DIRECTOR SPEAKS
Dear All,
The Catechesis Department in the newly raised Eparchy of Gurgaon awakens to a fresh dawn realizing an ever more urgency in and priority for the faith formation and work of evangelization while continuing from the footprints left behind by persons who aimed higher and thought bigger. The great legacy handed over to the Diocese from the great stalwart Berchmans Aachan is praiseworthy who was instrumental in the field of Catechesis, even to the extent of preparing a separate text book for ETRI. Rev. Fr.Verghese Valikodath worked tirelessly while being appointed as the Director of Catechism Department in animating the different Zones of erstwhile ETRI, into drawing up a fully fledged academic year, centralizing the examinations and its evaluation system and creating a data base of the students enrolled and staff engaged. Rev. Fr. Vinayanand Aachan’s contribution was a class apart whose very personality and life based on a strong character and sound oriental spirituality added flavor to the Department.
The new Diocese is a mission diocese and a missionary spirit permeates it. The mission has undoubtedly on one hand, given a new dimension to the identity and ecclesiology of the Syro- Malankara Catholic Church, yet on the other hand has placed an added responsibility of handing down the apostolic church’s oriental practice and belief in its entirety. The Catechesis Department of Gurgaon Diocese is called to undertake this adventurous journey of faith formation. It provides for an opportunity to bloom into new and unseen horizons while remaining firmly rooted in its historical and liturgical heritage. The challenging call is to influence the believing community and helping them articulate an authentic Oriental Catholic faith while at the same time willingly accepting to be influenced by the same.
A focused, determined and clear vision for an authentic and sound catechesis in the diocese will pave way for a socio-culturally textured evangelization in the geographical areas mandated to us. God has blessed us abundantly and our Patron and Father Mar Ivanios continues to pray for us. We can no longer remain confined. Let us all join hands in the proclamation of the great revelation.
-Rev. Fr. Mathew (Jigmy) Koodaparambil (FORMER DIRECTOR, Dept. of Catechesis)
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