VIANNEY BHAVAN: ODISHA REGIONAL PHILOSOPHY SEMINARY

GOPALPUR-ON-SEA, GANJAM- 761 002. ODISHA, INDIA

2016 For Private Circulation only

Editorial Board: Bros. Binaya Kumar Digal and Rajesh Kumar Sabhasundar, Staff Guide: Fr. Thomas Parayil

Website : www.vianneybhavan.com

GOOD BYE AND THANK YOU

On June 19, 2016, I shall handover my office as Rector

of Vianney Bhavan (Odisha Regional Philosophy

Seminary) to the newly appointed

Rector. As I say adieu to Vianney

Bhavan, I wish to thank the two

Archbishops and all the Bishops of

Odisha who are associated with

Vianney Bhavan, for giving me this

wonderful opportunity to serve the

Seminary for nine years as Rector. I

gratefully remember and express my sincere gratitude to

Bishop Thomas Thiruthalil, CM (The Founding Father

of Vianney Bhavan), Archbishop Raphael Cheenath,

SVD, Archbishop John Barwa SVD, the late Bishop

Joseph Das, Bishop Alphonse Bilung SVD, Bishop

Lucas Kerketta SVD, Bishop Sarat Chandra Nayak,

Bishop Kishore Kumar Kujur, Bishop Niranjan Sualsingh

and Bishop Simon Kaipuram CM. who have been pillars

of support for Vianney Bhavan through their guidance,

prayers and presence. I have experienced everyone’s

understanding and cooperation during my tenure as

Rector.

In pursuit of Truth, Beauty and Goodness, the Staff and

the Students have walked a long way and have reached

25th milestone. I am indebted in a particular way to my

predecessors and the former formators - especially with

whom I had the privilege to work in Vianney Bhavan,

who administered the institution with character,

intelligence and devotion as well as for their share in

making Vianney Bhavan what it is today. My special

gratitude and appreciation go to my colleagues, Fr. Albert

Bilung, Vice-Rector, Fr. George Padamadan OCD

Spiritual Director and Fr. Mahendra Kumar Behera,

Treasurer. It was a pleasure to work with them.

Most of all, I thank all the students who came to live and

study at Vianney Bhavan. I remember them with gratitude.

I thank God for the beautiful opportunity He gave me to

be at Vianney Bhavan from June 2007 to June 2016 in a

joyful learning atmosphere with so many students.

My sincere gratitude also goes to the Auxiliary Staff -

Mr. Kama Raju, Mrs. Damayanti, Miss. Deva and Mrs.

Gurama for making my stay in Vianney Bhavan a

comfortable one.

On behalf of the Bishops of Odisha, the Staff and the

Seminarians I place on record my sincere and heartfelt

appreciation and gratitude to the Pontifical Society of

Saint Peter the Apostle, MISSIO, Archdiocese of Koln,

Aid to the Church in Need and the other Agencies for

helping us with necessary funds for the infrastructure,

especially the new Chapel, new Library and a new Dairy

Farm at Vianney Bhavan.

I would like to acknowledge, appreciate and thank the

President, the Staff and the Students of Aquinas College,

for the academic support and fraternal accompaniment

which the College has given to Vianney Bhavan,

especially to me, as well as the Discalced Carmelite

Fathers who have served Vianney Bhavan as Spiritual

Directors.

In brief, to all who helped me in one way or other, during

my nine years stay in Vianney Bhavan, I wish to say a

BIG THANK YOU; and MAY GOD BLESS YOU

ALL.

I leave this Seminary with a sense of satisfaction, gratitude

and humility. I, personally, feel that I have given my best

to the Seminarians whom I always loved very much and

accompanied them sincerely. I have given them my full

time without any wasteful distractions. Yet, if some found

me wanting in certain matters, I offer them my sincere

apologies. Finally, I request your prayers for the rest of

my life-journey and ministries.

Fr. Thomas Parayil

2016Vianney News

We are told, experience is the most valuable teacher. It

teaches us many profound lessons. We had many such

experiences at Vianney Bhavan,

Odisha Regional Philosophy

Seminary, Gopalpur-On-Sea.

But the one that struck deeply

in our hearts was the Prison

Ministry experience we had for

the past two years at the Circle

Jail, Berhampur. We helped

many young male prisoners, but

it was nothing compared to what we experienced and

that is our change of heart to understand them, not as

prisoners, but as our own brothers. We started the Prison

Ministry in 2014. Sr. Shanti H.C. had requested our

Rector, Rev.Fr. Thomas Parayil, if he could send a few

Brothers for prison ministry. Fr. Thomas quoting from

chapter 25 of the Gospel of St. Matthew, showed us the

importance of prison ministry and how it is a vital part of

our Christian life. Two of us volunteered. We were eager

to start but, fear kept haunting us. We imagined ourselves

surrounded by criminals ready to kill us and even feared

of being locked up ourselves in the jail with no one to

rescue us!

