Divyoday Province, Ropar, Punjab
Administration
Sr Suja Thomas (Provincial Superior) Sr Sarita Scaria(Vicar Provincial), Sr Tresa Sebastian, Sr Sebi Thomas, Sr Jisha Joseph (Councillors), Sr Jyothy (Auditor), Sr Ginny (Treasurer), Sr Anila Bastin (Secretary).
Province History
Responding to the Vatican Council, heeding to the invitation of the Catholic Church the CHF during the tenure of Mother Josphine set out the missionary journey to an unknown land trusting in the providential care of God Almighty. It was coincided that Msgr. Urban McGarry, TOR, Prefect Apostolic of Bhagalpur felt the need of missionaries in the remote villages of his Diocese and requested to the then Superior General of CHF- Mother Josephine to send her sisters to the mission. In 1964 a seed of Holy Family was sown in the fertile land of Bihar at Charkapathar, Bhagalpur Diocese. The first Mission House of CHF was established in the year 1964 at Charkapathar, which is the cradle of the missionary activities of the Congregation Holy Family. The service was extended to different parts of Bihar, Jharkhand, Punjab and West Bengal etc. The Punjab Mission of the Congregation commenced at the invitation of Late Rt. Rev. Dr Symphorian Keeprath OFM. Cap. the then Bishop of the Diocese of Jalandhar through Late Rev. Fr Gilbert OFM. Cap. the Parish Priest of Adampur. Rev. Mother Ersala the Superior General instilled by God’s love with the consent of her Council decided to open a house in the fertile land of Punjab thus the mission in Punjab came to a reality. The CHF opened a new house in the village of Adampur on 27 November 1978. As the years went by the number of houses increased in Bihar, Punjab and Delhi missions. Thus, the efficiency of administration and assignments suffered due to the distance between Punjab and Bihar, diversity of languages and culture in Bihar and Punjab. Therefore, it was the urgent need to gather them under the umbrella of a region. As a result, the establishment of the Delhi-Punjab Region of the Province occurred on 15 October 2000. After the formation of the Region, a nine-year plan was proposed under the noble guidance of Sr James the Provincial Superior in the meeting of the Provincial Council of Arunoday Province and the Regional Council of Delhi –Punjab Region held on 21 October 2000 at CHF Arunoday Provincial House, Tilkamanjhi, Bhagalpur. During the meeting of Provincial Election Synaxis held on 08 December 2008 in the Provincial House Tilkamanjhi, the members of the Synaxis unanimously voted for the establishment of the current Delhi- Punjab Region as a Vice Province and the report of the meeting was sent to the Generalate. Approving this recommendation, the 17th General Election Synaxis held on 15 February 2009 officially declared the Region as a Vice Province. During the 17th General Renewal Synaxis held from 15-25 May 2009, the name suggested for the vice Province was discussed and accepted by the General Renewal Synaxis Members. The name decided for the Vice Province was ‘Divyoday Vice Province.’
The newly erected Divyoday province of the Congregation of the Holy Family was inaugurated at Holy Family ConventRopar, Punjab on 24 September 2009. This new Vice Province comprises of 59 members in six communities in Jalandhar diocese, two in Shimla-Chandigarh diocese, two in Delhi Arch diocese and one in Thrissur Arch Diocese. The solemn Eucharistic celebration was presided over by Rt. Rev. Dr Ignatius Mascarenhas the Bishop of Shimla-Chandigarh Diocese. During the Holy Liturgy, Rev. Mother Prasanna Thattil CHF, Superior General of the Congregation of the Holy Family officially declared the erection of the new Vice-Province.
Currently,the Divyoday Province comprises of 90 Sisters from different states of India. We work under Jalandhar, Shimla- Chandigarh,Delhi and Thrissur Dioceses. Sisters are engaged in visiting the families conducting home missions in the parishes of the Dioceses, prison and platform ministry, social work, Holy Family Lay Associations, Angel group, teaching in the schools of the Province and Diocese, caring the street children and the aged. We conduct Mariam Thresia Club in the schools. We are involved in teaching catechism, conducting prayer meetings, preparation for sacraments, sacristy works, BCC and SCC activities, giving leadership to various associations in the parish and so on. Our presence in the village help people to increase their faith and many are regular to the Church for Sunday Mass and sacrament of reconciliation. It is through parish ministry our family apostolate is functioning fruitfully. Two of our sisters are engaged in evangelization (full timers) and three sisters are engaged in social work (full timer) one sister is working in collaboration with the Diocese of Jalandhar and another in the social service center in collaboration with OCD Fathers at Hoshiarpur and SJ at Kotla Nihang, Ropar. HFC Najafgarh in Delhi is dedicated to the care of the street children. HFC Mahavir is the IFDF(Integrated Family Apostolate Forum) of the Province. Counselling sessions for the people regardless of caste and creed is conducted here. Sisters who work in Delhi Arch Diocese conduct Catechism classes in the parishes of Syro Malabar Diocese of Faridabad as well as Latin Arch Diocese of Delhi, visit the families of both the Dioceses and participate in all the programmes conducted by both of them. We encourage local vocations, there are five sisters from Punjab, and few are under formation. There are 16 sisters working in our province from other parts of North India such as Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Orissa. Though we are few in number, we work hard for the establishment of the Kingdom of God and welfare of the Catholic Church.