Young Religious prepare for socio-political challenges

(February 03, 2011) Young members of the Conference of Religious India (CRI) working in West Bengal spent three days in Kolkata to seek ways to meet challenges in the region. “Our young people have realized the need to take seriously the socio-political context they live in and respond to it meaningfully,” said Sister Gracy Sundar, president of the Conference of Religious India (CRI) for West Bengal-Sikkim region. The Holy Cross of Chavanod Sister noted that some 24,000 Catholic Religious in India are in the age group of 30-35 and they need their congregations’ support to face the new challenges. “There is a need to awaken the giants lying dormant in the young Religious,” she told 138 participants of the January 29 to February 1 program at Seva Kendra. This was the ninth of a series of workshops the CRI has been organizing to prepare its young members to assume leadership in the coming decade. The Kolkata program chose the theme, “Consecrated Life 2020: A Vision Study by Young.” Sister Sundar said the Religious require great leaders who are not afraid to take risks to work at grassroots. Jesuit Father Irudaya Jothi, who moderated a panel discussion, said the founders of religious congregations had responded creatively to their situation. “We are stuck with the charism of our congregations, failing to respond to our particular contexts,” regretted the priest, who directs Udayani (awakening) Social Action Forum. Salesian Father Ramesh Cherian Panthaplackal, another animator, says the passion for Christ should help the Religious to enter “wherever there is evil, and transform it.” Brother David Roberts, who heads the Missionaries of Charity Brothers, invited the young Religious to work with “people’s power” and build bridges between the people.