ANNUAL REPORT 2019-2020

INTRODUCTION

I am pleased to present to you the Annual Report of our Congregation for the year 2019-2020, which enumerates the labour of love, activities and achievements of our combine efforts. Responding to this Year’s Pastoral Theme: “Go and do likewise” Lk 10:37 and keeping alive the spirit of our holy Founder, Msgr. Herculano Gonsalves, we, the Handmaids of Christ have tried our best to remain faithful to Spirit’s inspiration, in order to spread the Good News to the poor and the needy through our Apostolate and in diverse ways.

GENERAL ASPECT

Presently our Congregation has 20 houses in the Archdiocese of Goa and 12 houses outside Goa. The total number of Sisters is 139 including 6 Junior Sisters and 3 Novices.  We celebrate the miracle of living together and reaching out in fraternal charity to those whom we are called to serve.  The variety of contributions made by each Sister assists the General Team in taking the discerning strides to move the Congregation to higher grounds. Sisters are concretely involved in the field of Social Services, Protection of Children and the Senior Citizens and Educational Apostolate. The apostolic zeal of our Sisters, prayer life, financial status and the spirit of unity and joy within this community of faith, is quite edifying. 

APOSTOLIC ACTIVITIES

Sisters are engaged in evangelizing activities, such as teaching Catechism, distribution of Holy Communion, conducting Prayer Services and BCC Meetings, visiting families and the sick, administering first aid, hospital ministry, attending funerals, host baking, candles making, etc. The Sisters try to maintain harmonious relationship with Church Authorities as well as with people of all faiths.

SPIRITUAL GROWTH

To foster the spiritual growth of our Sisters, the Superiors of the Local Communities take the responsibility of arranging talks, monthly recollections, confessors, etc. Each Community Time-Table is designed in order to assist the Sisters to be regular for prayers and spiritual exercises. The spiritual life of the Sisters is nourished by the Eucharistic Celebration, Prayers, Adoration, etc. Annual Retreat was organized for the Sisters in 3 batches. Sisters attend the CRI meetings regularly. Sr. Miriam Crasto represented CRI- Belgaum Unit for the Meeting of Catholic Council of Karnataka which was held at Bangalore in February 2020. A special Novena for Blessed Fr. Agnel was organized for our Sister at Pilar on 16^th November 2019.

Pastoral Theme: In order to assist the Sisters in living out the Pastoral Theme: “Go and do likewise” Lk10:37, the Commission for Spirituality and Discipline, proposed a plan to each Community to take up one issue for the implementation; namely the Family Apostolate. Visits to be made with a Pastoral mind, to the sick, families of victims in tragic circumstances, condolence visits, hospital visits and visits to those in any kind of distress. The Response from most of the Communities was quite heartening.

Spiritual director: Rev Fr. Simon Rico Fernandes OFM Cap. based at Padre Pio Friary, Modi, Navelim is being appointed as the New Spiritual Director at the Congregation Level.

FORMATION

Seminars and Workshops: Sisters got opportunities to be trained in different aspects of formation through Seminars and Workshops. A systematic Annual Programme was arranged for the Formees including the Junior Sisters in order to make them proficient and adapt for a holistic life. One Sister attended a year’s Course on Integral Formation. 2 Sisters attended the Course on healing the inner Child.3 Sisters attended Weekend Course in basic Theology. Our two Juniour Sisters Sr. Samita Nayak and Sr. Ciona Dias successfully completed their Tertianship including three months course in basic theology.

Formation plan of the handmaids of Christ: Considering the significance of providing a harmonious and integral formation to our Formees at various stages, a systematic Formation Plan has drawn and printed it in a booklet form. It was the collaborative effort of the Commission for Formation under the efficient guidance and professional inputs by the Canonist Rev. Fr. Michael Fernandes SDB, from Pune. The same was consequently approved by the General Council.

Intellectual Formation: “The purpose of our lives is to give birth to the best which is within us.” says Williamson.

Sisters are pursuing their studies through Degree Colleges as well as short term Courses in various field of education like BSW, Counseling, Kindergarten Training, Computer, Music, Tailoring, etc. 2 Sisters have completed Bachelor of Arts and 1 Sister completed Master’s Degree in Psychology.

