Art/ Heritage

THE BOMBAY SEMINARY:  A Tribute

On this glorious day where memories and hopes meet, we present to you the composition of celebration as published in the College Magazine, 1960. Happy Reading!

 COLLEGE OF ST. PIUS X

Behold this hour the curtain rises, to inaugurate a new era in Bombay’s star-spangled history!

A new expansive edifice, and all it means, in Goregaon’s rural environs, is now the seminarium of her future priests;

The infallible object of admiration, of every passerby and visitor,

A landmark which while yet unfinished, merited a name from the local inhabitants:

“Panchmala” they called it, “The Five-storeyed”.

Lodged midst Nature’s inimitable beauty, recipient of her attentions

The perfect setting for the “Benedicite” or Francis’ “Canticle to Brother Sun”‘

’Tis Nature inviting to prayer…and contemplation.

 

In this atmosphere of peace, each priest-to-be may undisturbed

Unlock the secrets of his books,

Striving to know what men and priests must know,

Qualifying as far as weak humans can,

For that herculean enterprise which Christ has entrusted to him:

“Go, and teach ye all nations…’ But success is never cheaply won;

While we sound the trumpet of accomplishment,

Our tide of joy may rise above the grey rocks of anxiety,

But we do not forget, we cannot forget

The secret sacrifices, the plenteous sacrifices,

The rich offerings, the widow’s mite,

And the unstinting labour, that have built it all

Though not these only,

For “Unless the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it”.

 

We look into a sunlit future, a future of prosperity and increase,

Though we rule not out the shadows! For we trust in Him whose promises

Calmed the fears of Moses and Joshua, of the prophets Isaias and Jeremy,

In His Son who to tongue-tied fishermen said. “I am with you…

We trust in the spirit, the Enlightener, The Fire, which moves every heart to Generosity!

To them we pray that this College, may be the birth-place of saintly priests;

We likewise pray that every giver may receive due meed,

For theirs was at least a cup of water to a Christ in need.

 

BRO. JOAQUIM PAES

(Fraternitas, 1960)

Spread the love ♥
       
Continue Reading
Faith

In chapter twenty-one of the Gospel of Mathew, Jesus has entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and gets into a run in with the chief priests and Pharisees. They question the source of his authority. “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” (21:23). In response to their question regarding his authority to cleanse the temple Jesus breaks into three parables of judgment the first two of which use the imagery of a vineyard.

For a first century Jew the allusion to vineyard found in the writings of Isaiah was unmistakable (Isaiah 5:1-7). The Jewish nation, as the vineyard of God, was a familiar prophetic picture and a metaphor for the house of Israel and the people of Judah.

The parable is unmistakably direct in its message and verse forty-five tells us that when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables (both the first and then second parable), they realized that Jesus was speaking about them. Jesus was not merely critiquing temple leadership he was now tearing it to shreds while pronouncing judgment on them.

The parable of today’s Gospel needs some attention for it is beautifully woven to encompass salvation history in ten verses.  The parable begins with a situation that was business as usual in Roman-occupied Palestine. In the time of Jesus, Palestine was a troubled place with little luxury. Hence, culturally, the leasing of land to tenant farmers was a common experience.

While many of these absentee landowners were foreigners who lived in the far-flung territories of the Roman Empire it was not uncommon for the Jews to be landowners.  The rent was paid in any of three ways. It might be a money rent; it might be a fixed amount of the fruit or grain, or it might be an agreed percentage of the crop. Those who failed to meet the landowner’s standards would be removed from the land and landowning elite could usually pay others to remove them forcefully if necessary.

Spread the love ♥
       
Continue Reading
Food

Herbs, if you use a little or a whole lot they transform your everyday dish adding a unique freshness and aroma while being amazingly beneficial for our bodies too.

While living in India I was already familiar with a few varieties that my mother would use in her everyday kitchen like coriander, dill, mint, bay leaves, and on rare occasions, basil. However, when I moved to the Middle East and began cooking my meals regularly I gradually developed a full appreciation for these fragrant and delicate group of ingredients. With nationalities from all over the world, this region is blessed with a treasure of produce leaving a novice or an accomplished cook plenty to experiment with at reasonable rates. Also for the people of this region herbs are an important part of their everyday meal and this in turn opened my mind and palate to a whole new world of food.

