ASIA/INDIA - “Platinum Jubilee” for St Charles Borromeo Sisters who first came on mission to India 75 years ago

Tuesday, 11 January 2005

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Bangalore (Fides Service) - It all started when, in response to a call from Pope Pius XI “for missionaries to go to every corner of the earth”, in 1929 a group of five Sisters of St Charles Borromeo set out from Belgium to sow the seed of evangelisation in the sub-continent of India.
Today the community in Bangalore in the south western Indian state of Karnataka is marking its 75th anniversary. “A year of grace, a platinum jubilee for which we want to thank the Lord” say the sisters who have chosen as the jubilee slogan “A mission of compassion”. Crowds of well wishers, numerous men and women religious of other congregations attended a special Mass of thanksgiving presided by the Archbishop of Bangalore Beranard Moras at which 30 priests concelebrated.
In his homily the Archbishop said that mission is still urgent in India of today: “The Risen Lord needs us to carry his message of love to our people. Mission is not propaganda but ratehr what we are and what we live. Our life should be a message. All our institutions should be channels of evangelisation. Priority should be given to bearing witness with our life. Jesus needs our feet to go to all corners of the earth; he needs our moth to proclaim the Good News to the poor; he needs our ehart to show his love and compassion. While thanking the Lord for all his blessings during these 75 years of foundation in India, let us renew with vigour our missionary spirit. Let us put out into the deep with enthusiasm and hope. Let us look back to the past with gratitude, live the present with enthusiasm and look towards the future with confidence and hope placing our trust in the Lord ”.
Today there are 485 Sisters of St Charles Borromeo and they have their Mother House in Tournai (Belgium) where they were founded. They have 67 communities in many different countries. In India they are involved in pastoral care, school instruction social assistance for children and young people.
(PA) (Agenzia Fides 11/1/2005 righe 44 parole 456)