In the framework of the Silver Jubilee of the Rosa Mystica Federation (PCC India), Br. Fabio Cesar Gomes, OFM, General Delegate of the Poor Sisters of St. Clare, made a fraternal visit to the monasteries of the Poor Clares in India. Over the course of ten days, the route ran from west to east and from north to south of the country, covering more than 4,972 kilometres of flights and roads.
In the dialogue with the communities, Br. Fabio insistently emphasised the serene joy, the wisdom that comes from listening and the strength of fraternal love lived in daily life, as a concrete expression of the spiritual heritage of St. Francis and St. Clare. He also had the opportunity to visit the Taj Mahal, in Agra, known as the "City of Love", and to meet with the animators of the local Church, including Archbishop Raphy Manjaly and Archbishop Emeritus Albert D'Souza, in an atmosphere of esteem and ecclesial communion.
In the path between the monasteries, the communities visited were: the Monastery of St. Francis of Assisi (Aradhana), Etmadpur, with 10 sisters; St. Clare's Monastery, Raiganj, with 12 sisters; St. Joseph's Monastery, Dudhani (Dumka), with 4 sisters; the Panakahalli Monastery, with 8 sisters; the Monastery of the Holy Trinity, Aluva, with 10 sisters; and St. Colette's Monastery, Shamshabad, with 15 sisters.
In every place, the visit was experienced as a gesture of closeness and confirmation in the contemplative vocation, which silently supports the evangelising mission of the whole Church.
He also participated in the jubilee celebration in the Monastery of St. Colette's, where Sisters from the different monasteries gathered to share a few days of prayer, formation, and fraternity. In this context, Br. Fabio offered a reflection centred on five key words that begin with the letter "C": contemplation, communion, charism, communication, and compassion. She invited the Sisters not to lose sight of their origins, to cherish their love for the charism of the first mothers who arrived in India and to walk clearly towards the definitive goal, eternal life, living communion and compassion every day with greater depth.
The Jubilee program also included formative and cultural moments. Br. Charles Arulanandam, OFM, Assistant to the Poor Clares, animated an activity on Cor Orans, and offered a space in which each community presented "The beauty of my monastery", sharing traits of their life and history. In another talk, Br. Praveen, OFM, presented a reflection from a letter from the Minister General in the context of the eighth Centenary of the Transit of St. Francis, highlighting the image of the seed that continues to sprout in the life of the Franciscan Family. There was also no lack of artistic and musical expressions in honour of St. Clare, which helped to contemplate, through beauty, the gift of vocation.
The Jubilee Eucharist, celebrated on the 13th February, crowned these days of gratitude. Br. Fabio presided over the Mass, concelebrated by friars of the Order linked to the spiritual accompaniment of the communities. The homily, delivered by Br. Arok Sunder, OFM, helped to reread the path travelled with a gaze of faith and to renew the commitment to walk in hope. After the celebration, the Sisters danced and offered gestures of gratitude, and a fraternal lunch was shared, a sign of the evangelical joy and unity that sustains the contemplative life.
This Silver Jubilee, lived around the visit of the General Delegate pro monialibus, leaves a sign of gratitude and renewed enthusiasm. In a Church called to walk in communion, the life of the Poor Sisters of St. Clare continues to be a silent and eloquent witness: a lamp lit in prayer, a heart open to compassion and a space where fraternity becomes prophecy.
May the Lord sustain these communities and make their entrustment fruitful, so that, in the simplicity of the Gospel, they may continue to illuminate the path of the People of God.