EDUCATIONAL APOSTOLATE

“Some people dream of success while others wake up and work.” Unknown

Sisters work assiduously in collaboration with the other staff members to offer integral formation and make our Educational Mission consequential and successful. Special preference is given to the Catholics as well as children coming from backward classes. Besides the prescribed Syllabi, we try to foster in our students a strong sense of connectivity to the Creator through meaningful Assemblies, Eucharistic Celebrations, Catecheses, Moral Values, etc. Our Congregation has 4 High Schools, 5 Primary Schools and 11 Pre-Primary Schools. One day Seminar for all our School Teachers was organized by the Commission for Educational Apostolate and effectively conducted by Rev. Fr. Ivan SFX on 24^th August 2019 at Little Flower Primary School, Calangute

SOCIAL APOSTOLATE

“The best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Mahatma Gandhi

The Congregation runs two boarding homes, one hostel for working women and students pursuing higher studies, six homes for the Aged, one home for the destitute and one orphanage. Under the guidance of our Sisters, we conduct Diploma Courses in Tailoring, aided by the Overseas Employment Agencies – NRI at three different Centres, namely St. Alex – Calangute, Nazareth Home – Pernem and Prem Dan-Salvador Do Mundo, enabling young ladies to earn and supplement their family income. A special visit was made to 8 families of our married orphans with Christmas sweets. A family atmosphere, a sense of belongingness, security and concern is being created and experienced in this apostolate. One Sister is actively involved in the NGO called COOJ and in the Prison Ministry.Three Sisters attended Course on Legal Matters which was organized by Pastoral Institute, Old Goa

FINANCE AND CONSTRUCTIONS

Financial Policy and Heads of Accounts: I am genuinely grateful to the Commission for Finance and Constructions and to the General Team, for painstakingly finalizing the draft of the Financial Policy and to all the Sisters for their contribution, acceptance and co-operation.

Budget System: In order to remain goal oriented and implement our financial activities as per the availability of funds within the sources of income, the budget system was introduced with effect from 2020.  I express my deep sense of appreciation to the Sisters particularly the Local Bursars for painstakingly and efficiently preparing the trial Budget for the financial year 2020- 2021 for their respective communities. I wish to recognize the hard work of the Commission for Finance and Constructions and the General Team. The intense work put in by our General Bursar Sr. Rosy Dias, is indeed note worthy.

Constructions and Renovations: “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain.” Ps. 127:1

Work Completed

• Re-construction of the store house at Immaculate Heart of Mary Convent, Goa Velha.
• Extension of the Generalate at Calangute with the Room for the General Procurator. Blessed on 24^th September 2019.   
• Re-construction of the inside staircase, along with 6 Rooms of the St. Alex Convent, Calangute. Blessed on 15^th August 2019, Feast of Assumption
• The renovation and extension with a first floor as Needle Work hall for Premastha Bhavan, Harnai.
• Renovation with sheets on the top floor of Asha Deep, Kolpewadi

Work in progress

• Construction of a new block for St. Joseph High School Aquem, Margao.
• Re-construction of the new block and renovation of Holy Spirit Home, Moira.
• Laid Foundation on 19^th March 2020 for the Construction of a New Residence of St. Joseph- Aquem, Margao

MEETINGS:

1. Superior General attended:
2. The General Body Meeting of WRCRI held in Pune, from 16^th to 18^th July 2019. The theme for the same was: ‘Peace and Reconciliation within the Church.’
3. The Annual General Body Meeting of the Major Superiors, having Communities in Goa, held at St. Joseph Spirituality Centre, Cruz dos Milagres on 17^th January 2020.
4. The Annual General Body Meeting of the Society of Sisters of St. Alex was held on 23^rd June 2019.
5. The Annual General Body Meeting of the Educational Society of Handmaids of Christ was held on 29^th June 2019.
6. Two Sisters attended a 5 days Course on Legal Matters and Accounting at JDV, Pune from 26^th to 30^th August 2019

A FEW HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR

1. Agreement with the Archdiocese: Most Rev. Filipe Neri Ferrão, Archbishop of Goa and Daman, representing the Archdiocese, and Sr. Faria Barretto, HC, Superior General of the Congregation of the Handmaids of Christ, representing the Congregation, signed the Agreement dated 11^th February 2020, for the greater good of the People of God in this ecclesiastical territory and with a view to promoting fruitful collaboration, in accordance with the Directives of the Church [Cfr. Inst. 14c; AG 32; ES 1, 24; 3, 17; CIC 681; MR 57b].
2. Annual Planner: In order to secure unity of purpose and an organized scheduling, the Annual Planner of the Congregation was prepared for the year 2019-2020.
3. Digitalization of Archives: Paper Records are vulnerable to many risks; therefore in order to avoid direct access to physical documents consequently reducing potential damage caused by handling, the important Records were being integrated with digital systems and made readily discoverable within digital catalogues.
4. Office Records: The Generalate Records have been systematically arranged and well-ordered with the following advantages:
5. Easy excess and proper care and management of the Office.
6. Offers quick and easy filing and retrieval of information
7. Ensures integrity and continuity of record keeping, despite changes
8. Allows easy identification and purging of inactive records
9. Provides clear and simple catalogue Register.
10. Action Plan: “A great leader’s courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position.”

