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| The 1930s and 40s were among the most tragic years in recent human history. |
| MAR. 8. INS #A.174 |
| Speak up in Education and Culture, Spirituality, Religion, Lifestyle |
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| The French revolution called for liberty, equality and fraternity. |
| FEB. 5. INS #A.173 |
| Speak up in Education and Culture, Spirituality, Lifestyle |
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| Living with clearly contradictory values seems to come natural for Indian society. Corruption and religion can coexist peacefully. Ritual purity and abominable physical dirt can live together. We are one nation, while every State and language group derides and often hates the other. We can claim to honour women, killing her with the very idea of honour that we impose on her! We can enslave and exploit our children and claim that they are our future! We can be utterly sexual in mind and body and claim that modesty is our national virtue!
One wonders whether being a woman is itself a matter of shame in India. If not, why then is there so much of female infanticide and female illiteracy? Dowry is a system in which a woman has to pay a man in order to serve him and to hand over to him absolute sexual rights over her! A man honours a woman by merely marrying her! A woman has no such claim. It is the husband who gives ``life`` to the wife, and not the other way about! When a man dies his wife has no more meaningful existence. It is a shame to be a widow! For a man to live without a wife is heroism! A woman`s economic independence is a threat to the man. So the wife is either prohibited from working, and if she works, he should have the control over her money! |
| JAN. 9. INN #A.172 |
| Speak up in Justice and Human Rights |
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| A critique of the paths proposed by the National CRI for renewal of religious life in India |
| NOV. 18. INN #A.171 |
| Speak up in Formation, Parish / Church |
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| KOLKATA - Coming on the heels of the upcoming national meeting of principals of schools scheduled to be held at Don Bosco Park Circus, from 28 September, the recent reports from Poland where high school kids were put through a bizarre ``initiation rite`` which school authorities claim were ``innocent fun`` calls for serious introspection. |
| SEP. 26. INC #A.170 |
| Speak up in Education and Culture, Youth, Spirituality, Media, Youth Groups, Education School, Lifestyle, Education |
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| The following is a forwarded email from Fr. Maria Arokiam. It contains a letter with a powerful and objective message by a Muslim, Aziz Noorani, sent through the WorldIsmailis Yahoogroup on 19 September to people of different Faiths, in the context of the global violent reactions to the denigrating movie on Islam. It is worth reading, reflecting on and spreading the message for preserving sanity and humanity. Thank you, Fr. Arokiam, for passing it on to BIS.
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| SEP. 25. INC #A.169 |
| Speak up in Spirituality, Media, Religion |
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| KOLKATA - In a month`s time (11 October 2012) the long awaited YEAR OF FAITH proposed by Pope Benedict XVI in his apostolic letter Porta Fidei will commence faith journeys in parishes and dioceses around the world. Present below is a master plan for year-long celebration of faith at Auxilium Parish Kolkata, prepared by parish priest Fr K.K. Sebastian and Pastoral Animation Team. |
| SEP. 7. INC #A.168 |
| Speak up in Youth, Spirituality, Evangelization, Festivals, Catechetics, Religion, Missions |
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| BIS is missing out on the Speak UP`s potential for lively conversation on relevant issues. |
| AUG. 22. INN #A.167 |
| Speak up in Media, SPCSA |
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| KOLKATA, (C.M. Paul) - A provincial superior dashing from one meeting to another sends an SMS on his Blackberry ``bye for now... must meet the confreres now... listen to their `woes` and .... wish they were `Wows!``... most are stuck in woes ... in agonies and tortures...! i want to RESURRECT THEM ... tough... most feel more comfortable in complaining than in doing something to make a difference!`` |
| AUG. 19. INC #A.166 |
| Speak up in Youth, Spirituality, Salesian Family, Formation, Evangelization, Youth at Risk, Success Story, Social Ministry |
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| Psychologists are mostly unrecognised and underrated in a world where psychiatrists and pharma companies rule the roost as far as mental health is concerned. |
| JUN. 24. INN #A.165 |
| Speak up in Education and Culture, Youth, Media, SPA-India |
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| Multicity project in preparation for DB bicentenary 2012-2015. |
| JAN. 1. INC #A.163 |
| Speak up in Education and Culture, Youth, Spirituality, Media, Evangelization, Parish / Church, Don Bosco Plus, Social Ministry, DB Alumni, Salesian Society, Procure, Education |
