Province Day celebration at Bethany Provincialate, Vamanjoor.
Nov 11,2017 SHIMMER OF SILVER AND GOLD AT THE PROVINCIAL HOUSE, GUWAHATI
Bethany Provincial House, Guwahati shimmered with Silver and Gold from the evening of November 4 until the last hours of November 5, 2017 as the Province celebrated the Golden Jubilee of six sisters and the Silver Jubilee of three. While the Golden Jubilarians Sr Joy, Sr Canisia, Sr Cleopha, Sr Imani, Sr Ottilia and Sr Assumpta Maria had written their names in letters of gold in the annals of the Province, the Silver Jubilarians Sr Sabina Uchoi, Sr Harsha and Sr Mavis had mastered the art of seeing a silver lining in every cloud they came across.
The celebrations began with a special jubilee prayer hour on November 4 at 6.30 pm during which prayers were offered for the intentions of the jubilarians. A solemn Eucharist celebrated at 11.00 am, on November 5, by Rev. Fr Maxim Rodrigues SVD, Regional Superior of the SVD Fathers, along with Rev. Fr Cletus SFX, marked the climax of the joyful occasion. The nine spouses of Christ renewed their vows to their bridegroom during the Eucharistic celebration which was attended by the superiors of twenty nine communities of the Province, the members of the community, Provincial team, Formators, and other sisters. There was a touch of genuine sisterly love and concern in everything that was done on this day. The nine celebrities of the day were led in procession to the chapel for Mass with the accompaniment of melodious singing by the Come and See candidates. The homily preached by Fr Maxim had a gentle, yet lasting effect on the jubilarians and the non-jubilarians alike.
The Eucharistic Celebration was followed by a grand reception in the conference hall of the Provincialate, during which each of the jubilarians was greeted with a bouquet, honoured with a memento inscribed with her qualities, covered with a shawl and gifted with a book for spiritual reading. The atmosphere was both emotional and spiritual as all eyes were focused on the nine sisters seated on decorated chairs in front and all ears were tuned to hear the good words being spoken about each one. A well deserved sumptuous lunch capped the first half of the day’s celebrations.
The Sisters of the Province made sure the jubilarians had a pleasant evening by putting up a variety entertainment programme at 8.00 pm. Dances, songs, biblical skits with thought-provoking messages and creative Bible quiz were the highlights of the function. The jubilarians could be seen beaming all the time while the sisters and candidates left no stone unturned to make their day a memorable one. Everyone dispersed for the night looking forward to another jubilee and another batch of jubilarians to come.
Sr Mary Naulak BS
St Theresa Convent, Mamit