During the vacations in the college, in November, I took sixteen students of our ACS (Association of Christian Students) from Sophia College for a four-day social outreach program to Pune. We visited two institutions run by the NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) “Maher” – one is a home for destitute women and orphan children, and a home for the mentally challenged and elderly women. The students helped to serve food to the women, bathed and dressed them and spent time with them. The other is an addiction treatment center, the Kripa (grace) Foundation, run by a priest, the brother of one of our sisters.
We also had some fun moments. One of the students’ favorite experiences was a brief visit to Pragnalaya, our elder care community. They interacted with the sisters and they said that they experienced peace and a very positive energy there. During these days, we stayed in our candidate house, which is called Prerna. During their stay, Sr. Marie, Sr. Fatima, and Sr. Thelma spoke to the group about our Society, its spirituality and its mission.
All through the program they reflected on the theme, “What is love?” We had a brief discussion on this topic. On the last day, we celebrated Holy Mass together with the Prerna community to thank God for everything.
Our return journey was very different, now there was a joyful atmosphere of companionship and laughter. It had been a very worthwhile experience. A few days after we returned, the girls approached me asking for another session online. They chose the topic, “How your faith can be a variable to your relationship and friendship”, which we had on 22nd November 2023. They were happy and want to continue with such discussions.
Deodita Godinho rscj
Province of India
Section |International News|Vocation & Youth Ministry
Province |India
