Feast of Kondadaba

Come the first week of February every year and the whole of Kondadaba is abuzz with the feast day preparations of the Parish. This year was no exception to this great excitement. The feast of Our Lady of Sorrows which is celebrated on the first Sunday of February, witnessed lakhs of devotees from all over the state and even far off Rajasthan and neighbouring Orissa. The Seminary too had its key role to play in the preparation and organisation of the feast. The Brothers were chiefly involved in the preparation and distribution of food to the select few (total running into more or less a few hundreds). Besides this they also lend a helping hand in the security, decoration, arrangement of the stage and distribution of water to the pilgrims. The main choir of the feast and the eve of the great day too was from the Seminary (of course, as assistance to just the couple of Parishioners who were in the choir).

As usual the Seminary also hosted over a thousand people who flocked to the pilgrim centre on the eve and spent the night in preparation for the feast. Beating the cold wave, these fervent devotees, most of them making their annual walk of 35 to 70 kms, did show their strong faith in the powerful intercession of Mother Mary. The main celebrant for the feast day solemn Mass was retired Bp Mathew Cheriankunnel. On the whole, the feast was a real grand occasion for all to partake not just in gaining spiritual favours but also as a day of relaxation and outing. Thanks to the meticulous planning and organisation of Fr Joseph Anithottam, the Parish Priest along with the faithful band of Parishioners.

Feast of the Presentation

The community had a special procession prior to the Holy Mass this morning on the occasion of the feast of the Presentation of the Lord. The Mass was presided over by Fr Michael Pampara sdb who happened to be present in the community as a visiting professor to conduct the course on Sexuality and Celibacy for the third year students. In his homily he stressed on the two points based on the Gospel of the day: the humility of Mother Mary (to follow the local customs in spite of her being the Mother of God) and the eagerness (and consequential grace) of Simeon and Anna to 'see' the Lord.

(Fr Micheal is presently at Nava Jeevan, Vijayawada as one of its directors. He is also a trained and qualified psychologist.)

Feast, prizes and graces!

On the solemn occasion of the feast of the Immaculate Conception, the prizes for the first semester 2011-2012 were distributed to the Brothers. Though the second semester commenced in the third week of October, the prizes were delayed for some reason or other. The prizes were handed over by Fr C. Thomas, the spiritual director, Fr K.T. Jose, the Rector and Br Sateesh, the regent. Practically each of the Brother received a prize or another, either as an individual or as a member of a growth groups. The prizes awarded were for the several activities and competitions organised during the first semester of the academic year: Marian month activities (games, skits, singing, essay writing, drawing and Marian nite), Sports day events (track and filed events and indoor games), vocabulary tests and the Biblical nite competitions.

Earlier in the day, most of the Brothers undertook a pilgrimage to the Ross Hill, to obtain graces from Our Lady on this her feast day.

Our Lady of Lourdes

The feast of Our Lady of Lourdes was celebrated in the community on February 11, 2011. The main celebrant for the occasion was Fr Devadas. The Mariadalam (legion of Mary) members had prepared the animation for the day. They had also decorated the Chapel for the feast. Fr Devadas being the animator of this spontaneous group was requested to preside over the celebration in Telugu. Fr Devadas during the introduction requested special prayers for the clergy and faithful of the Kurnool and Kadapa dioceses which have special Shrines dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes. He also offered special prayers for all those in the community having Our Lady of Lourdes as their patron.

In the evening the same Mariadalam members, under the leadership of Br Dileep organised the community Rosary in the chapel itself.

Feast of Kondadaba

The annual feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, the patron of the Shrine/Parish of Kondadaba was celebrated in a grand manner on Feb. 5 and 6, 2011. Thousands of pilgrims and faithful (even non-Christians) visited, participated and prayed during the feast of Our Lady. The Seminary Brothers, as always, were present the full two days manning different responsibilities in ensuring that the pilgrims have a pleasant and devotional trip. The Brothers were directly incharge of the decoration of the Shrine, grotto and stage. They were also involved in greatly helping out the Parish Council members for the law and order (along with the police personnel), the regulation of the traffic, food arrangement and distribution, water supply and guiding the pilgrims along the hill and around. Brothers too spent quite a time in praying and blessing the people who made it a point to stop at each statue, grotto, and religious monument.

The seminary too was opened up for the pilgrims to rest and wash during the two days. Nearly 1,500 people slept for the night on February 5, 2011 (saturday). The women were accommodated in the hall while the men folk slept along the verandas. The following day groups of people came in and spent some time admiring the campus and having a family meal in the cool shade of the trees and the verandas.

Bp Paul Maipan of Khammam was the main celebrant of the Solemn Mass on the feast day. The Archbishop of Vishakapatnam could not make it due to health reasons. The English Mass of the day was presided over by Msgr Karnam Joji Babu, the Vicar of the Archdiocese of Vizag. The choir for both the high Masses of the day was by the Brothers from the Seminary, with the active collaboration of the Parish youngsters.

