The aim of our formation is to ground our members in the charism of the Society, so that we are able to fulfill its purpose,
in being ready at all times, everywhere and always to live and work for God's reign. This propensity is often considered to be
best achieved with an on-field experience in the remotest corners of our missions; where God would want us opt for those most
in need of our love and care. Mission exposure programs as envisaged by our formation houses specifically mention to assign
our formees away from the centre and preferably in remote localities where the formees could have a first-hand experience of
the struggles and complexities of the people whose lives they are expected to experience to a considerable extent. Living with
them, cooking one's own food, joining in the common man's daily toil, visiting them, listening to them and praying for them are
some of the expected modalities for a fruitful mission exposure program.
Our major seminarians from Pilar Institute of Philosophy (Pilar Niketan), Nagpur and Pilar Theological College, Pilar,
Goa were sent to the Province to have their mission experience in our missions. Scholastics from Nagpur: Leonray De Melo, Nevil
Fernandes and Venito Colaco were assigned under the guidance of Fr. Pio Rego (Parish Priest of Holy Rosary Church,
Bathinda, Punjab) who stationed them in Jidah (a village is some 25kms away from the church), while Scholastics Clive Dias
and Vijay Linda were guided by Fr. Domnic Dias (Parish Priest of Holy Rosary Church, Sirsa, Haryana) who arranged their
program at Kuiyam, Kanganpur and Baudhin. The Theologians from Pilar, Scholastics Charles Kisku and Joseph De Souza
were entrusted to the care of Fr. Christopher Masih (Parish Priest of St. Joseph's Church, Mandi Dabwali, Haryana). Their
mission exposure program was organized in Desu Jodda.
Mission Experience at Kuiyam, Kanganpur and Baudhin
On some days, there was no time even to take a bath...
-Scholastic Clive Dias sfx
The mission experience in Sirsa, Haryana was well planned according to the instructions given by our Rector Fr.
Octaviano D'Cunha (Pilar Niketan, Nagpur). I had a very good experience of the village life and the hardships a common man
faces for his livelihood. Fr. Domnic Dias, the guide of our mission experience, chalked out a very systematic program. We
(Scholastic Vijay Linda and myself) were sent in three villages of the parish: Kuiyam Nepalpur, Kanganpur and Baudhin. All
three villages had something different in store for us to experience. The living conditions, community living and prayer life was
different from what I expected it to be.
Basic Description of the Mission Stations...
All the three villages were situated very far away from the Holy Rosary parish church.
Socio Economic Description...
People are economically backward but have dreams of a brighter future. People are building new houses for a better
living. There are problems in terms of supply of electricity and water. But people know how to utilize these limited facilities
effectively.
During our mission exposure, we lacked even the regular and simple basic transportation facilities to go to the parish
church. People have to cover a long distance walking to reach a proper mode of transport. They often ask for a lift. Sometimes
Christians here hire an auto rickshaw to go to church. However, this modality turns expensive for the entire family to go to church
every Sunday. For quality education and other purchases people have to go to the town (Sirsa). However, the village folks find this
means too costly.
The Contribution of the Society of Pilar...
Our members are investing efforts to keep the Catholic families together. There are regular satsangs and other services
when the priests and religious visit these villages. The Holy Eucharist is celebrated once in a month. People are faithful in
attending Sunday mass, but sometimes give excuses of heavy workload or difficulty in transportation. There is an ardent longing
for the visit of a priest in the village mission station; they wish to have a priest who can be available for them every time.
The Society runs social centres which brings children together. I could sense that the people love our priests and the
religious since I experienced a welcoming, friendly and respectful approach of the people to us. I personally enjoyed being one
with the families and be a part of their community.
Our Contribution during our Mission Experience Program...
Ministry with Children: My contribution was mainly in entertaining the children who came for tuitions at the centers
in all the villages, and thereby win their hearts. Entertaining them initially was my way of becoming friends with them, but I aimed
at teaching them good manners and giving them a taste of the Word of God. I gave my best to teach them action songs and
conduct games for the children. Brother Vijay Linda's resource was a very great help for every aspect of the mission exposure
program.
