded muddy field of the St Xavier's College ground could deter the 5000 faithful who had turned up from 50 parishes across the Hindi-speaking parts of the country; including the 1500 from parishes across Kolkata.

Held for the second time in the country, the three day national convention’s theme this year was "The prophetic role of SCC today." Even as the choir sang hymns in praise of Yeshu, the archbishops and bishops trooped in, at sharp 9 am for the inaugural ceremony. All the guests were received on stage and welcomed with flowers and utorios. After the lamp lighting ceremony His Grace Thomas D’Souza, Archbishop of Calcutta addressed the gathering. Then a Bible Procession saw the Bible being brought on a palanquin to the stage where it was enthroned by Bishop Clement Tirkey, regional SCC chairperson.

Bishop Anand Jojo of Hazaribagh then started the proceedings by dwelling on the theme this year. He stressed that God wants us to be united in love and harmony despite the diversity in society. "We need to return to the Lord, listen to Him understand and imbibe his teachings. Remember there is strength in unity. We must serve society selflessly."

After a prayer for the success of the Convention and a dance performance, Rev Fr Francis Scaria set the tone of the day by defining the term “prophet.” According to the Old Testament a prophet is one
who is called by God, anointed by God faithful to God and who listens to God. No one can become a prophet by himself. God has to choose him and make him a prophet. A prophet stands at the breach
as he has the task to remove the weakness of the community. He is the guard of Gods people, a warrior for the Church. The life of a prophet is a message. He is the one who reconciles people with the Lord.

Rev Scaria went on to outline the six points which a true prophet must follow.
1. He has to listen to God
2. He has to save what he has heard and learnt in his heart and make his path pure.
3. He has to create a special relation with God
4. He has to dutifully follow His words and live according to His will and His words.
5. He then has to make the people listen to him by spreading it fearlessly.
6. He has to consult with God.
We need to beware of false prophets, said Scaria, pointing out that Jesus was like the greatest prophet of the Old Testament, Moses; but also so much more.

Up next was a CD release made by the Morning Star seminary; and Rev Fr Ignatius Sarto's vote of thanks brought the morning session to an end. After a short tea break, the Inaugural Mass commenced with Archbishop Thomas D’Souza as the main celebrant, and about 15 other prelates and 100s of priests concelebrating.

In his sermon His Grace dwelt on the two seas the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea: While the first was life giving the latter was not. We needed to be like the Sea of Galilee and serve society to make our lives meaningful, said the archbishop. Holy Communion saw 30 Fathers giving communion to the gathering, under colourful umbrellas.

In the post lunch session, Bishop Gerald John Mathias underlined the duties of a prophet. Our mission as SCC units was not just prayers and social service but to use SCCs as instruments to transform people's lives. We need to light the world and bring people back to the right path. He stressed that it would be a good idea to go back to the early church by recapturing its spirit. We are living in a society full of social evils so it is our duty as prophets to clean it and raise our voices against these evils. We can make a start by doing things like carpooling, not wasting food, water and electricity, self employment opportunities and fight for our human rights. We need to know how our
brethren can use the various government schemes on offer. Christians need to shine like stars in the sky to lead the people who have lost their way.

Five people were invited to share personal testimonials on how SCCs had benefited them. Fr Avinash from Asansol; Sameer from Ajmer; Peter from Tezpur; Fr Lucas from Barielly and Custudio from Delhi, all spoke emphatically for the time allotted to them. Most Rev Vincent Aind the Bishop of Bagdogra then took the stage to speak on the importance of the Eucharist. It is the symbol of unity love happiness and purity and is Jesus's presence in our lives, he concluded.

The eagerly awaited segment of the day was the cultural programme. The SCC teams from Hazaribagh, Delhi and Khandwa put up short plays on their SCC meetings while the teams from Orissa and Assam put up superb dance performances. The evening ended with songs from the Kolkata Christian Choir, led by Dilip Gomes.

On 26 October, Day 2 of the Convention, delegates stayed at their host parishes instead of coming to St. Xavier’s. There, along with the local community they shared Mass, meals, prayers and cultural shows. Each of the 13 participating Parishes had a bishop as guest, or an SCC National Team member, too.


27 October, Day 3 of the SCC National Convention kicked off on a musical note with the charismatic Raymond Baptiste singing hymns like Shukriya, Aaj Yeshu zinda hai, Parmeshwar Pita and Ho teri stuti aur aradhana.

The special guest for the day was Most Rev Anil Couto, the Archbishop of Delhi. Rev Fr Peter Emmanuel and Rev Fr Thomas Vijay conducted an interactive session with the SCC animators where they were asked what challenges they had to face to do God’s work among the masses. Like on Friday, few were called on stage to share their success stories in their local SCCs. Addressing the gathering Archbishop Anil Couto said we need to keep God before us to fulfill our mission forgetting our petty differences, cultural and language, etc.

After a short tea break and an action song Nachoonga gaaonga, Sister Christine Joseph and Rev Ignatius Mascarenhas summarised the events of the Convention in a power point presentation. Fr Ignatius said we need to be aware of the signs of the time and work together to combat the evils that have crept into society. A prophet is one who is never made on his own strength but on what God had
told him to do. The word of God is the prophet’s food. Jesus as a prophet transformed the mind of the people. We need to make Jesus our icon.

Sister Christine comparing food to the word of God said don't rush but enjoy the food in small amounts in the same way savour the word of God. If we savour God’s words, we become the word of God. Prophets have to be the conscience keepers of today's society. Rev Ignatius pointed out that meeting and communicating has become the biggest challenge today. We need to bring people together and heal their hearts. The need of the hour is unity and harmony and listening to the cry of the poor as Pope Francis urged. Prophets have to be the paths themselves to transform society from within. Christ is a living God and he is on a mission and it is through the SCCs that His mission can be fulfilled.

Holy Mass followed with the chief celebrant being Archbishop Anil Couto. In his homily he pointed out that it is difficult to share with one another but this has been made possible with the help of the SCCs. In fact India is setting an example to the whole world and the West is looking to us to guide them. Remember there is no end to reflecting on the word of God. God has chosen you all to be his prophets so go forth fearlessly. Jesus has taught us how to bear our cross and walk behind him as humble apostles of peace. This is a big responsibility for the SCCs but it's a joyful one as you have been chosen to give light to be the salt and bring about newness everywhere.

Twenty four priests gave Holy Communion to the around 5000 gathering, in a very efficient manner. Finally, Rev Fr George Jacob gave the vote of thanks. Calcutta’s Archbishop Thomas D’Souza and the Vicar General, Msgr Dominic Gomes were felicitated with shawls and mementoes for hosting the national convention so beautifully. Sister Christine and Fr Thomas Vijay were given a standing ovation for their untiring efforts to make the event such a great success, too. Fr Faustine Pinto gave the concluding remarks while Archbishop Thomas D’Souza gave the final blessing, after which the Bible, and the convention were formally closed and the gathering went for a scrumptious final lunch before departure.

Many at home across the country watched both days of the Convention at St. Xavier’s on their phones and Internet devices as the event was webcast Live on the Calcutta Archdiocese website and shared on various Social platforms, too.

More photos of the event on: fb.me/calcuttaarchdiocese
Live stream archive clips of the event: www.youtube.com/c/archdiocesannewsnetwork