On 16th August 2014 we started our ministry in the

prison. Sr. Shanti took us to our Bishop for his blessing.

He prayed over us, encouraged and even congratulated

us. He said that even the Holy Father does prison

ministry. We were thrilled! Our ministry was to teach

spoken English to the young men who were pursuing

their studies from the jail. The Jail Superintendent told

us that knowledge of spoken English would help them

to get a better job, once they were out. The beginnings

were not very encouraging. Prisoners came slowly and

cautiously for the classes. And the prison guards on duty

were suspicious and often spied on us. They would get

into the class to see what we were doing.  But over the

months the situation changed. The guards took personal

interest in us and became so friendly as to enquire where

we lived, what we did and so on. The number of

prisoners attending the class kept

increasing. We always started

the class with some games to

capture their interest. We taught

them songs and dances, and they

enjoyed them. They were

particularly interested in action

songs, and even the older men

participated in them. ‘It helps us

to forget our weary life here’,

they said. Gradually they started to share with us stories

about themselves and how they landed up in jail. We

were shocked when an Engineering student who always

had a smiling face, shared with us how sad and heavy he

felt in his heart. We listened and promised to pray for

him while at the same time we consoled him. The others

too started to speak freely. ‘We get our food and other

necessities of life but we feel lonely and rejected by the

society’. An older man said one day, ‘Most of us feel

that we have become good. We have repented of what

we have done and will never do it again, but will the

society accept us as changed persons?  For them we

are mere criminals’. Most of the students were under

trial, but some of them were released. ‘Brothers, continue

to pray for us’ was their repeated request when they

were leaving the jail. Those from Berhampur recognized

us and came to thank us when they happened to see us.

Our ministry in the jail was on Sundays from 2 to 4.30pm.

The prisoners used to wait for us and missed us when

we were absent due to some programme in the Seminary.

We thank God for choosing us for this ministry and for

guiding every step of our life. We thank Fr. Thomas

Parayil and Sr. Shanti for their encouragement and

constant support, in making our ministry a fruitful and

touching one, not only for ourselves, but for our Brothers

too!

Bro. Benedict Murmu

Bro. Asish Kumar Digal

“I WAS IN PRISON YOU VISTED ME”(MT: 25/36)

Vianney Bhavan: Odisha Regional Philosophy Seminary2

SACERDOTAL SILVER JUBILEE CELEBRATION OF

REV. DR. THOMAS PARAYIL, RECTOR

2016Vianney News

December 5, 2015 was a memorable

day for the Vianney Bhavan Seminary

Community. The occasion was the

Sacerdotal Silver Jubilee of our dear

Rector, Rev. Dr. Thomas Parayil. A

festive mood was seen in the entire

campus. Our joy was doubled with the presence of the

Bishops of Odisha, Provincial Superiors, and a large

number of Priests, Religious Sisters and lay people,

especially from Bhanjanagr Parish.

The celebration began with Fr. Rector receiving the

Bishops and the guests at the Seminary entrance.

Thereafter all processed to the Chapel with the colorful

and graceful liturgical Dance by the children from St.

Joseph’s Convent Surada and this was followed by the

lighting of the lamp. The jubliarian presided over the Holy

Eucharist. Most Rev. John Barwa, SVD, Archbishop

of the Archdiocese of Cuttack-Bhubnewsar and

Chairman of Odisha Catholic Bishops Council (OCBC),

Rt. Rev. Thomas Thiruthalil, CM, Bishop Emeritus of

Balasore, Rt. Rev. Sarat Chandra Nayak, Bishop of

Berampur, Rt. Rev. Niranjan Sualsingh, Bishop of

Sambalpur, Rt. Rev. Kishor Kumar Kujur, Bishop of

Rourkela, Rt. Rev. Simon Kaipuram, CM Bishop of

Balasore, Very Rev. Fr., Joseph Maniagatt CM,

Provincial Superior of the Congregation of the Missions

and the President of Aquinas College, Very Rev. Jose

Madapattu, the Provincial Superior of the Heralds of

Good News, Very Rev. Fr. Antony Polakat OCD,

Regional Vicar of the Carmelities and a large number of

Priests concelebrated. In his homily, Archbishop John

thanked the Lord for the gift of Fr. Thomas and the

wonderful service that he had been rendering to the

Regional Philosophy Seminary with single minded

Vianney Bhavan: Odisha Regional Philosophy Seminary3

2016Vianney News

dedication, devotion and commitment.

