With the theme of Enhancing our Consecrated Living to Encounter the Millennial Christ, young finally professed Holy Cross religious from Asia gathered at the CRI Brothers Institute in Bangalore, India, from April 14-18.

The St. André Province, under the leadership of Br. PJ Santosh, C.S.C., Superior, served as the host of this ongoing formation gathering that united 27 religious from all six of the Congregation’s jurisdictions in Bangladesh and India. Br. Basker Arockia Samy, C.S.C., Director of the Moreau Formation House and Formation Coordinator for the Province, coordinated the gathering.

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The gathering opened on Friday night, April 14, with a Mass in which Fr. Andrew Gawrych, C.S.C., Third Assistant, presided, and Br. Santosh. Fr. Gawrych also delivered the opening keynote address the following morning.

Four additional resource people were brought in to address and interact with the young finally professed. The first was Fr. Louis, CP, Professor of Philosophy at Suvidya College in Bangalore, who spoke on Ethics in the Religious Life in the Millennial Society.

He was followed the next day by Sr. Violet Celemancia, FSAG, a psychotherapist and member of her Province’s leadership team, who spoke on Eudaimonic Well-being: A Pathway to Progress in Consecrated Life, and Br. Mani Karott, LBJ, who reflected with the participants on The New Challenges in Religious Life Today.

On 17 April, the final resource person, Fr. Jayanathan, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Bangalore, addressed Effective Communication: The Need of the Hour. Following lunch, Fr. Gawrych field questions from the brothers and priests for an hour before a final wrap-up presentation.

There was also time each day for the brothers and priests to interact fraternally, including a rousing and highly competitive game of basketball on the first afternoon. On the final day, April 18, there was also a day trip to a local amusement park.

Local Holy Cross religious from the St. André Province and the South India Province joined in for the closing festivities on the night of 17 April. Also attending was Br. Subal Rozario, C.S.C., Superior of the St. Joseph Province of Bangladesh.

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At the closing ceremony, the young brothers and priests from each jurisdiction expressed their gratitude for the gathering and shared what they had learned and received from the days together. Then all joined in a Mass of Thanksgiving and a delicious outdoor social and meal.

Of the 27 participants, there were eight from Bangladesh, six priests from the Sacred Heart of Jesus Province and two from the St. Joseph Province. The remaining 19 were from India: five brothers from the St. André Province, six priests from the Province of Northeast India, four priests eac from the Province of Tamil Nadu and the Province of South India.