8 April 2022 is a red lettered day that marked the historic moment with the Installation of the new Provincial Superior and the team at Bethany Provincial House, Guwahati by Sr Rose Celine BS, the Superior General. Sr Sandhya, the First Provincial Superior of Guwahati Province after the carving out of Silchar Province from Northeast Province in 2020, ceded the baton of leadership to Sr Benedicta Aranha as the former was elected a Councillor to the Superior General in the recently held XVII General Chapter.
The programme of the day began with the Installation Ceremony in the Provincial House Chapel at 10.00am. At the ceremonial prayer, Sr Rose Celine, the Superior General installed Sr Benedicta Aranha as the Second Provincial Superior and Sr Shwetha, Sr Ruth Kaisa, Sr Janet Sylvia and Sr Mable D’Silva as the Councillors to the Provincial Superior. In her address, the Superior General recalled the hard work of the early missionaries who have toiled hard to make Bethany what it is today in the Northeast. “We enjoy the fruit of their labour and we have a mandate to carry on their legacy by our spirit of commitment to Jesus and mission. We need to make Bethany grow, flower and bear fruit”she added.
After the formal ceremony at the chapel, a felicitation programme was organised during which Sr Rose Celine was welcomed and congratulated on being elected as the Superior General for the second term. Sr Sandhya, the outgoing Provincial Superior was thanked and congratulated for being elected as the General Councillor. The newly elected Provincial Superior and the team members were felicitated in Assamese traditional style. The programme included entertainment by the candidates, speeches by the outgoing and the newly appointed Provincial Superiors and message by the Superior General. Sr Agatha compered the entire programme.
A thanksgiving Eucharistic celebration was officiated by Most Rev John Moolachira, the Archbishop of the Arch Diocese of Guwahati concelebrated by the priests from neighbouring communities and the parishes. To grace the occasion we had the presence of sisters from our various communities, Sr Joy and Sr Edleburgh our Former Provincial Sisters, sisters, brothers from religious congregations around Guwahati.
News by: Sr Janet Mendonca BS, Provincial Councillor, Guwahati Province