Ministry with Families: We were together visiting families, praying the rosary with the people and we also conducted
the Way of the Cross. We were very happy cooking our meals along with the people and we also enjoyed their food.
My Overall Experience...
I feel I was lucky to finally come to my Province and experience the lifestyle of the people in Haryana. There were times
where I enjoyed being with the people. Interacting with the elderly people gave
me an insight of what was in store for us to experience in the coming days.
With reference to their faith, I observed that their faith is not firm
enough as they get influenced with the teachings of the local pastors who
often visit them. The Society needs to take necessary measures to save the
remaining Catholic families from going astray. People are easily influenced by
the preaching of pastors and tend to move astray from the Catholic faith. The
other Christian denominations such as Methodist, Pentecost, Maranatha,
Seventh Day Adventist, etc. have a good hold on the people. Given this
diversity of influences, we had difficulties in interacting with some people.
Some people did not respond well when we went for prayers as they did not know
how to pray. We made an effort to teach them some basic prayers and join in our
prayer schedule.
This mission experience helped me to understand the difficulties that a
priest undergoes to keep a balance between his ministerial work and personal
prayers. Frequent contact with Jesus helps to make our ministry more fruitful.
I was able to share my insights on the Word of God with the families when we went
to pray the rosary. Some people were open to what I spoke from the Bible and got
inspired to read the Bible every day at home. This also enlightened the other
members of the family who did not know how to read.
This mission experience was very enriching and I will cherish every day
that I spent in the Holy Rosary Parish of Sirsa. I remain grateful to the Provincial
Administration for giving me this opportunity to be acquainted with the regional
customs. This mission experience has helped me to grow mentally, practically and spiritually. This mission experience was not a
struggle but a blessing for my future formation stages.
Please Note: Scholastic Clive Dias has prepared a short video on the Mission Experience Program he had with
Scholastic Vijay Linda. The Video will be made available to the Province. Members wanting to have a copy of the video can
collect the CD of the same from the Provincialate office. Well done Scholatic Clive Dias !
Mission Experience at Jiddah
Candle Light Dinner Every Night
- Scholastic Leonray De Melo sfx
Basic Description of the Place...
We were sent to a village named Jiddah which is on the outskirts of Bathinda city. It is roughly a one hour journey by bus.
Jiddah is a simple, poor village with very little Christian presence. Most of the people are Sikhs. There is a small community centre
(chapel) where we lodged for the mission experience program.
Socio Economic Description...
The people are poor and are mainly daily wage workers. They work from morning and come back late in the evening. The
children go to a Punjabi medium government school, but they hardly learn anything in school. They continue progressing from
one class to another because here children cannot be detained till standard VIII of their school program. After this they mostly
drop out and are found engaged in nothing much constructive for themselves, their families and the society. Children do not
know English and Hindi.
The Contribution of the Society of Pilar...
A coaching centre was inaugurated some five years back in the village. This centre caters to providing English coaching
for the rural children.
Our Contribution during our Mission Experience Program...
We visited and prayed over the Christian families. We spent considerable time with the children. We taught them basic
English through classes, songs, games and our interactions with them. We also taught them some values through stories. Besides
we also taught the recitation of prayers in Punjabi.
Our Overall Experience
Teaching demands a lot of patience; this experience has given us a glimpse in this line and also taught us how to deal with
children. It was a good experience to cook our meals daily. The neighbouring Punjabi families were very friendly and helped us by
giving us water and even teaching us some Punjabi dishes. We were very fortunate to have candle light dinner every night as our
home did not have electricity.
On the whole, it was a learning experience for us. We got an idea of a typical local
rural and poor setting in Punjab. We also experienced the love and warmth of the people
with whom we lived with.
Personal Growth Sharing
* The mission experience program has helped me grow in my vocation. It has challenged
my vocation. I could actually encounter the hardships of the aamadmi. I also realised there
is a lot to be done in the missions. - Scholastic Venito Colaco
* The experience has helped me to adjust with difficult situations. I have realised how much
people have to struggle to get their daily meals. I have also learnt to interact with children in
a better way.- Scholastic Nevil Fernandes
* This mission experience helped me get out of my comfort zone. I am now able to
experience joy in difficulties. -Scholastic Leonray De Melo
Mission Experience at Desu Jodda
Theological Reflection: How do they live their Life in Relation to God...
