Sunday, August 21, 2016

YOUNG SALESIAN PRIESTS AT SUMEDHA CENTRE

Twenty six young Salesian priests (ordained within the last 10 years) of the Province of the Good Shepherd, New Delhi attended a four-day programme (August 18-21, 2016) on renewal of priestly life and ministry at Sumedha Centre.


The programme was organized by Fr. Naresh Kujur, the Vice provincial of the Salesian Province of New Delhi.

It was facilitated by Johny Dominic PhD, the Assistant Director of Sumedha Centre and Jose Parappully, the Director.


On the first two days Johny Dominic dealt with “Emotional Maturity.” He helped the young priests to look at their emotional reactions and suggested ways to handle their emotional life in more helpful and effective ways.

Jose Parappully facilitated the last two days. He explored with the young priests "Psycho-Sexual and Celibate Integration." He helped them to look at what is going in their lives in this area and explored with them some of the problematic issues related to the topic and helped them discover ways to address these issues in keeping with their status as men vowed the celibate chastity.


The young priests had opportunities to share win dyads or small groups about their experiences.
These explorations were enriched with creative liturgies in which they were able to celebrate  their joys and challenges in this area.

During the programme Fr. Jose Mathew, the Provincial of New Delhi and Fr. K. C. John, the Economer of the Province, visited the group.


In the afternoon of the last day, the group went on sightseeing tour to Nainital.


The young priests said they found the entire programme very enriching.  The topics were dealt with very competently and openly. They suggested such programme should be organized also for the senior priests of the Province.


Thursday, August 18, 2016

Thank You, Sumedha!

Dear Sumedha,
Each companion of mine and I came over here with our own inner story of struggle and pain, and slowly, we began to realize that we hold our destiny in our own hands. The one thing needed was for us to open our palms and let go of our past self and feel the new energies in our souls wanting to burst out in freedom.

Sumedha Sadhana, the psycho-spiritual course renewed our body, mind and spirit and gently evoked in us desire to enter deep down into our own well and centre in it in order to move toward greater healing and wholeness.

We began by looking at ourselves and all that was happening on our spiritual journey. We gradually moved on to explore our inner struggles and strove hard to achieve healing and holistic integration.


All the modules of this course, the Eucharist, Adoration, reflection times, sharing, recreation, meals, and evening walks with our companions were holistic helps on our psycho-spiritual wholeness journey.

The early morning somatic meditation, dance, and Qigong let our old spirits out of ourselves into freedom and the new energies rejuvenated us with greater well-being and wholeness.


Sumedha Sadhana is indeed a holistic programme with well-planned modules aiming toward helping those seeking healing, wholeness and fullness of life to achieve them.

Terrific of the Salesians of Don Bosco to set up the Sumedha venture to provide these wonderful services for wounded seekers like us.



We pray with uplifted hearts and hands to Almighty God that the dream of a new Sumedha Centre, with land and buildings of its own, become a reality soon, so that this beautiful venture can continue and develop further.  


Thank You, Sumedha!

Flavia Fernandes, RJM
(On Behalf of Sumedha Sadhana Participants. June-August 2016)


Sunday, August 7, 2016

32nd Sumedha Sadhana: An Appreciation

Introduction to the Concluding Eucharist

Today with this Eucharist, our psycho-spiritual wholeness journey reaches its climax 2 months after, exactly on 1st June, we were warmly welcomed to Sumedha Sadhana.


The first Eucharistic celebration, the next morning had the same Scripture passages we will re-listen to today. That day we walked with Abraham, leaving his country, people and all the familiar places. We listened in the Gospel how Jesus walked with the two disillusioned disciples on the road to Emmaus, setting their hearts on fire!


From that 1st June we too have done our inner journey, starting from where each of us found ourselves: some tired, others drained, some others disillusioned, and in many ways, all of us drowning in the monotony of a busy life.

The Director of the programme, Fr. Jose, very delicately but firmly helped us to move on to explore the psychological dynamics that affect our spirituality. 


Today, looking back, we feel we have been given all possible means to explore and integrate our life experiences through modules such as: a holistic and process spirituality; cosmic and feminist spirituality; religious and community life.

We were helped to give importance to our prayer life with different methods of prayer, creative daily liturgies, weekly recollection and prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation etc.

We were challenged to develop a healthy emotional life; we explored our midlife and unconscious dynamics, sexuality, celibacy, intimacy and vocational commitment with a sense of generativity; we were helped to face our shadows; own our losses and  mourn them.

The safety and support of group therapy helped us to experiment with and put into practice the theories we had learned: of acknowledging, accepting, letting go our unhealthy relational patterns, healing from our woundedness  and moving on.


And the crown of everything, the unique adventure of the Spiritual Retreat as a Desert Experience, which brought us further healing and wholeness and took us closer to Jesus. In this retreat we were helped to experience the intimacy with God that we were longing for.

All this journey we travelled so easily and with such joy because our body was rejuvenated every morning with Somatic Meditation, Qigong, and Sacred Dance.


