By Sujata Jena

Bhubaneswar: A Capuchin holistic welfare center in Tamil Nadu, southern India, plans to organize another round of online program to help reinvent religious leadership in the post-Covid era.

The June 28-30 webinar aims to help leaders of religious congregations and their collaborators, says “Thalir” (bud) director Capuchin Father Nithya Sagayam, who was earlier the executive secretary of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India Commission for Justice, Peace and Development.

“While a few religious communities have come up with creative interventions to reach out to the poor amid the pandemic, most of us must redesign our personal and community time to stay relevant to our people and live up to our life in Christ with renewed vigor, passion and solidarity with the people during this trying time,” the priest told Matters India June 17.

The seminar is meant for superiors general, provincials, regional superiors with their Councillors and superiors of large communities, added Father Sagayam, who has also the served as the executive secretary of the Office of Human Development under the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences.

The seminar will cover topics such as lockdown and disrupted religious life, unlocking a new way of leading community and teams in life, upskilling in technology for the mission, reimagining various ministries in the post-Covid era.

Other topics include reinventing community life and spiritual activities and the profile of religion in the post Covid era.

Jesuit Father Joe Arun, director of Loyola Institute of Business and Administration, Father Siji Chacko, director of the development office Jesuit Conference of South Asia, and M J Xavier, director of Center for Technology and Innovation at Loyola College, Chennai, will address the webinar.

Father Sagayam says the program will also address the changing leadership model for new strategies, changing trends in official visits, reporting, new approaches in sociopastoral, educational, medical services and media impact and community life. It will also deal with the use and abuse of virtual digital platforms, he added.

Capuchin Father Joseph Arputha Raj, the logistician of the Thalir ministry, based in Tamil Nadu, says they have organized more than 40 online workshops and training for more than 13,400 national and international participants at various times since the first wave of Covid-19.

The international online program comprises a series of Franciscan spirituality, courses for trainers and trainees, programs for major superiors, social work directors, career aspiration and guidance for students and youth, women and children.

Participants of earlier programs have told Matters India that they have benefited immensely from the training.

“When we were in lockdown and not able to travel interstate in the country, we were quite lost for not knowing how to continue our usual formation programs. The Thalir provided us with the solution through the programs well integrated with spirituality and ministry,” said Sister Theresa Chua, provincial of Sisters of Infant Jesus, Malaysia.

Sister Chua and others applauded the Capuchin center for its efforts to reach out to the various groups of people in need at this time of pandemic.

Jesuit Father Jerry Rosario, a resource person, pointed out that Thalir has expanded its ministries within a short span of time with myriad types of assemblies that instill confidence and cheer among the Religious and secular, young and old, men and women.

During the critical Covid-context, the Thalir launched and immersed itself into a marvelous humanitarian service to the peripheries, and thus, has wonderfully lived up to its Franciscan charism and call, he added.

“The formational and motivational programs that are being extended by the center has performed a miracle of transformation, so to say, in the lives of participants,” added Father Rosario, a renowned motivational speaker who gave up wearing footwear decades ago as a mark of his solidarity with the Dalits and poorest who are denied the right to wear it by the caste-ridden traditions.

Sister Theodosia Baki, superior general of the Congregation of Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis, Rome, and a former participant, has found the course on formation “a great help” to their trainees and their trainers.

“Through the capacity building and management skills we received, our co-workers are now involved in decision making and this is helping all to move towards the same direction in view of achieving our goals and objectives,” she added.

The participants were also impressed by the simplicity and magnanimity of Father Sagayam.

“Father Sagayam is doing extremely good and noble service for the people at large irrespective of caste, color, creed. He is following Christ wholeheartedly,” said Father Sahaya Roselin, a provincial team of Missionaries of Mary Immaculate, in South Sudan who attended a training for the directors of social works.

Sister Lidwin Fernades, a member of the Mangalore-based Ursuline Franciscan Society, says Father Sagayam’s seminar has helped create a new mind and heart to face post-Covid era in future.

The ‘Thalir’ center strives to bring new life to the Church and society, says Father Sagayam, its pioneer.

Since the pandemic hit the country, the center mostly focused on relief work to the marginalized — poor, migrants, gypsies, primitive tribal people, transgenders, cobblers, destitute in remote villages, and people oppressed by caste discrimination.

Presently, Thalir also conducts online Italian and Spanish language lessons for aspiring future missionaries to Europe and Latin America.