“Priests and religious people are God’s gift to humanity.” Archbishop John Barwa

Bhubaneswar, 23 March 2024: “Priests and religious are God’s gift to humanity,” stated Archbishop John Barwa, S.V.D., of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar. He was presiding over the inaugural Holy Mass refresher programme for formators in the Odisha region at St. Vincent’s Cathedral, Bhubaneswar.

He underscored the significance of priests and religious as divine gifts to humanity, echoing the sentiment expressed in the exhortation of Vita Consecrata. He commended the dedication of missionaries in Odisha and honoured the Kandhamal martyrs, revered as ‘Servants of God,’ emphasising the need for future priests and religious to embody the divine presence transcending human boundaries.

In a collaborative effort between the CCBI Commission for VSCR and the Odisha regional ARMS, a two-day refresher programme for formators in the Odisha region was convened on March 22nd and 23rd, 2024, at the Archbishop’s House in Bhubaneswar.

Themed ‘Strategic Planning for Priestly and Religious Formation in the Digital Age,’ the programme was a continuation of discussions initiated during the ARMS general council held in November 2023.

Bishop Niranjan Sualsingh of Sambalpur, serving as the regional chairman of the VSCR Commission, highlighted the imperative of personal sacrifice in effective formation amidst the digital era, stressing the importance of adapting positively to contemporary challenges.

The programme convened 35 formators from diocesan and religious formation houses, including rectors of diocesan seminaries, directors of regional propaedeutic formation, formators from study houses, rectors of major seminaries, and provincial superiors of the region.

Fr. Charles Leon, Executive Secretary of the VSCR Commission, facilitated study sessions. Regional Chairman Bishop Niranjan of Sambalpur, along with the regional VSCR secretary and ARMS President Fr. Lancy Rodriguez, coordinated the refresher programme, culminating in the decision to conduct a one-day staff development programme aimed at integrating the discussed content into future formation initiatives.

By Dr. Charles Leon