Message Board

Dear Friends,

We are at the threshold of a new academic year 2025-26, a time filled with hope and optimism. As we begin the new academic year, after a refreshing summer break, we are called to focus our attention on the mission entrusted to our care. This year, I am sure, some of us have assumed new assignments, and the rest resume our old responsibilities with renewed vigour. At this juncture, let us take a moment to thank the Lord for the many blessings we have received during the past academic year. No doubt, each one of us experienced the hand of God guiding us in all our endeavours. When challenges and uncertainties engulfed us, we looked up to heaven, and the merciful Lord has always been benevolent towards us. There were times when our apostolic discernment not only enabled us to arrive at the right decision but also helped us to discern the will of God more clearly. To a large extent, we did strive to collaborate well with one other to accomplish the mission entrusted to our care. We were able to reach out to the most deserving in the best possible ways in order to uplift their lives. During the year, there were many significant events that brought us closer to each other and helped us build the bonding among ourselves. Let us thank God for all those wonderful moments and also thank our companions, and our partners in mission for walking with us. Let us remember what Plato said, “A grateful mind is a great mind which eventually attracts to itself great things.”

The New Academic Year also beckons us to spread hope and optimism in our life-mission. It necessitates going beyond “doing to being.” Let not our annual plans stop with ‘doing this and that’ alone; our plans are to touch and transform the lives of people whom we serve and also transform us for the better. Let’s recall what Pope Francis said while declaring the Jubilee year: “We must fan the flame of hope that has been given to us, and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart and a farsighted vision.” Our life-mission should achieve what Pope Francis envisaged.

It is also important that we strive to create a culture of collaboration in our mission. All of us are familiar with the African proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” The complexity of our context calls us to foster horizontal and vertical connections with all the stakeholders in order to be effective in our mission. More than ever, our places of ministry should welcome our mission partners to feel included, valued, inspired and supported. Especially, as we embark on implementing the PAPs and continue our RR process, collaboration and networking are important. We ought to work together with all the people of good will in order to ‘find glimmers of goodness that inspire us to hope.’ When we are filled with hope and optimism, we can make even impossible things possible with the grace of God. “Share with gentleness the hope that is in your hearts,” writes St. Peter in his first letter (1 Pet. 3:15-16). Dear friends, let us begin the new academic year with hope and optimism and take every effort possible to share the same with all those whom we serve.

Fr. Thomas Amirtham, S.J.,

Provincial, The Jesuit Madurai Province