Bangalore – The 27th plenary assembly of Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) honoured a five member team, including three members of the Salesian Family, on February 3, in Bangalore, for their contribution to the drawing up of the Catechetical Directory of India.
The honour was accorded on the occasion of the release of the first National Catechetical Directory of India, which took place during the CCBI meeting held in Bangalore at St. John`s Medical College of Health Sciences. The three honoured were, Salesian priests Fr. Jayapalan SDB and Fr. Gilbert Choondal SDB, and Salesian nun Sr. Teresa Joseph FMA.
Bishop Antony Devotta, Chairman of the Catechetical Commission of CCBI, who introduced the Catechetical Directory, praised the initiative taken by Fr. Jayapalan, the then CCBI secretary of the Commission for Catechetics, to bring to light the directory which had been in the making since several years. The other two members of the project were Fr. Herve Morisette CSC and Fr. Alfred Vaz of Goa diocese. Bishop Devotta praised the contribution of the Salesians, and especially Fr. Gilbert Choondal who was the resource bank for the team.
The directory was released in the presence of CCBI president Cardinal Oswald Garcias, Apostolic Nuncio to India and Nepal Archbishop Salvatore Pennecchio, Cardinal Tarcisius Toppo, Archbishop Bernard Moras, Fr. Stephen Alathara, the CCBI Deputy Secretary, and all the member bishops of CCBI. “The directory is not a book that contains addresses or list of names of people but guidelines and instructions for the catechetical ministry in India,” clarified Bishop Devotta while introducing the Directory to the bishops.
The directory is titled “Fostering Faith of a Pilgrim People”. The members of the directory project were invited to the dais with the eminent guests and given a standing ovation by the 130 member bishops.