By Anto Akkara Kandhamal, an obscure jungle district in Odisha –one of the least developed among 766 districts in India– is now known all over the world. The credit goes to the poor but valiant Christians who embraced martyrdom like the ‘Early Christians’ when they were threatened with death toContinue Reading
By Astrid Lobo Gajiwala Mumbai, Nov 2, 2023: A sign of hope for women is that for the first time in the “his-story” of the Catholic Church all the 54 women present at the synod were permitted to vote on the final document. Another is the separate section devoted toContinue Reading
By Ladislaus Louis D’Souza Mumbai, Oct 21, 2023: “Missionary work is not something that is reserved for a select few individuals. It is the vocation of all Christians,” says Father Ambrose Pichaimuthu, national director, Pontifical Mission Organizations. If one could cite a single concrete example of the direct relationship ofContinue Reading
By M L Satyan Bengaluru, Oct 20, 2023: The sudden war between Israel and Hamas Terrorists and the horrendous situation prevailing in Gaza and parts of Israel are really heart-breaking. Just last year we witnessed the war between Russia and Ukraine. Why war in the first place? Is it forContinue Reading
By R M Emmanuel Akilan Devakottai, Oct 16, 2023: “I know that you are all Jesuits, but are you all Catholics?” asked a bishop in northeastern India when a group of Jesuits met him during the first phase of the Synod. This sarcastic and pessimistic attitude was shared by manyContinue Reading
By Cedric Prakash Ahmedabad, Oct 1, 2023: On October 1, the world will once again observe the ‘International Day of Older Persons,. It is the 33rd commemoration of this United Nations Day. ‘ Such days are often relegated to tokenism and cosmetic exercises filled with a plethora of speeches andContinue Reading
By M L Satyan Bengaluru, Sept 4, 2023: In June this year I had an opportunity to conduct training for teachers in Jharkhand. During the training I found most of them “syllabus-focussed.” Their main concern was completing their syllabus and preparing students for examinations. This seems to be the caseContinue Reading
By P. A. Chacko Dumka, Aug 27, 2023: The ritual war fought on the Kerala terrain by the traditionalists and the progressives of the Syro-Malabar Church seems to be like the Kurukshetra war. Both sides are adamant. Each faction wants it to be a fight to the finish. The laityContinue Reading
By M L Satyan Bengaluru, Aug 26, 2023: Chandrayaan-3 was launched on July 14. The lander and rover landed near the lunar south pole region at 6:02 pm on August 23, making India the first country to successfully land a spacecraft near the lunar south pole and the fourth countryContinue Reading
By Robancy A. Helen Tiruchirappalli, Aug 21, 2023: As I celebrated Holy Week and the Easter season, I reflected back on another celebration this year in my home parish (Our Lady the Healer Church in Karumandapam, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, south India). We were celebrating the Day of Consecrated Life onContinue Reading