On 1st
of this month Bro Superior was in the Bishop’s House of Rourkela, and that day
he left for Eluru to have some meetings of the Advisory Council of the
Delegation of India. We were having our own timetable. These days are very cool
in Kurdeg and we, Brothers take some efforts to reach in time; sometimes the electricity
is cheating us because it is from night around 10:30 pm until morning 5:30 or
6:00 o’clock. It is like when we enter in the bathroom, then the electricity
leaves us in darkness or sometimes exactly in the moment the priest starts the
Mass.
On 2nd
was the Election Day in Simdega district: all the Brothers had their right of
Vote, as good Citizens. For the following days there was strike, we were in
scarcity of money; we had a check to withdraw money from the bank as there was
strike we could not take.
During these
days we started to build a Grotto that later it was modelled as a crib.
On 3rd
Brothers working in the High School got salary but the next day some people
came from the board of electricity who demanded money for the installation of
electricity at houses, we gave the amount for that purpose. We had not enough
money to buy, that time an aspirant’s mother came and gave some money to give
to his son who is studying in Eluru, with that we managed our Community.
From 9th
the half yearly exams started in the Schools. Everyone was busy in studying as
soon as exam finished in correcting it also.
On 11th
in our parish the Marriage classes (sadi) started, which will last till
Christmas. Br Abhay was dedicating an hour of Class for the couples every day
as requested by the parish priest. Every day had some hours for preparing
lessons. These classes in a way helped him to share our spirituality with them.
On 14th
in the evening, Br Efra arrived in Rourkela station. Next day they had Vocation
Promotion in Rengarih, and by the way, they visited Simdega for posting some
letters and doing some purchase.
On 18th
we did Vocation Promotion in Nirmala High School where our Brothers are working,
there were some quite number of people who responded well.
As the Christmas
are nearing, Brothers were asked to teach songs for the Christmas Vigil Mass.
So these days at evening Br Abhay spent some hours in teaching Songs and Dances
for the Marriage couples to be performed on the day of Christmas.
22nd
we had recollection day in Dumberdih Parish, which our neighbour parish. The whole
morning we spent there and he invited us for lunch too. Around 4:30 in the
evening we left that place. It was a good day for spending a day with our Lord
and for communication among the Brothers.
On 23rd
a small cat came for the Morning Prayer to our chapel besides our cat (Mishi) that
is almost every day present. A Redemptorist Father visited us in the morning,
he was guiding retreat for those couples nearly for four days; he took the cat
that newly arrived to our house to his house.
On 24th
in the noon, we greeted the Priests and Sisters singing Carols as well as sharing
some calendars with Christmas cakes, Br Sandip also joined us, who had come for
his vacation to his house. Later we joined them for decorating Church and altar
for evening Mass. The neighbour parish of Dumberdih was also in need of some religious
Brothers or Sisters for distributing Holy Communion. Two of our Brothers went
there in evening. It is not that much easy because these days are very cool and
to travel will be very hard. They went for the Mass and returned our house that
same night itself. The Vigil Mass was crowded here in our parish.
On 26th
early morning, Br Subash said to us “albida” and left to his house. The
following day was a strike in Jharkhand in which no vehicle will be moving; on
that day, the other two Brothers were starting their holiday. Br Anand, who
goes to Odisha, got some vehicle to reach this district from where he would get
some other means to reach his house, but for Br Abhay there was no bus, so he
took our bicycle to reach his house as he did the previous year. Evening we had
some call conveying the safe arrival of our Brothers at home.
28th
Sunday, Feast of the Holy Family, we were only two at the Community. We
prepared food ourselves and gave leave for the cook; he came only in the
morning to prepare breakfast. The next day, 29th, was the marriage
of a staff member of High School who marries the sister of the High School
Headmaster, so we attended the Marriage Mass with so many priests and six
couples marriage including that of the teacher. That day we spent there only in
the late evening we returned to home. Br. Sandip also joined in the last
moment, after he went to his home.
On 29th
there was a reception of this couple in the bridegroom’s place; we both Brothers
made an act of presence in their house at noon which is quite far for from this
place (Tainser parish). There, no phone tower to call anybody or GPS to find
these places was working. But finally we managed to reach the place.
On 30th
we were at home only, we occupied ourselves in our personal work. As our small bike had minor problems were we brought
it for service that day. These days it was cloudy as well as raining too. A bit
boring days.
The last day of
the year there was nothing special, everything seemed to be normal day. In the
evening we went to help the Sisters in decorating the altar for the Mass on
First of January of 2015, at nigh we watched a movie and went to sleep soon. That
night was not like in the other Communities so we have no Mass at night to
celebrate the new year…