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| Recently, I almost reached the Himalayas. Not quite. Well, I was on the foothills. |
| NOV. 29. ING #A.162 |
| Speak up in Evangelization, Missions |
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| KOLKATA, (C.M. Paul) - Was it in the corridors of Pisana or in the aisles of the Aula Magna during the last Salesian General Chapter (2008) that the Rector Major predicted India to have 15 Salesian provinces at the General Chapter 2014? |
| OCT. 10. WWW #A.158 |
| Speak up in Youth, Chapter, Salesian Family, Language and Cultures, Evangelization, Rector Major, The Regional, Profiles, Social Life, Youth at Risk, Administration, Religion, Vocation, Salesian Society, Missions |
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| Recently I wrote about the age of revolutions. Many may have doubts about qualifying our times as revolutionary. |
| SEP. 27. ING #A.154 |
| Speak up in Education and Culture, Spirituality |
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| We are living through a revolutionary period, or at least so we are told. |
| SEP. 3. ING #A.153 |
| Speak up in Education and Culture, Youth, Spirituality, Evangelization, Social Life |
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| Who in this country does not raise his voice against corruption? Well, here is one. |
| AUG. 18. ING #A.152 |
| Speak up in Education and Culture, Youth, Social Ministry |
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| Caste Reservation: India vs India
KOLKATA, (C.M. Paul) - This is a must see film for every educator and youth minister. Here is a movie that provides a ray of hope for educationists who slog on despite heavy odds providing quality EDUCATION to the poorest of the poor both in the city slums and remote villages. |
| AUG. 16. WWW #A.151 |
| Speak up in Education and Culture, Youth, Salesian Family, Education Higher , Formation, Youth Groups, Development Office, DB Alumni, Missions, Education Dept, Education |
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| Once a programme was organised in a parish for school children. |
| AUG. 15. ING #A.150 |
| Speak up in Youth, Spirituality |
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| This piece is prompted by Fr. Joseph Puthenpurackal`s suggestion in Speak Up that every professor should first undergo a full course on Missiology. |
| JUL. 26. INN #A.149 |
| Speak up in Spirituality, Evangelization, Parish / Church, Psychology, Relic, URN |
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| Dear Fr. Paul,
Thanks for your story on Fr. Puthenpura. I have also read your Blog. Congrats. What Fr. Sebastian has written and which you have cited:
``there is a general decline in our missionary spirit and enthusiasm... etc.`` is certainly true to some extent. |
| JUL. 26. ING #A.148 |
| Speak up in Spirituality, Formation, Evangelization, Vocation, Missions |
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| Today marks the 100th day of NATO bombing of Tripoli with little to show that the millions if not billions of dollars spent by the Western Alliance has brought any gains. |
| JUN. 27. INN #A.146 |
| Speak up in Justice and Human Rights, SPA-India |
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| One man threatened to fast, and the media was seduced to give him front page covering day after day and the government bent backwards to appease him until they learned he was pulling a fast one on them.
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| JUN. 11. INN #A.145 |
| Speak up in Media, Social Life, Marginalized, Justice and Human Rights, SPA-India |
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| We speak of enemies like we speak of friends. That is to say, we need friends; so we need also enemies. |
| MAY. 16. ING #A.144 |
| Speak up in Education and Culture, Spirituality, Education |
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| In the wake of Vatican calling for a bloggers afternoon session on 2 May 2011, and South Asia Salesians holding meeting with Councillor and Secretary for Social Communications (1-5 May, 2011), I guess it is the right time to promote blogging.
Pls chk the Vatican Bloggers Meet info: http://cmpaul.wordpress.com/2011/04/09/vatican-calls-catholic-bloggers/
This video helps get a hang of BLOG. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN2I1pWXjXI |
| APR. 12. WWW #A.143 |
| Speak up in Education and Culture, Youth, Salesian Family, Education Higher , Language and Cultures, Formation, Evangelization, Disasters, Education Technical, Youth at Risk, Success Story, Religion, Psychology, Social Development, Development Office, Don Bosco Tech India, Social Ministry, Lifestyle |
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| Monks of old lived in little cells. Now most have moved from such cells to bigger rooms. Some young students still sleep in cells. The word cell today is increasingly used for cells in a jail. I have no intention at all to talk about that unfortunate use of the word.
