By Isaac Gomes.
Kolkata: Fatima Charismatic Prayer Group, a devout band of dedicated laypersons, successfully organised its 15th Mega Bible Convention, from 27th October to 29th October 2023, on the premises of Holy Child School, CIT Road, Kolkata-14. Fr James Ottalthu VC and Fr Satish Makhal CSsR (Parish Priest – Fatima Church) are Directors of this prayer group.
The convention began with a fond remembrance of late Richard Gilbert who was one of the founding members of this prayer group and passed away on 7th October 2023 at the age of 81.
The main programme began with the recitation of the Rosary by Mrs Rita Ray. After this Fr Satyaprakash, the chief preacher and director, Fatima Mata Susamachar Kendra, Patna (Bihar) took over. He invoked the Holy Spirit to descend upon all the gathered faithful. Throughout the three days, he conducted his preaching in Hindi. Ms Mary Ray assisted him as Bengali interpreter for the majority Bengali-speaking participants.
Mrs Nisha Roheta, a member of Fr Satyaprakash’s team, began “Peeta Ishwar Ko Stuti (praise and worship of God the father). In her fervent intonation she said “Yeshu mera ishwar hai, Yeshu jibit hai, Yeshu Ishwar ko stuti ho.”
Quoting various passages from the Bible, Fr Satyaprakash said that Gospel brings the “Good News.” Good News means that by dying on the cross for our sins, Christ conquered death and rose from the dead on the third day. Christ’s Resurrection is the Good News for it wipes away all bad news (sicknesses, unemployment, heart breaks and despair). When we listen to the Good News, God dwells in us and purifies our whole system.
On the first day, the Holy Eucharist began at 11.30 am. Fr James Ottalthu VC was the main celebrant.
The day’s preaching centred mainly on the Good News of St Paul and St Peter and ended by 5.30 pm with the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
On 28th October (2nd day) Sister Grace Lina in her talk in Hindi said “When we approach the Lord, He will never allow us to go back empty-handed. He will cure us and unburden us. The more we praise the Lord, the more He will shower His blessings upon us.” She sang “Aiye Aiye (Jishu), Dil May Samha Jaiye” and invoked the Holy Spirit to fill the participants’ hearts with the power of love.
Fr Satyaprakash repeated what he said on the first day – that if we listen to the “Good News,” all bad news (our sicknesses, unemployment, depression from hopelessness, etc) will vanish. He said the cornerstone of our Christian faith is thorough Christ and with Christ who conquered death, we too shall experience resurrection. He also said God “specially” chose us even before He created this universe. As his selected children, it is our duty to reciprocate His love by inculcating His virtues.
Fr Satish Makhal CSsR (Fatima Church Parish Priest) was the main celebrant of the Holy Eucharist on 28th October. During the Homily it was mentioned that Jesus prayed for days on hilltops (to be alone with God) before He selected His twelve disciples. Jesus knew He was the son of God. Even then he prayed hard to His father before taking any decision. It is the Holy Spirit which teaches us to pray and through our prayers God makes impossible things possible.
In the afternoon session, Mary Ray preached on Forgiveness. She quoted Luke 23: 34 – “Forgive them, they do not know what they are doing.” She reiterated without forgiveness, Christian life is futile. If we do not forgive wrong-doers / our enemies, our Heavenly Father will not forgive us. (Mathew 14:15). She reminded that forgiveness is part and parcel of the Lord’s Prayer.
On 29th morning (third and concluding day) in her preaching Mrs Nisha Roheta said that Saints did not become so overnight. They faced a lot of ridicule and rejection yet they carried their cross every day (Luke 9:23) without being cowed down by excruciating challenges of life. As an example she mentioned Tamil Nadu’s Devasahayam Pillai (baptized as Lazarus; 23 April 1712 – 14 January 1752) who was martyred and canonized as a saint of the church by Pope Francis on 15 May 2022. She reiterated it is the Holy Spirit who gives us the resilience to surmount mountains of adversity.
Fr Satyaprakash reminded the gathering of Jesus who said “Whoever wants to follow me, let him carry his cross daily.” He recited an oft-repeated prayer of St Teresa of Calcutta: “Jesus you died for me, I’ll also die for you.” He also mentioned Glorious Gospel and Saswat (Eternal) Gospel. The sum-total of Eternal Gospel is “Fear God, praise God and worship God.”
Fr Pradip Mondal was the main celebrant of the Holy Eucharist. In his homily he said the two most important Commandments are: (1) “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (2) “You shall love your neighbour as yourself” (Matthew 22:37–39). He said to follow the second commandment was very challenging as we find it almost impossible to recognise the needs of our neighbours as we do in our cases. He mentioned the first Christians would make a common pool of all their resources and share them with other members according to their needs. This practice is sorely missing today.
After lunch, Praise and Worship took place interspersed with Gospel singing. This was followed by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament (3.30 – 4.00 pm). The three-day programme concluded at 5.30 pm with Healing & Deliverance Prayer Services and a felicitation of Fr Satyaprakash and his team from Patna.
A mention must be made of the choir which was brilliant. Swapan Kumar led the Bengali choir, while two youths John Biswas and Sharon Sharma performed the Hindi songs with zest.
Fatima Charismatic Prayer Group is the brainchild of Probodh Ray, late Richard Gilbert and a few lay Catholic members from the Archdiocese of Calcutta. The team is very dedicated and definitely inspired by the Holy Spirit and Fr George Arackal who founded the Charismatic Retreat Centre in Jalalkhali near Krishnanagar (Nadia District). The Group was formed about 19 years ago and every year it has been very successfully conducting the Mega Bible Convention mainly in Bengali (as most of the participants are from Bengali background). There is no charge for attending this event except for around Rs 100/- for the three-day simple vegetarian lunch. The charges for two-night stay (for outstation participants) at Holy Child School compounds are very nominal (Rs 120/-) and includes dinner and breakfast. The turnout in some years exceed 3,000 and the expenses are met by donations from devout Catholics and well-wishers. Many participants and preachers fast to prepare for the three-day convention.