He also called upon the congregation

to bear witness to Christ notwith-

standing many challenges encountered

in their lives.

After the Eucharistic celebration a

mesmerizing cultural extravaganza was

organized to felicitate the Jubilarian.

Scintillating prayer, modern and

cultural dances, felicitation song etc.

kept the audience enthralled. The

highlight of the programme was a Magic Show performed

by Rev. Fr. Ivan Madath from the Diocese of Mangalore Bro. Rajesh Kumar Sabhasundar

and his Sister Doris. Gospel and human

values were instilled in the hearts of a

captivated audience through a simple

yet a powerful medium of Magic.

Fr. Rector profoundly thanked all

present, especially the Staff and

Seminarians of Vianney Bhavan and

Aquinas College, for making the jubilee

a happy and joyous time for all. The

celebration came to a happy ending with

the sharing of a fraternal festive meal by all.

Vianney Bhavan: Odisha Regional Philosophy Seminary4

Three years back I came to Vianney Bhavan (Odisha

Regional Philosophy Seminary) with a lot of

apprehensions, anxieties and prejudices. In hindsight

after having completed three years

of my stay here doing my

philosophy and Bachelor of Arts

(B.A.) I would say that I have come

to consider Vianney Bhavan as a

home away from home. I leave

Vianney Bhavan as a happy and

contented person enriched with lots

of experiences. In a word the life spent in Vianney

Bhavan has helped me to equip myself with spiritual,

intellectual and psycho-social aspects and to face the

challenges of life as they unfold, as I step into the next

phase of my life’s journey. I have no hesitation to say

that though I had gone through different stages of

formation since my school days which were helpful in

various ways the phase of my formation here at Vianney

Bhavan is something unique in many ways. The life here

was something remarkable and worthwhile. I considered

this place to be a foundation which can make me a

very good priest, should I decide to continue to respond

to His call with His grace. While not underestimating

the other aspects of formation which I received in

Vianney Bhavan I would like to emphasize a few of

them; namely, spiritual, psycho-social, academic and

social or pastoral aspects which have helped me to be

what I am today.

Spirituality

The Spiritual formation given in Vianney Bhavan has

helped me to deepen my Christian faith and to have a

personal and profound relationship with God which has

given me strength to practice the essential virtues for

my future ministry as a priest. Regular spiritual guidance,

spiritual activities like daily participation in the holy

Eucharistic celebration, spiritual reading and Prayers

of the Church, Sacrament of Reconciliation and

devotion to the Blessed Mother, monthly spiritual

recollections were true helps for me to foster my vocation

and grow in my spiritual life. I have come to the

realization that Spirituality is not merely external acts of

prayers, but a strong commitment and fidelity to a God

who has called me.

2016Vianney News

VIANNEY BHAVAN : A home away from home

Intellectual Formation

At the end of a long period of formation ‘the newly

ordained priest’ is expected to be a well educated

person endowed with contemporary knowledge of

science, philosophy, religion, literature as well as the

customs, techniques and values of the human society

whose pastoral care is his duty and responsibility. In

other words a priest must be ‘a cultured person’, who

has benefited from his years of education and formation

to let his personality develop and mature. I can say

with confidence that the three years of formation at

Vianney Bhavan has helped me to improve my language

and communication skills, by reading the news papers

and journals, by watching television, writing reviews of

books and other skills. Mother Theresa Cultural

Academy (MTCA) and other extracurricular activities

in the Seminary have immensely contributed to unearth

the hidden talents in me and make a better human person

of me. I have also developed a critical and analytical

sense through the programme of philosophy and

graduation which I pursued at Aquinas College and at

Berhampur University. I have also acquired a search

for a genuine sense of reality and the ability to discern

truth wherever it is found. Overall the study of

philosophy has created in me a sense of purpose in life

and personal convictions and maturity of mind.

Psycho-social Formation

The Seminary plays a major role in nurturing and

deepening human qualities and religious values in the

Seminarian. For me the life in the Seminary was a

learning process, an experience to be aware of my

feelings of peace, joy, affection, compassion, sexuality,

anger, fear, guilt, jealousy, envy and so on. Through

my community life and involvement in the community

activities and programmes I have been helped to

gradually learn to accept and integrate them, so as to

be able to grow as a wholesome person. My interaction

with children and other needy people during the pastoral

work in and around the Seminary as well as the

Christmas and summer ministry in the parishes have

boosted my spirit to make greater effort to become

the person God wants me to be for his Church.

