Friday, March 6, 2015

RENEWING CONSECRATED LIFE: JOURNEYING TOGETHER TOWARD FULLNESS OF LIFE

Jose Parappully, the Director of Sumedha Centre, was invited to facilitate a one-month renewal programme at Sisters Centre at Samphran, Thailand. This is the national training Centre for religious sisters run by the Association of Major Religious Superiors of Thailand and Laos.

Currently the Centre is managed by Sister Pornthip of the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Bangkok and Sister Wantana of the Congregation of Infant Jesus. Sr. Wantana was a participant of the Sumedha Sadhana programme at Jeolikote a couple of years ago.


The programme was held from January 18 to February 18 and was titled “Renewing Consecrated Life: Journeying Toward Fullness of Life.”

There were 26 sisters from seven different religious congregations, working in Thailand and Cambodia. A few of them were preparing for their Final Vows; a few others for the Silver jubilee of their religious profession. The rest were interested in their own personal and spiritual renewal.


Topics covered included: Spirituality; Prayerfulness; Midlife Dynamics; Psychosexual and Celibate Integration; and Religious Life. The programme culminated in a Spiritual Retreat on the theme of Wilderness and Paradise.


At the end of the programme we had a very enjoyable picnic to Ratchaburi, which included a lunch out on the sea, visit to the Cathedral and the famous seaside shrine of St. Anne.


Participants found the programme very useful and were grateful that they had the opportunity to attend it. They observed that the programme really helped them to better understand themselves and their religious consecration and to renew their commitment to, and enthusiasm and passion of for their religious life and ministry.


Jose will be doing the same programme at the Sisters Centre next year too.


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