By Matters India Reporter
Panaji: The Daughters of St Paul in India are using traditional and social media to spread the Gospel message in various parts of the country.
They now reach out to parishes in cities and villages in the country, during this Pauline Biblical Year that was launched globally on November 26, 2020.
Their co-founder Venerable Thecla Merlo also had exhorted them, “Give wings and feet to the Gospel that it may travel far and wide.”
The theme of the Biblical year is the quote from their patron St Paul, “That the Word of the Lord may speed forward” (2 Thess 3:1).
Sister Nancy D’Souza, who led the program in Secunderabad, Telangana, said they visited families in two villages where they encouraged people to read a passage from the Bible and share their reflections other members.
“Most families are poor and had members slaves to alcohol,” she told Matters Day March 14, the concluding day.
She said the passage (Col 3:12-21) befits the families as it includes everything needed to build up relationships. Besides reflective Bible Reading in families, the nun organized Way of the Cross, competitions in Bible Quiz, drawing, painting and Bible story-telling in the parish.
The Claretian pastors in the parish had asked parishioners to post on their main entrance a Bible quote that impressed them the most. The priests also invited other priests to enlighten the parishioners in reading the Bible during the weeklong program,” Sister D’Souza added.
At Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu, the nuns began the Bible Week with a procession around the remote village carrying banner and placards of Bible Quotes.
“While we walked we recited Psalm 119, which speaks of the commandments and the importance of Word of God,” explained Sister Shyni Dharmanayagam, a team member.
The procession concluded at the parish church where they enthroned the Bible, and the parish priest spoke about the importance of the Bible in one’s life, she added.
According to Sister Dharmanayagam, “An audio-visual Way of the Cross, and various programs for children like Bible Quiz, Catechism classes and games are in progress during the weeklong program.”
In Panaji, capital of Goa, the nuns organized programs for children and the elderly at Sebastian’s Church.
They conducted quiz on the day’s liturgical readings and awarded the winners before the Sunday Mass.
The quiz focused on themes such as the Bible, Sacraments and faith. “Winners were amply awarded,” said Sister Celine Sebastian, the organizer.
In Meghalaya, the nuns visited the families of Umtngam, a 26-year-old remote parish in Mawlanai district where the priest reaches only once in a month for Mass.
The nuns met all families in the parish and conducted the Way of the Cross using a video. They also conducted Bible quiz for children. “We plan to go every weekend to different interior villages of the state,” said team leader Sister Helena Dkhaer.
They are ambassadors of the Good News. The Daughters of St Paul are tireless workers.