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| APR. 10. ING #A.142 |
| Speak up in Education and Culture, Religion, Mental Health |
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| A golden era of Salesian India has passed with the passing away of our dear Rev. Fr. John Med, who did not just belong to any Province, but belonged to India - Salesian India, to all of us. |
| JAN. 28. ING #A.139 |
| Speak up in General |
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| Some reflections on the recent Supreme Court Judgement on Graham Staine`s murder case and the reactions of media and civil society leaders in contrast to that of Christian spokespersons. |
| JAN. 24. INN #A.138 |
| Speak up in Media, Religion, Justice and Human Rights, SPA-India |
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| ``Christian educators have a special responsibility to Christian youth. In India, the right of the Christian community to run educational institutions of their own and to form their members according to their own religion and culture is guaranteed by the Constitution. |
| JAN. 19. ING #A.137 |
| Speak up in Education and Culture |
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| Christmas is a time for celebration; a celebration that very often could turn noisy, distracting and meaningless. But, in fact, the celebration of Christmas is for an event that happened so silently in history. |
| DEC. 18. ING #A.136 |
| Speak up in General |
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| I have a confession to make. I am a reluctant latecomer to the universe of Facebook. I was very hesitant to join FB... not that I didn`t like the concept of FB but it looked (still does look) strange for me. At the same time, I cannot but admire the marvellous technological creativity behind FB or MySpace and the various social network services on the net with the capacity of an almost `infinite` and `universal` range of contacting people (provided they are part of the service). |
| NOV. 30. ING #A.135 |
| Speak up in Youth, Media |
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| Here are some stray thoughts...RELICS of Don Bosco could be a far neater word then Urn and Casket. They preferred to use the term Relics. I have been talking to the US guys who planned it very well mobilizing lay people and enlisting professionals to cover every aspect of the tour and make it to their maximum advantage... (since they are too few SDBs were forced to enlist others... and the miracle happened). |
| NOV. 19. WWW #A.134 |
| Speak up in Youth, Spirituality, Salesian Family, Formation, Media, Evangelization, Youth Groups, Parish / Church, Catechetics, DB Alumni, Salesian Society, Relic, URN |
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| The following is an improvement of what I wrote to a struggling teacher-friend of mine, with my experience of being a student all over again. Perhaps it will be useful to some. Perhaps to some practical-trainees.
Back being a student is torturous? Maybe!
Sitting in a class, trying to understand something out of it? Not a total failure.
Back being a student helps one to be a better teacher, or at least try something different. |
| NOV. 3. ING #A.133 |
| Speak up in Education and Culture |
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| Bro. George Sungmur served many years in the motor mechanics department at Don Bosco Technical School, Shillong. In the late seventies, he came to stay in the theologate in Mawlai. |
| OCT. 29. ING #A.132 |
| Speak up in Education and Culture, Spirituality, Evangelization, Religion |
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| On 6 August, the new academic year at Sacred Heart College, Mawlai, Shillong, was inaugurated. The occasion had a special significance for me. |
| SEP. 23. ING #A.131 |
| Speak up in Formation |
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| Educational institutions are an excellent means of doing good. There is no doubt that much good is done. |
| JUN. 25. ING #A.128 |
| Speak up in Education and Culture, Evangelization |
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| I am surprised every time I read the story of Ananias and Saphira in Acts 5. By modern standards they were by no means bad people. |
| MAY. 3. ING #A.127 |
| Speak up in Spirituality, Evangelization, Religion, Mental Health |
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| When I was young, teachers taught me to learn Mathematics. Not merely did they teach Mathematics. They taught me to use my fingers and count. |
| FEB. 19. ING #A.125 |
| Speak up in Youth, Spirituality |
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| (Fr. Paul Vadakumpadan continues his reflections on his recent visit to America to preach mission appeals.)
