Superiors, DOWs, and CCMs Meet at Prerana, B’luru

On : 2024-11-09

The superiors, Directors of Works (DOWs), and Coordinators of various commissions (CCMs) in the Karnataka Jesuit Province gathered at Prerana, located on the Mount St. Joseph Campus in Bangalore, on the 9th and 10th of November 2024. These were fruitful days of prayerful reflection and sharing, beginning with a talk on "Synodal Conversion" by Fr. Shanthraj Thomas, SJ. In his talk, he highlighted Mary as a model for Jesuit discernment processes, noting that she listened, prayed, meditated, dialogued, accompanied, discerned, decided, and acted throughout her life.

Subsequent sessions on both the days focused on discernment processes for key issues, including the proposal to establish St. Joseph’s Commerce College (SJCC) as a deemed to be  university in Bengaluru, as well as feasibility studies for Vidyaniketan in Dharwad, Xavier Sadan in Mysore, and Navasadhana in Hassan. Participants had opportunities to share in groups and work within their respective commissions, reflecting on internal and external challenges and sharing best practices across different areas.

Fr. Jose Mesa, SJ, Secretary of Secondary Education at the Curia, Rome contributed valuable insights on secondary education, guiding the group towards a better future in this field. Fr. Brian Pereira, SJ, then initiated the post-process for the restructuring and reimagining of the Society of Jesus in South Asia (RRSJSA) by presenting the roadmap, plans, and vision for the way forward.
The meeting concluded with an address by Provincial Fr. Dionysius Vaz, SJ. During these two days event Fr. Sunil Fernandes, SJ, served as the emcee, facilitating discussions and guiding the events, while Fr. Arun Kumar, SJ, socius to the Provincial, managed the meticulous planning required for the gathering. 

Reported by Fr Lancy Fernandes, SJ