Church opens nursing school in Bodoland

Published Date: September 6, 2011

                                                     Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil

Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil of Guwahati has said that true growth and general wellbeing come together with concern for each other.“Our message is precisely that we belong together. We are at the service of one another,” the prelate said on the occasion of the inauguration of a nursing school in Bongaigaon, Assam. He blessed the institution and hoped that it would emerge as a symbol of togetherness among the different communities of Bodoland. Recalling the times of tension in the area, he expressed great joy that Christian institutions like schools and hospitals have emerged as true symbols of unity among diverse people. The nursing school, which is part of St. Augustine’s Hospital, was inaugurated on August 28 by Augustine Sr.Prema Pakumala, provincial of the congregation. Bishop Thomas Pulloppillil of Bongaigaon diocese blessed the doctors’ quarters.He traced the Christian contribution to the healing ministry in the state. Bishop Pulloppillil thanked the Augustine Sisters for their generous contribution to the cause of health in the region. State Minister of Transport and Tourism Chandan Brahmo, who is from the constituency, said “the nursing school was a long cherished dream fulfilled.”He urged the hospital authorities to develop the institution into a medical college. Terming the hospital as one of the best institutions of its kind in the entire state, Brahmo said, “Bodoland is blessed by these efforts.”








FILM ON BLESSED TERESA ATTRACTS CROWDS
Published Date: September 5, 2011


A 200-strong audience gathered to watch the screening of a film on Mother Teresa during the ongoing film festival on the “saint of the gutters” on September 4 in Patna. “It’s not about watching a film and then rushing back to your Sunday morning lifestyle,” said Suman Sinha, owner of the Regent Theatre, which is one of the places in the city where films on Blessed Teresa are being screened.“When you experience the life of a great change-maker like Mother Teresa, we should ask ourselves, how do we make a positive change in our society, and how about starting today? It’s about finding out what God wants you to do, and doing it,” Sinha added. It was a great gesture by Sinha, who cancelled a Sunday morning show of a latest block buster to accommodate a free screening of the film ‘In the Name of God’s Poor’. The film is a part of a dozen international films and documentaries based on the life and times of Mother Teresa that has travelled across several countries and 50 Indian cities. Patna, the 51st city, will conclude this once-in-a lifetime film fest which began on August 25, 2010 to commemorate the Nobel Peace laureate’s birth centenary. Sinha, a devout Hindu and follower of the teachings of Sri Sri Ravishankar, believes that good cinema can bring much needed values to young people to help them face the moral and existential dilemmas of post-modern life. “The most interesting thing about Mother is her emphasis on changing things one at a time… helping just one human being,” Sinha said.“We can all be ‘Mother Teresas in different ways …. and follow our own path to goodness,” he told an audience mainly consisting of high school and college students. Victor Francis, a member of Signis Bijhan, the communication wings of the Catholic Church, said the special screening was brought about through a synergy of ideas and values, shared by Amitabh Pandey [one of Bihar's best known design consultants], Suman Sinha and Frank Krishner, the festival director a media trainer and activist for marginalised people. In another event organised on the same day, the staff and students of Don Bosco Academy, under the inspired leadership of Alan Cowell, a well known quiz master in the city, organised a day of Joy for the inmates of Mother Teresa’s homes in Patna. The MTIFF is being organised in Patna by AASRA Charitable Trust in association with SIGNIS Bengal, with the help and cooperation of different schools, colleges, lay and religious institutions. The first Hindi documentary on Mother Teresa was released at the opening ceremony of the festival on September 2.The short documentary explores the relationship that Patna has with the Nobel Laureate. The film is produced by Ravi Bharati, Patna and directed by Prem Lal Lucas SJ. Fr Devasia, the Vicar General of Patna Archdiocese said, “The life of Mother Teresa is a wonderful expression of how compassion and love for the destitute can bring about peace. Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity are examined through these films. It is really wonderful that Bihar has now produced a film on Mother Teresa in the local context, and this film may soon join the exhibition and travel the world.”

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