Presentation of the Lord

The feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the temple was solemnised in the liturgical celebration of the day, especially by the candle-lit procession from the A-block to the Chapel through the main outdoor. Fr Biju, Missionaries of Compassion, was the main celebrant for the occasion. He was here for taking classes for the third year students in Philosophy of Religion. Interestingly he belongs to the first batch of students to pass out of Kondadadaba in 1995.

The liturgy for the day was animated by Suvartha Sunadam under the guidance of Fr KT Jose, the Rector. Owing to the practical exam of the second and third year student for BA, the shopping for that day was postponed to the following day. For the rest, the Brothers had the regular schedule for the day.

Feast of Don Bosco

For the feast of Don Bosco, Fr Thottiyil Thomas presided over the Solemn Mass in the morning. He reminded the community that Don Bosco was first a Diocesan Priest and that he was instrumental in giving the Church during his time more Priests than for his own Salesian congregation. The animation for the Mass of the day was prepared by the two groups Suvartha Sunadam and Vidya Jyothi in collaboration with Fr K.T. Jose, the Rector.

After breakfast, the Brothers had a round of lightning tournament organised by the Youth Alive group. All three games, Football, basketball and volleyball were played by the eight growth groups. Lunch was solemnised with a few chosen and special invitees... just those closest to the community and very much part of the immediate neighbourhood. Fr Prasad, the Parish Priest of Mangalapalem, Fr Ratna Kumar from Vepada, the MSA Sisters, Deacon Savio and Br Peter from Kondadaba made their joyful presence felt during the lunch. Later in the night, the Brothers watched The Lord of Rings (part 1).

Republic Day (Jan. 26, 2011)

On the occasion of the 62nd Republic Day (January 26, 2011) of India, the Seminary had a special Mass in the morning presided over by Fr K.T. Jose, the Rector. Fr Francis Stephen preached on the occasion. After the Mass, the national flag was hoisted by Fr Francis Stephen. The programme was arranged for and organised by the Pratyasa group under the guidance of Fr Wilson. The simple flag hoisting ceremony took nearly 15 minutes not counting the little hiccups that came along the way.

Fr Francis Stephen in his homily spoke of the need to be conscious citizens of the nation as a part of being worthy citizens of the heavenly Kingdom. Being a day between the pre-final exams of the BA subjects, the morning time was spent in study and in the afternoon, the Brothers had a game of Cricket, with each course challenging the other. Of course, being Wednesday, the shopping was not left out!

Annual Seminary Day

The annual community day of St John's Regional Seminary, Kondadaba was celebrated on November 30, 2010. Titled, 'Seminary Day' this annual feature had a special significance this year given the person of the chief guest: the Archbishop of Visakhapatnam, Most Rev. Kagithapu Mariadas. Being his golden jubilee year of ordination, the programme was focussed on felicitating him on this occasion. Being the most instrumental cause in bringing the Seminary to Kondadaba, the institute owes a great debt of gratitude to him... hence this celebration. Another surprise guest of the day was the Bishop of Adilabad, Rev. Joseph Kunnath.

The day began with the Solemn Eucharistic celebration at 11 am (delayed by an hour due to the ill-health of the archbishop). There were about 20 Priests and an equal number of religious sisters and lay people to participate in the Mass. The singing was special as all the hymns were composed and set to music by the Brothers themselves. The liturgy was animated by the third course Brothers under the guidance of Fr K.T. Jose, the Rector.

The short cultural programme and felicitation held in the hall was further shortened due to the delayed beginning. With each course performing an item (song, dance and an address) the programmes were of short duration. Fr Sagili Devadas, the Spiritual Director of the Seminary, spoke at length about the Archbishop and his long association with him, drawing out his exemplary virtues: sharp memory, sincere love for the Church and faithful, true to his call of Priesthood, exemplary friendship and sincere concern for the poor. The Bishop addressing the gathering just exhorted everyone to 'be obedient'.

The sumptuous meal that followed was arranged by the administrator, Fr Rinoy Joseph. By half past three the celebrations were over and the community spent some time putting back things in order. Later the community gathered for Rosary and a thanksgiving adoration.

Feast of Vianney (Aug. 4, 2010)

On the solemnity of the feast of John Mary Vianney (August 4, 2010) the community organized a whole day’s programme involving the neighbouring Parish Priest, Confessors, well-wishers and the community members. The celebrations for the day began with the Holy Mass at 10 am. It was presided over by Fr Sagili Devadas, the Spiritual Director of the community. In the evening there were special games organized by the Youth Alive group members and at 6 pm there was a felicitation programme especially for the Priests who assist the community in its smooth functioning. Fr Prasad, the Parish Priest of a neighbouring Parish (Mangalapalem) was the chief guest of the occasion. There were another 5 Priests present for the evening. A short skit drawing inspiration from the life of St Vianney and linking the present context of Priestly life was staged by the third course students.