Bro. Binaya Kumar Digal

Vianney Bhavan: Odisha Regional Philosophy Seminary5

2016Vianney News

Sweating it out for Fresh Vegetables In pursuit of truth, beuaty and goodness

Republic Day Celebrations at Vianney BhavanFr. George, Fr. Albert and Fr. Mahendra were in

Nepal on the day of the Earthquake but had a

miraculous escape

Hearty Congratulations Msgr. Aplinar Senapati CM,

newly elected Bishop of the new Diocese of

Rayagada

Hearty Congratulations Rt. Rev. Dr. Niranjan

Sualsingh, Bishop of Sambalpur on the occasion of

his Sacerdotal Silver Jubilee

VIANNEY BHAVAN ACTIVITIES AT A GLANCE

Vianney Bhavan: Odisha Regional Philosophy Seminary6

2016Vianney News

Bishop Sarat Chandra Nayak blesses the

corner stones of New Library and Dairy Farm

Fr. Upendra Digal, Fr. Aldrin Tirkey, Fr. Sunil

Lakra, Fr. Mohandas Digal and Fr. Eric Xalco

Mission Sunday Auction, Vianney Bhavan

contributed Rs. 38190.00

Seminarians enjoying a well deserved Delicious Meal

Seminarians at Mary Villa helping the senoir citizens

Third Year Seminarins at the tomb of Blessed

Mother Thresea

Celebrating First

Thanksgiving mass

Basket ball Match

Vianney Bhavan: Odisha Regional Philosophy Seminary7

07-06-2015 : 19 First Years arrive at Vianney Bhavan

09-06-2015 : A Three day computer Course for the First

Years

12-06-2015 : Orientation Programme for the First Years

15-06-2015 : Inauguration of the New Academic year

23-06-2015 : Fresher’s and New Priests Day

26-06-2015 : Family Gathering

03-07-2015 : Vianney Bhavan celebrated the Feast Day

of Fr. Thomas Parayil, Rector, on the

occasion of the Feast of St. Thomas,

Apostle

07-07-2015 : Vianney Bhavan celebrated the Birthday of

Fr. Mahendra Kumar Behera, Treasurer

16-07-2015 : Family Gathering

18-07-2015 : Monthly Spiritual Recollection preached by

Rev. Fr. Francis Kannampuzha, CM

01-08-2015 : Tridum in preparation for the Feast of St.

John Mary Vianney

04-08-2015 Feast Day of St. John Mary Vianney, Our

Patron Saint. Bishop Sarat Chandra Nayak

Presided over the Eucharist. All the priests

were Felicitated on the occasion.

15-08-2015 : Independence Day and Assumption of Our

Lady was celebrated with Pomp and Gaiety

With a parade by the Seminarians and

unfurling of the Flag by Rev. Sr. Eliama

FMM

05-09-2015 : Seminarians felicitate the Staff on the

occasion of Teachers’ Day

08-09-2015 : Family Gathering: Change of Portfolios and

Election of a new beadle

19-09-2015 : Monthly Spiritual Recollection preached by

Sudarshan Nayak

25-09-2015 : The Third Year Seminarians leave for

Kolkatta for a study tour

30-09-2015 : Annual Retreat for the Seminarians begin

02-11-2015 : Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed

13-11-15 : Monthly Spiritual Recollection preached by

Rev. Fr. Thomas Kandathil CM

27-11-2015 : Vianney Bhavan participated in the Feast

of Mary Queen of the Mission at Berhampur

05-11-2015 : Pastoral Visit of the Bishops. Sacerdotal

Silver Jubilee of Fr. Thomas Parayil, Rector

09-12-2015 : Aquinas Sportzna Begins

14-12-2015 : Birthday of Fr. Albert Bilung, Vice-rector

Seminarians leave for Christmas ministry

in their respective Dioceses.

03-12-2015 : Seminarians Return after Christmas

ministry Christmas-New Year Get-together

16-01-2015 : Monthly Spiritual Recollection, Preached

by Rev. Fr. Praveen Joseph Chammani

OCD

26-01-2016 : Republic Day parade by the Seminarians

and unfurling of National Flag

28-01-2016 : Aquinas College Day

11-02-2016 : Seminarians and staff participate in the

Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes at Dantalingi

18-02-2016 : Birthday of Fr. George Padamadan, OCD

11-03-2016 : Farewell for the third year Seminarians

VIANNEY BHAVAN DIARY 2015 – 2016

2016Vianney News

Printed Matter Book Post

To

From

Vianney Bhavan

Odisha Regional Philosophy Seminary

Gopalpur-on-Sea, Dist. Ganjam

Odisha - 761002

Vianney Bhavan: Odisha Regional Philosophy Seminary8