The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) Office for Dialogue & Ecumenism organized a half day Seminar in Collaboration with FMA Community of Maria Vihar in Nashik, Maharashtra. On 5th May 2018, 71 youngsters arrived in groups and took the lead to get the hall and necessary equipment to kick start the long awaited seminar. Sr. Philomena B. D’Souza, the animator of the community, made a friendly visit and greeted the youngsters.
The purpose of this seminar was to offer young college students an opportunity to gain deeper awareness of their responsibility to become ambassadors of peace and harmony.
Mr. Kasta Dip, Director of India Peace Centre, spoke on the necessity to be friendly and in harmony with self, others, nature and God in whose image and likeness each one is created. With a very effective power point presentation and in a very friendly manner, Kasta Dip helped the youngsters to reflect and become aware of their significant role in society to build peace and harmony.
Sr. Teresa Joseph FMA spoke briefly on the importance of peace and harmony and how youngsters can be ambassadors of peace and harmony. She referred also to the unique meeting Pope St. John Paul II initiated with the Religious Leaders in Assisi on 27th October 1986 and the others that followed. The Final Statement of the 33rd General Body Meeting of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) has rightly affirmed: To Live in Unity in the midst of Diversity, both within the Church and in the country and proposed 20 Lines of action. During this seminar: Training Young College Students to be Ambassadors of Peace and Harmony, we focussed on the second part of proposal 3: To promote and intensify Small Christian Communities (SCCs) and Family Units for the all-round integral formation of the faithful and for inter-religious cooperation, peace and harmony.
The youngsters were the protagonists in the group work that followed. As they put their hands to the book: “Paha Mothi Swapna Khari Swapna!” and picked up the topic they most liked tere was great excitement. Amazingly their choices moved around: Develop the greatness within you, Conquer fears and worries, Building self-confidence, Avoid depression and discouragement, How to get what you expect, Ways to keep friendship going and growing etc.
youngsters brought in the personal summary of the session, five others dared to share what they are taking along with them for life from the seminar, a few others expressed their desire to commit themselves to promote peace and harmony beginning with self, family and moving to the larger circle of friends and neighbours.
The five staff members of Maria Vihar Professional School enriched the seminar with their presence, active involvement and inspiring sharing. The moment of prayer, the fraternal meal together and a few moments of laughter brought added joy to the Seminar. It was worth coming, it was indeed an enriching day, we learned much and will do something to build peace and harmony are some of the expressions that resounded in the hall.
The organisers thanked Sr. Philomena D’Souza and her Sisters for making it possible to host the Seminar, Mr. Kasta Dip for the inspiring session and Sr. Lavita Vaz for seeing to the finest details of the seminar.