Leadership Camp

Leadership Camp

I am happy that the camp was over by last Saturday. It was a hectic time as I had to stay at XIME campus for the whole month .I had to be here to say the mass for the students in the morning.It has to be said to the credit of the students that they participated in the mass and in the class very well. I had to engage them daily in their classes on English.I also gave a class on the History of the Catholic Church.They had the opportunity of being engaged by some of the leaders of the State in different fields. By the time the course was over, we found them to be confident and outspoken.They were given practical training in delivering speeches, writing essays and journals and organizing various events.

Prof.K.T.Sebastan

Prof.K.T.Sebastian passed away on Feb.19  at 10.30 p.m. at the Pushpagiri Hospital
I lost a great friend, mentor and supporter in the demise of Prof.K.T.Sebastian. An irreparable loss. He was the quintessence of everything that was good in a human being.Loving, inspiring and compassionate, he was loved by his students and by myself deeply.
I went to the hospital two days before the surgery. He was half awake and  was funny and humorous, referring to his broken hip,comparing himself to the experience of Abp.Powathil when he broke his hip.
 I never had an idea that I would lose him after a few days.He used to call me when he was healthy often about my work and  the situation of the Church. I made it a point to visit him during my visits to Changanacherry. 
He was very passionate about the good of the Church. He had always his positive suggestions whenever there were lapses on the part of the authorities. He was no rabid follower of any doctrinaire author or authority in the Church. Sacrificing his time ,money and health , he traveled far and near to take part in conferences and give talks. He never expected anything from the authorities of the Church for his ministry.He had his definite ideas and he would present them without any fear.He was a gifted speaker and  writer and he used his talents for the Church.
All are over now.
God , grant eternal rest to your beloved son.

                      Prof. K.T. Sebastian

·       A great loss for the Church in India and in Kerala.

·       A voice of sanity and freshness, a champion of honesty and integrity and an ardent lover of the Church.

·       Gentle and caring, always working for  the good of the people he came across.

·       A very inspiring Catholic educationist

·       Absorbing the best from everywhere—Universal in outlook

·       The Catholic community’s best spokesperson

·       Attachment to the Eucharist—Jesus at the center of his life

·       Going everywhere to speak about the faith and the Church.

·       Vatican 11 and its reforms were in his thoughts always.

·       Even a couple of years ago , he wrote a book on Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Changanacherry

·       A guide and a mentor to many.

·       Through KCSL, he  molded many Catholic leaders.

·       As a teacher , he was  well loved by the students.

·       As a colleague – he was friendly  and  inspiring.

·       A lay theologian –writing a book about the Theology of the Laity.---one of the very few laypersons who wrote on lay theology in the Catholic world

·       Constructive criticism—not negative or destructive.

·       An unforgettable and a good friend to many-- including many bishops in India.

·       Can anyone forget his welcoming and smiling face?

·       Attending many seminars, presenting papers, teaching in seminaries—what a source of faith and love!

·       His kneeling down in the college chapel before proceeding to the Department is a great sign of his ardent faith and profound humility.

·       He spent  an enormous time for the Church in spite of his busy time as a loving Father to his family and as an inspiring teacher.

·       “A Teacher affects eternity”—this is very true of Prof. K.T. Sebastian. He was a professor in words and life.

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Josie Marfori

It is with a sad and heavy heart that I remember the life of Josie Marfori who passed away in 2002.She is from the Philippines , worked for the US Govt and belonged to the parish of St.Matthew's Cathedral,Washington D.C.I met her while I was at St.Matthew's.  I  was invited to bless her apartment and she was a regular participant at the masses at the Cathedral. She was very supportive and helpful.She even bought a car in order to give me rides. She took me to the University of Maryland to meet a professor. She used to invite me to meet her family at some of their important functions.I feel very sorry that she passed away so quickly . She lay unconscious in her room for three days and it was her sister who finally found her and took her to the hospital.She regained her memory but lost her speaking ability.She would babble without making much sense .I have visited her at the hospital in Virginia a few times. It was after I moved to Chicago that she passed away. If I knew earlier about her demise and funeral  details, I would have gone to Washington DC to attend her funeral. She was the first of my friends who passed away. 

 

Billy Graham-Seven Lessonsfrom his Life

Rick Warren in one of his essays in the book "Billy Graham:Hear My Heart" mentions seven lessons he has gathered from the life of Billy Graham.According to him Graham is an unshakeable beacon of integrity and stability and that he has left footprints that will remain vivid to the entire world for generations to come.
The lessons are the following:
1.Maintaina lifestyle of integrity and humlity.Three temptations he avoided(1Jn.2-16): Lust of the flesh,lust of the eyes and the pride of life.
Rick says he and his team, following the life of Graham pledged never to be alone with a woman who was not our wife  in a room with the door closed.
2.Reach beyond our evangelical boundaries.
Graham rached to all Christians and non-Christians.He never deviated from his focus: Bring people to Jesus Christ." You should build bridges of friendship from your heart to theirs so Jesus Christ can cross that bridge into their lives."(Rick)
3.Broaden the Agenda:
Social integration.He worked for  racial integration.
4.Global Vision;
Just preach the Gospel to all  the nations of the world.
5.Maintain a single focus:
His focus only on Jesus.
6. Use the latest technology.
7.Build your ministry on a team:
Not on himself but on a team.

Rick: " The Greatest influence the man had on me came not from what he taught but simply from what he was."He is irreplaceable.
Acts 13: 36---'Now when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep."
The sermon Billy Grhaam preached was his life.
Billy Graham: 'For many years I have made it a practice  to read five pslams and one chapter of Proversbs every day." Psalms taught him how to praise God and Proverbs helped him to relate to people.
"If the Bible does not inspire us in the privacy of our rooms , then we can be assured that our messages will not move those who listen to us preach. If it does not reach our hearts , it will never reach their hearts.If it does not stir us , it wil never stir our hearers.'