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| FEB. 15. ING #A.124 |
| Speak up in Education and Culture, Spirituality, Religion, Missions |
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| Praying with people of other faiths in a multi religious context like that of India, is a current issue with the National Seminar just over at Bangalore. There are a few problematics that strike me as I wrestle with its possibilities. |
| JAN. 21. INM #A.123 |
| Speak up in Youth, Spirituality, Salesian Family, Evangelization, Festivals, Youth at Risk, Catechetics, Salesian Society, Missions |
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| About 30 years ago, with Project Africa launched by then Rector Major Fr Egidio Vigano`, there was a spurt in Indian Salesians going for overseas missions. April 2009 saw the formation of Salesian Missionary Association, first ever South Asian outfit of missionaries ad gentes under the leadership of former South Asia Mission Delegate Fr Joseph Puthenpura. |
| DEC. 31. LKC #A.122 |
| Speak up in Education and Culture, Spirituality, Evangelization, Rector Major, Education Technical, Youth at Risk, Justice and Human Rights, Vocation |
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| How tempted am I to pray this! |
| DEC. 17. ING #A.120 |
| Speak up in Vocation |
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| In the Human Rights efforts cannot be really measured but we can only `feel` it and experience it. This only necessiates the creation of child Rights watch Group and Human Rights Groups. We shall all commit ourselves towards declaration of zero Tolerence of Human Rights violence. |
| NOV. 14. INM #A.118 |
| Speak up in Social Life, Youth at Risk, SPCSA, Justice and Human Rights |
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| On the first day of the Seminar, eminent social activists have challenged the participants on many grounds. One of the interesting points was on the extent of involvement of Salesians in the field of Human Rights. It was argued that our institutions are not in a position to involve in the human rights issues in India due to our dependence on the government in some way or the other. |
| NOV. 13. INM #A.117 |
| Speak up in Youth, Spirituality, Social Development |
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| For a long time, I used to be a regular listener to Alistair Cooke`s BBC radio programme Letter from America. Cooke`s letter was the longest running radio programme in history by a single person, lasting 58 years. |
| SEP. 27. ING #A.115 |
| Speak up in Education and Culture, Spirituality, Evangelization, Lifestyle |
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| Today`s world represents a saturated planet where almost all have everything at their disposal. The best of services are offered in all the fields to all the people. Even the so-named poor seem to be in the know-how,see-how and have-how of everything. |
| AUG. 21. INM #A.113 |
| Speak up in Spirituality, Formation, Vocation |
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| Recently I attended a seminar on ``Salesians and the Social Media`` at the Salesian Provincial House in New Delhi. I learned some very interesting things. Here are some reflections based on that learning. |
| AUG. 18. INN #A.112 |
| Speak up in Education and Culture, Youth, Language and Cultures, Media |
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| This evening I read an interesting article in The Tablet [8 August, 2009, Electronic version], the Catholic Weekly from England. This lead article was written by Nicolas Kennedy and entitled ``For whom the Bell Tolls``. |
| AUG. 8. INN #A.111 |
| Speak up in Education and Culture |
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| In the landmark two-hour inter-faith conversation that took place behind closed doors, Catholic and Hindu religious leaders drew up the Mumbai Pact 2009: ``No violence against minorities. No forced conversions. A pooling of resources for social work and charity.`` Super deal! These guys signed utopia and agreed on things beyond their control... Look at it squarely. |
| JUN. 14. LKC #A.110 |
| Speak up in Spirituality, Evangelization, Disasters, Religion, Marginalized, Justice and Human Rights, Social Development, Social Ministry |
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| An interesting aspect of funerals is that they bring together people who have not met one another for a long time. A fitting parting wish at funerals could be ``till we meet again at the next funeral.`` So the dead render a remarkable service by bringing together the living.
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| MAY. 27. ING #A.107 |
| Speak up in Education and Culture, Spirituality, Mental Health, Lifestyle |
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| ROME - The 43rd World Communications Day (24th May 2009) is an historic occasion. Pope B16 celebrated the WCD theme ``New Technologies, New Relationships: Promoting a Culture of Respect, Dialogue and Friendship.`` Besides going on the Face book and YouTube earlier this year, the pope has launched Pope2you interactive website. The pope has also called on the digital generation to use the digital means for ``all human individuals and communities, especially those who are most disadvantaged and vulnerable.`` |
| MAY. 24. LKC #A.106 |
| Speak up in Youth, Spirituality, Chapter, Salesian Family, Media, Evangelization, Youth Groups |
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