Yes, we can vouch that Sumedha is truly a Centre for renewal of body, mind and spirit through insights and practices from psychology and spiritual traditions, and, last but not least, with good and nourishing food and a wonderfully aesthetic surroundings.

Today we stand grateful to God, to Fr. Jose, Fr. Johny, Fr. Anand and Br. Justin together with Fr. Joe Mannath and Sr. Maria Goretti for creating in us more satisfying life patterns and helping us to make our service to others more fulfilling.


Dear Friends, let each of us offer herself/himself at this Altar and pray that the transformation we have experienced may become our everyday life style. On our knees, with the Word of God, we may attain, day after day, the integration and wholeness we much desired and worked at, enabling us to live and love little more like Jesus of Nazareth, witnessing passionately to the compassionate love of his Father.

Alphonsa, FDP

August 2, 2016

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

32nd Sumedha Sadhana Gets Near Perfect Score!

The 32nd edition of the nine-week-long Sumedha Sadhana – A Psychospiritual Wholeness Journey (June 1- August 2 2016, concluded yesterday to the great satisfaction of all.


Seven of the 10 participants gave the programme gave 10 out of 10 (including two 10+) in terms of usefulness of the programme and meeting their expectations. There were two 9s and one 8.

A common theme running through the feedback from participants is that they have been healed and transformed in ways they never expected. They go back very different persons than who they were when they arrived at Sumedha Centre. They got more than what they had hoped for.


A few typical comments:

“The course satisfied my desires and compassionately accompanied me to journey inward, reconcile with my past, love myself, adopt a healthy spirituality, befriend my shadows, be more open to close relationships. I came to know Jesus of Nazareth and fell in love with him once again. The personal consultations gave me courage to open myself and I experienced freedom. My desire and the goal which I set on the first day of the programme were fully realized. Very Holistic Course.”


“My goal has been realized 100 %. The course was well organized in every minute detail.”

"I came here disillusioned, shattered, wounded, frustrated, full of regrets, wanting to leave religious life. I was able to face my inner demons, experience healing. I go back renewed, recommitting my life to God and a burning desire to be the compassionate face of God to all who cross my path.”


“Every day was a profound inner journey – a mirror held up to me, to see myself more clearly. I have become a totally new person, hopeful of living my religious life meaningfully. Sumedha has been a unique experience, something I never experienced before and one I think is available nowhere else.”

“All the inputs of modules were very profound and enriching. First time I have received such a nice and spiritual course.”


“After a long time I made a very meaningful spiritual retreat.”


"Hospitality, accommodation, food, services, climate were all excellent. The supporting staff had a pleasant smile for me. I truly felt at home. The place was amazing.”


Thanks to the four facilitators of this edition of Sumedha Sadhana: Joe Mannath PhD (Psychosexual and Celibate Integration); Johny Dominic PhD (Unconscious Dynamics and the Spiritual Journey); Jose Parappully PhD (Psychological Dynamics on the Spiritual Journey, Holistic and Process Spiritualities, Spritual Retreat);  Maria Goretti Kanakarathinam MA (Group Therapy); and to the Administrators: Anand Tirkey and Justin Lakra.


The  33rd Sumedha Sadhana is from September 28 to November 29, 2016. Registration is open. Contact sumedhacentre@gmail.com 


32nd Sumedha Sadhana Gets Near Perfect Score!

The 32nd edition of the nine-week-long Sumedha Sadhana – A Psychospiritual Wholeness Journey (June 1- August 2 2016, concluded yesterday to the great satisfaction of all.


Seven of the 10 participants gave the programme gave 10 out of 10 (including two 10+) in terms of usefulness of the programme and meeting their expectations. There were two 9s and one 8.

A common theme running through the feedback from participants is that they have been healed and transformed in ways they never expected. They go back very different persons than who they were when they arrived at Sumedha Centre. They got more than what they had hoped for.


A few typical comments:

“The course satisfied my desires and compassionately accompanied me to journey inward, reconcile with my past, love myself, adopt a healthy spirituality, befriend my shadows, be more open to close relationships. I came to know Jesus of Nazareth and fell in love with him once again. The personal consultations gave me courage to open myself and I experienced freedom. My desire and the goal which I set on the first day of the programme were fully realized. Very Holistic Course.”


“My goal has been realized 100 %. The course was well organized in every minute detail.”

"I came here disillusioned, shattered, wounded, frustrated, full of regrets, wanting to leave religious life. I was able to face my inner demons, experience healing. I go back renewed, recommitting my life to God and a burning desire to be the compassionate face of God to all who cross my path.”


“Every day was a profound inner journey – a mirror held up to me, to see myself more clearly. I have become a totally new person, hopeful of living my religious life meaningfully. Sumedha has been a unique experience, something I never experienced before and one I think is available nowhere else.”

“All the inputs of modules were very profound and enriching. First time I have received such a nice and spiritual course.”


“After a long time I made a very meaningful spiritual retreat.”


"Hospitality, accommodation, food, services, climate were all excellent. The supporting staff had a pleasant smile for me. I truly felt at home. The place was amazing.”


The  33rd Sumedha Sadhana is from September 28 to November 29, 2016. Registration is open. Contact sumedhacentre@gmail.com