As I began experimenting in my kitchen I was thrilled to discover that just a few sprigs of a herb could bring so much magic to an otherwise mundane dish. On our travels around the globe, my favourite thing was to head to the botanical gardens and just walk past the herb bushes gently brushing the tops taking in that amazing fragrance or to sink my head into a bunch of freshly bunches excited to discover new varieties at the local markets.

Varieties and types.

We have finally started to notice that there is real curative value in local herbs and remedies. In fact, we are also becoming aware that there are little or no side effects to most natural remedies, and that they are often more effective than Western medicine. – Anne Wilson Schaef

Parsley, Chives, Tarragon, Sage, Rosemary, Oregano, lavender, the list is endless especially once you start looking beyond the supermarket and more into local or indigenous herbs. 

Have you heard of Loveroot, Horsemint, Wild mint, Sagebrush, Juniper, Wild Onion, Lemon Myrtle, dandelion, comfrey, sage, chamomile, juniper berries, or mugwort? 

Spread the love ♥
  3    
3
Shares
Continue Reading
Art/ Heritage

THE BOMBAY SEMINARY: Cutting the First Sod

 In February 1956 the Diocesan Council received thrilling news. A plot of nearly thirty acres had been discovered at Goregaon. The site was suitably situated and reasonably priced. H.E. Valerian Cardinal Gracias described these marvelous moments in the following words:

‘Through no merits of my own, it was left to me to undertake this project and to fulfill the dream of my predecessors. We owe it to the Broker, Mr Patrick Coelho…to have discovered this ideal site, and to Mr Agaskar, the Vendor, who was happy that his property would be used for a sacred purpose. Actually, I was in Burma at that time. On arrival at the airport, I was whisked off to inspect the site. My reaction was that of love at first sight, which though in most cases is blind, in this is not.’

Let’s now consider the site in question. In the mid-twentieth century, Goregaon was still a village but also a railway station. The property lay half-a-mile from the station and measured around 30 acres and 18 gunthas. It was not symmetrical though roughly rectangular. To its southern boundary was the straight public road, the Aarey Road which derived its name from the sprawling acreage of the neighboring Aarey Milk Colony.

In the 1950s the land was occupied by a single-storeyed country-house surrounded by the natural world. As recorded – ‘The property consist of rather neglected orchard land, planted with low and gnarled mango trees with tall, straight palmyras. The open spaces between the trees are bare in the dry season, except for the Kala Kuda shrub. When the rains set in, dormant nature awakes, and changes the barrenness into a paradise of flowers: balsams and forget-me-nots, glory lilies of India and spiderworts, and everywhere grasses, outstanding among them Job’s tears…’

Spread the love ♥
       
Continue Reading
Faith

Mission Accomplished – Saturday, 26th week in ordinary time – LK 10:17-24

Jesus has begun his journey to Jerusalem having completed his Galilean ministry (Luke 9:51). On ‘the way’ he sets out to teach the disciples while at the same time sending them out on mission as they walk along.

He had sent the seventy out in pairs to every town and place that he himself intended to go (10:1-2). Often, the first face of Jesus that some would ever see is the face of the disciple sent out; namely your face and mine. In that we can become the best or the worst advertisers of the Good News to others.

What  also strikes us  as we read this text is the privilege we share when we are called to minister for Christ in his vineyard. Earlier in Chapter 9:1 the twelve were given power over demons and to cure diseases. While the seventy disciples did not receive the exact mandate,(10:9) their reporting of their mission indicates that this mandate to the twelve was extended to them.

Clearly, the all-inclusive Gospel proclaimed by Luke is not merely limited to the a limited audience of faith seekers but also a wider circle of those who will minister in the vineyard. The appointment of the seventy, close on the heels of the calling of the twelve apostles, is a clear indication that the little inner circles that run rings around Church leadership is not what Christ desired. In short Christ chose the ‘more the merrier’ policy when it came to ministry rather than the exclusive cosy clubs that certain faith groups have come to be.  

Spread the love ♥
       
Continue Reading