The people in Desu Jodda are a religious lot. There were several Gurudwaras around. Talking to one of their religious
head, we got to know that the Sikhs assimilate whatever good is there in other religions. We took note of the local custom of
people lighting incense sticks (agarbathis) to their deities. We found that the Catholics also light incense sticks to the images of
Jesus. The customs of the new proselytes were in tune to the local culture and tradition. With all the education we get in the
seminary about inculturation and adaption, we realized that in the villages we witness it done in reality.
Our theological studies came in very handy to understand the lives of the people and their need for God. We were also
able to give them some understanding of God throughthe way we conducted ourselves.
Mission Experience at Desu Jodda
Broadening our Theological Horizons...
- Scholastic Joseph De Souza sfx
Basic Description of the Place...
We lived in Desu Jodda, a village twenty kilometers from St. Joseph's parish Church (Dabwali town). The alluvial soil of
the land is very good for cultivation of crops. Rice and wheat are the main plantations. Most of the people are Hindus and Sikhs.
There are only seven Catholics families in the village; and these are recent converts.
This place undergoes extreme climatic conditions - extreme heat in summers and very cold winters. Although our
program was scheduled in the beginning months of the summers, we still had to daily cope with the dry scorching heat of the sun.
Socio Economic Description...
The people of the village have their basic necessities. Their houses are of just two or three rooms within which they also
accommodate their cattle. The houses are made of bricks. Most of the villagers are farmers, shepherds and involved in a business
of stitching clothes.
The Contribution of the Society of Pilar...
The Society runs a coaching center for the village students. A teacher is employed and every evening around sixty
children come to study at that centre. The members of our Society are also involved in evangelization through the preaching of
the Word of God. Many people of the village come to the church in Dabwali for prayer services, especially on Sundays. Our
members visit the families of the Catholics and the catechumens. Our members also visit the sick and pray for the people who
seek their services.
Our Contribution during our Mission Experience Program...
Physical: In the morning hours we were involved in the cultivation of the field at the tuition centre. We tilled the soil and
planted vegetables such as lady fingers, cluster beans and bottle guards. In the evening we conducted action songs in English and
Hindi for the children with the intentions of evangelization and teaching them English as well. Every evening we visited Catholic
families of the village and the families of other religions whose children come to the tuition centres.
Psychological: A lot of the village youth are unemployed and are involved in drugs and alcohol. We met some of them
(non-Catholics) and built a friendly rapport. In the process they spoke to us about their daily routine and how they are involved in
different addictions. They told us of the locally made drugs they took and the different types of alcohols available and the places
in the village famous for them. We in turn tried to convince them of the harmful effects of drugs and alcohol on them and their
families.
There were also children in the tuition centers who needed extra attention. The society has scant respect for the girl-child
and there is no proper care and attention shown to them in their families and communities. In fact we came across stories of girls
who were abandoned by their parents on streets and were taken care by others. We attempted to conscientize some of the
villagers about these ill-practices.
Spiritual: We conducted prayers in catholic families. In some families we also prayed the rosary in the evenings. We
observed that the Catholic family we were staying with, faithfully observed the Lenten season. They didn't eat meat and skipped
breakfast and lunch on Fridays. We also extended our help to the parish especially during the Holy week and Easter services.
Our Personal Experience and Growth...
The people of the village were very respectful and generous towards us. We
noticed that the people over there made good use of the minimum they have. Even their
food was simple, mainly consisting of roti and sabhzi (Chapatti and vegetables). Many
people of other religions called us to their homes, to either talk to us, play some songs
for them or pray for them. We visited a Sikh family, whose husband and son conduct
kirtans in the gurudwara, they asked us to pray for them and their children. We were
called to say a rosary in their house. Their son was having watery eyes, when we prayed
for him he was healed. This strengthened their faith in God. The deep and intense faith
of the people without theology gave us matter for our reflection.