Thank you, Lord, for the New Year. Our Community has passed here six months in this place of Kurdeg. It was strange for us because in our parish there was no Vigil Mass while other parishes had it. But we celebrated New Year Mass early in the morning, at 7 am; at the beginning no one except we Brothers who were arranging everything for the Mass and some Sisters who were decorating altar, were there. The Holy Mass started at 8 am, because of the people it was delayed.
On 2nd January, for Morning Prayer Fr. Shashi joined us. As we were three, we engaged ourselves in our personal works. In the evening Hatta (Parish village) had arranged a picnic: all the Priests and religious were invited. There Bro. Selvan was as a chief guest, because of his encouragement they won football match. To celebrate it in a grand manner they invited all. We took our supper. We had some balance fireworks of Diwali in which Bro. Abhay also took some for chasing elephants in his village.
On 3rd the High School started with very few students so it was a half day of working. In the evening we went to marriage function with priests except Bro. Selvan, who was sick. The next day Brothers went to Rourkela to pick up Bro. Efra; they straightly went to Bishop’s House to take our English Missal. By that time the VG of Simdega Diocese passed away but no one knew it. Late morning everyone came to know. It was the last day Fr. Shashi came to our Morning Prayer. Next day was Sunday, the funeral mass was at Simdega cathedral; we had our own timetable at home.
Monday there was a marriage function next to the Parish; we were all invited. Following days our Community was in diet. Adharcard work started in this week so most of the students as well as teachers were in busy in doing Adharcard works, in the School there were no lessons. Bro. Sandip went home some days to take care of his brother-in-law who was very sick. On 10th there was inauguration of Sisters Convent in Pakertoli; Bro. Sandip went in two-wheeler to drop Bro. Efra then he came back to continue his lessons. In the evening Bro. Raja went there to take him. It was a very rough and tough road. The next day Brothers travelled to Tethaitangar for the matter of scholarship.
On 12th it was Bro. Bosco’s birthday, so we greeted him. At night some puppies entered in our house which disturbed us at night and in the morning spoiled the flowers. This week, fully High School students were taken for the song practice. Like in Tamilnadu we had holiday on 14th where we greeted Pongal wishes to Madurai Community. At the end of the week, Saturday, we went to Banghaon for the first mass of a Salesian Priest and speak to the ‘Prachar’ (catechist) of the village about our land matter while Bro. Efra and Bro. Abhay remained at home and had a walk.
19th was an outing day: We went to Bro. Abhay’s house soon after the Holy Mass. His house was almost in the middle of mountains and forest. After passing through lot of rough and tough roads we reached his village. His house was at the end of the village (Sarangadi). His father and his brother were there to welcome us, and many of his relatives also came to greet us. There we saw the footprints of forest elephants which came in the time of harvest. It is normal to see those elephants passing through that village. Even they asked us to stay at night if we wanted to see elephants. In the evening we started to move from his village to Gumla and then to Simdega, finally we arrived to our community at 10.20pm.
On Bro. Selvans’s birthday we celebrated the Holy Mass in Community in English with two deacons who would be ordained on 22nd by Cardinal Telesphore P. Toppo in our parish. It was in the evening that we invited Priests and Deacons for the supper. We grilled some pieces of chicken and we had our special ‘badhakhana’. Next day was the birthday of Bro. Efra. We invited Priests and Sisters for the lunch. Everyone was busy in that day because of the preparation for the ordination Mass. All came when they found time to our house, Sister Superior came late at noon. In the evening we all helped in decorating the stage for the Eucharist.
The Ordination Mass which supposed to be at 7:00am was started at 8:30am, we greeted Cardinal. We expected the presence of our Bishop but he did not come. Brothers were singing and playing guitar. Soon after the Eucharist there were many Programs. In the evening there was a traditional game which is to ask money from the family of new Ordained Priests because new ordained will be in the residency of Priests. Next day, First Mass was in their villages. As usual we attended mass in the morning in the parish, but Bro. Superior went also to the First Mass of one of the newly priests. Rest of Brothers, after finishing our lessons, we went with Parish priest to greet another one Priest (Fr. Lilan Kerketta) who celebrated his First mass at home (Kerakachar) but far from this place though belonging to this Parish.
In the evening we went to Karwatoli to the house of Fr. Deepak Ekka of the Diocese of Bharaipur in West Bengal (near Culcutta); by this time Bro. Efra finished visiting the priests and was at home. Later we reached Gajmara to the house of Fr. Albert Lakra of the Archdiocese of Ranchi. We arrived at our community at 9:15pm. Next morning, hand-pump works started at home; in the evening we had community meeting about calendar and news of our Province and Institute. End of the week, Saturday, Bro. Selvan and Fr. Shashi went to a Banghaon to speak about the land matter; they returned unsuccessfully.
On 26th it was Republic Day as it was Sunday after the two Masses there was an act of patriotic programs with all the students. The tricolor flag was unfurled by our Parish priest then the March of the students. We continue with the same routing of the timetable of the community. In the following days, the three Schools started preparing for the sports day which would be held on 1st February. This month is full of feasts coming one after another in the Parish: Marriages, Ordination and First Masses, in the Schools a week for Adharcard, another for song practice, Republic program and sports day preparation, etc.
The Community of Kurdeg.