It was felt important to plan for the future with imagination and wisdom by developing the faculty of vision within us. In view of same, workshops were arranged for the Sisters in batches on the topic: “Forming a Vision” Rev. Fr. Edison Fernandes SDB and Rev. Fr. John Sequeira OCD, promptly and scholarly offered us the exact statistics of the present scenario of our Congregation. The Action Plan for the next three years is being formulated based on the results of these two Seminars.

• A Day of Common Recollection: ‘The joy of one became the joy of all’. Msgr. Herculano Gonsalves. In order to foster Sisterly interaction and communion, a day of Common Recollection was organized at three different zones for the second consecutive year.It was indeed a blessing to the individual Sister as well as to the Congregation at large.
• Canonical Erection Day: It was evidently fitting to praise and thank God for his goodness and magnanimity shown to us at all times. On 24^th September 2019 at the occasion of the 70^th Anniversary of the Canonical Erection of our Congregation, we had quadruple celebration at St Alex Convent, Calangute as follows:
• Blessed the Generalate Extension.
• Launched the Digitization process of the Archives of our Congregation
• Release of ‘Formation Plan of the Handmaids of Christ’ as well as release of the compilation: ‘My Journey with the Founder’ by Sr. Adrianne HC
• Installed the Board for Herculano Holistic Centre which will cater to the Activities like Needle Work and Creative Art, Counseling and Spiritual Guidance, Adult Education, Youth Ministry and Reaching out to Senior Citizens. 
• Entry into Heavenly Bliss: “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Ex. 33:14.

We celebrated the triumph entry of our dear Sr. Georgina Dias, into the Heavenly bliss after 40 years of loving and dedicated service in our Congregation. We remain assured that her soul rests in our Saviour’s comfort and peace!

• Fiat: Annual Bulletin of our Congregation ‘FIAT’presenting various activities of our different Institution by way of Reports and other creative write-ups is being printed.
• Anthology: Sr. Adrianne HC has meticulously compiled the published articles written on our saintly Founder Msgr. Herculano Gonsalves on various publications. Her significant and momentous initiative and ingenuity deserves immense appreciation and admiration. The informative, insightful and inspiring articles are worth reading in order to gain deeper insights into the life and legacy of our Founder. It is undoubtedly a step forward to make him better known. I would rightly describe this compilation as “Anthology of Knowledge and Insights.” And consider it as a milestone in the annals of our Congregation. This treasure on a golden platter is surely a significant step to assist us in our initiative to start the process of raising him to the band of official Saints.

OUR GOD IS IN CONTROL: “Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other” Is. 45:22

In the light of growing concerns over the global pandemic, COVID-19, our Sisters spent more time in prayer and supplication through constant Holy Hours and chain Prayers.

We were being constantly reminded that God has not disconnected Himself from what we are going through and that in the end the final victory will be of those who are deeply rooted in God. The cry on their lips shall always be: “All shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.”Julian of Norwich. We continue to pray that the world be saved and that this pandemic may help humankind to turn closer to God – the Higher Source, stretching their belief into a deeper faith that HE IS IN CONTROL.

In view of the Locked Down due to COVID 19, some of the major events, at the Congregation level, were either being cancelled or postponed. They are as follows:

• Vocation Camp which was fixed for 18^th & 19^th April 2020 was cancelled.
• Final Profession of Sr. Samita Nayak and Sr. Ciona Dias, which was arranged for 24^th April 2020 is being postponed.
• Course in Tally, which was to be held from 25^th to 30^th April, is being postponed.
• Annual Retreat which was to be held from 1^st to 9^th May 2020 was cancelled and Sisters were requested to make the Retreat in their respective Communities. Also Communities were requested to either to postpone or cancel, if there was any prior fixed programme till the situation was brought under control.

CONCLUSION:

Daily flow of superior performance adds up over time to a tidal wave of outrageous success. I reckon that we, the Handmaids of Christ have accomplished a fine Mission during the Pastoral year 2019-2020. I owe my deep sense of gratitude to your Grace, Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrão for your fatherly care and constant support in all our endeavors.  We count on your prayers and blessings upon each of our sisters and upon our Apostolate. I wish to express my profound appreciation to the General Team for their perceptive understanding, valuable guidance and constant encouragement. To my Sisters, our collaborators, well-wishers, and many others who have helped in varied ways, I wish to say a big ‘thank you’.

Through the blessings and prayers of our Founder, God has been exceptionally gracious to us. May he continue to inspire us, his daughters, to live lives of holiness by being true witnesses of God’s loving kindness and generosity. With God’s Divine Grace and under the maternal care of our patroness, Mother Mary, we seek to prayerfully discern the actions and commitments of our Congregation in order to create loving relationships with God, with nature and with others, particularly the poor and the needy. We look forward with expectations that the Small improvements over time will lead to stunning results and our Congregation to greater heights including our Founder being officially raised to the Altars.  

Yours in Christ’s service,

 Sr. Faria Barretto

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