In the presence of the Lord and with the guidance of the Angels our life moves under the humble roof of the Holy Family. We are settled in the new house and with a small chapel to pray.
It is a special month for us living as more responsible as Holy Family Brother. All works that we did as if our Brother Superior might have been here. We, young Brothers, were continuing our timetables taking care of the new House. It was a Sunday that the first day of this month is remembered as St. Monica’s day; this is celebrated as Mother’s day here. From all the villages which belong to this parish of Khalijor came. As there were so many, our Brothers were distributing the Holy Communion. Many programs were held especially for the mothers. We were guests and judge for some of them.
As we were in the new house everything we did here, except meals in the Parish. We were searching for a cook. On 3rd of this month we ordered milk then invited Parish Priest and Sisters for a cup of milk and coffee. Here there is one more new neighbor, a calf buffalo; we were thinking to get some milk from the buffalo; poor him, he was not giving milk for his own, how could we get for us?
On September 5th is celebrated Teacher’s day in India. There were special programs in all the Schools; it was soon after the Eucharist. This was a new custom that all the students were singing and leading us under a shade of colorful umbrellas to the Schools. Following day we ourselves started to cook in our house each day one Brother.
On 7th was the School day of Nirmala High School where two of our Brothers are working; after the mass all the programs were held, even meal for all the students and teachers. The following day, Sunday, was a hard working day, for we cleaned whole house till the evening. Next day was the birthday of a Brother, so we prepared supper and brought it to the Parish House and celebrated his birthday with the Fathers.
Bro. Xavier, vocation promoter, started his journey to our Community on 10th. At the same time, a new cook started his work in the kitchen from evening. There was network problem: some creatures had their nest in the phone tower as it is dangerous, building of new towers started. We were little worried about Bro. Xavier because we did not know how he was going to arrive. As here there is no proper transport system, two of our Brothers hired a vehicle to pick him up form Raurkela because he did not know how to come from there to our Community.
As he came here, there was lot of fest and “bandh” or strikes stating form a martyr feast, a diocesan priest who was killed by Hindu fanatics. There were thousand and thousand people as pilgrims gathered there, our Brothers also were present there with the celebration of Holy Mass with four Bishops. These days we started to play inter-class football matches in High School; our Brothers, priests as well staffs were one team; it was interesting that everyone enjoyed much.
On 13th vocation promotion started from Nirmala High School; it was afternoon that some good number of students gave their names soon after that football matches for the girls started. The last hour of the class was spared for the matches. Following day we had community meeting especially on the vocational visits to Schools, Brothers made a schedule.
On Sunday it was downpour as we were praying in the morning a thunder which fell near the house threatened us. The whole day it was raining. It was sudden strike in Jharkhand for three days so all the plan for the vocational trips we postponed to another day of that month. The next day we were preparing drainage for the rainwater, sometime our house was flooded. These days we had lot of hours for praying, preparing lessons…, some occasions we went for fishing though we got nothing.
These days it rained cats and dogs, everywhere water was overflowing, in some occasion we needed to pray, work and play. Besides all strikes and rains, Brothers started vocation visits on 18th leaving some far schools and finished on 20th. The next day there was strike, no vehicles were moving; we hired a car at our own risk; one of our Brothers went with him to drop Bro. Xavi in Raurkela. It was a long trip that they needed to go through Chhattisgarh, which is another state, to reach the railway station.
His presence in our community was a joyous moment as we were sharing our happiness and struggles together. Our Brothers were asked to give retreat for the High School Boys and Girls for three days, these were special moments for our Brothers, they were preparing it a lot. This was a new experience for them.
There was a state level football match in Kurdeg on 25th, which changed our Schools Timetables for one week; the first day our Community went to watch one as a Chief Guest for the Match. On 27th we heard that our Bro. Efra had arrived safe and sound in India. On 29th there was great celebration called “Naya Khani” which is the first grain of the Harvest; it was brought to the Church, the Feast day of Parish Priest Fr. Raphael on the day of Archangels and evening “Karma” feast. Our Brothers were helping in Mass and distributing the Holy Communion. Every Sunday we are having some visitors form the Parish who offer us something that they have. Here Eucharist is the center of all the Feasts and Festivals, everything begins with Eucharist or a Prayer which shows that God is pouring his blessings in all they do.
Thus our small Community moves everyday life under the light of the Holy Family and the guidance of Angels.
The Community of Kurdeg.
