MINISTRIES


VOCATION AND FORMATION APOSTOLATE VOCATION AND FORMATION APOSTOLATE FRANCISCAN SPIRITUAL APOSTOLATE OFS MI FCPD FRANCISCAN CENTRE MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION APOSTOLATE GRAY FRIARS PUBLICATIONS KOLBE COMMUNICATIONS PREACHING AND RECONCILING APOSTOLATE FRR RETREAT CENTERS TUESDAY DEVOTIONS SOCIAL APOSTOLATE SOCIAL APOSTOLATE EDUCATION APOSTOLATE GREYFRIARS DEGREE COLLEGE GREYFRIRS JUNIOR COLLEGE OXFORD CREATIVITY SCHOOL ST. ANTHONY SCHOOL ST.PETER SCHOOL VIDHYANIKETHAN JUNIOR COLLEGE PASTORAL APOSTOLATE ST. PADRE PIO SHRINE, ATHURUGIRIYA ST. MAXIMILIAN KOLBE CHURCH, CHRISTIANPET BALA YESU SHRINE, DONDAPUDI GREEN PARK PASTORAL COMMUNITY,KOLKATTA ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI CHURCH, NATTAKAL

SOCIAL APOSTOLATE


SOCIAL APOSTOLATE

The Province of St. Maximilian Kolbe, India, is very much dedicated to the needs of the people and to the requests for social improvements in our society. Friars are available as much as possible and are involved in these ministries in many ways wherever they are stationed. The following summarizes the continuing developments in our social apostolate.

1.    ST. ANTONY’S SOCIAL PROJECTS, ALUVA

Kolbe Franciscan Ashram, Aluva, is situated in the midst of economically- and socially-challenged people. To improve their living conditions, we have started the St. Anthony Social Projects. This consists of a Nursery School, Tailoring School, and St. Paul’s Clinic. The sisters of the Preshitharam Congregation help us in these three ministries.

•    ST. ANTONY’S NURSERY SCHOOL
This nursery and kindergarten for children provides great benefits for the people of our locality. Every year, an average of 25 children join in this school. Although there are other institutions in this area, the parents prefer to enroll their children in our school.

•    ST. ANTONY’S TAILORING SCHOOL
The purpose of this school is to help poor families by giving special training in skills for women in tailoring, handicrafts, and other micro self-earning projects that will enable them to earn extra money for their families.

•    ST. PAUL’S CLINIC
This health center provides medical care for the poor people of the neighborhood of Kolbe Franciscan Ashram. The continuing assistance and support from the Sisters of Preshitharam help us to produce effective results among the people. On fixed days, the Doctors voluntarily provide their services at our Clinic. This Health Centre is also a venue for the local Panchayath to carry out many of its rural healthcare programs for the people.

2. ASSISI HOUSING PROJECTS

In 1983, when we started our Friary in Aluva, most of the nearby homes were huts. The friars helped our neighbors by building houses, installing toilets, repairing the houses, etc. There were many requests from the families who had no property or houses of their own, or even in some instances a suitable shelter. With this in view, with the help of Caritas Anthoniana and Fr. Egido Kanil OFMConv., we began the Assisi Housing Project, which includes the Assisi Nagar, Padua Nagar, and Amala Nagar at Aluva. Individual houses were also sponsored in other parts of Kerala. Later we expanded our focus to Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, as there are even more needy people in those parts. We still try to give financial and spiritual support to the fifty houses that are near Kolbe Ashram, which also belongs to our social project. We try our best to rectify their family problems and instruct them in how to live in harmony and with a healthy community spirit.

3.    ST. ANTONY’S EDUCATION PROJECT

Education is the best way to eliminate ignorance and alleviate poverty. After making a careful study, the Province has found that there are a significant number of students who are very intelligent and capable, but are unable to continue their studies due to financial instability. To help these students, the Province has started a sponsorship program under the auspices of  Caritas Antoniana, Padua. Through this project, more than 150 students are helped financially in order to complete their studies. Among them there are PhD, PG Degree, HSE, and Matriculation students. A number of students have completed their studies and started working in the country and abroad through the help of this project.

4.    ASSISI SNEHALAYA HIV/AIDS CENTRE. COIMBATORE

The HIV/AIDS epidemic is quickly changing our society. The tremendous suffering of the people in the country who are living with and dying of HIV/AIDS makes us think seriously about and work effectively for them. Imitating the actions and spirit of St. Francis of Assisi, the Conventual Franciscan Friars have undertaken the challenge of serving these so-called lepers of our time.

The residents of Assisi Snehalaya are peole infected with the HIV/AIDS Virus who have no place else to go and no one to care for them. This Home of Love (Snehalaya) is a place where they find peace of mind and a sense of belonging. They are given hope and faith in life through proper counseling and medical support. It is also a place where they are prepared to welcome Sister Death in a dignified way. We provide shelter and care for around 40 people.

The Centre aims at:

  •    Providing integral health care for the residents in order to improve their quality of life
  •    Providing compassionate care and support to those who are in end stage with HIV/AIDS
  •    Extending psychological, social, and spiritual service to the residents
  •    Preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS through awareness programs and informational support
  •    Providing training programs for animators and health workers
  •    Networking with other NGOs to meet the challenge of this epidemic


Regular Activities of the Centre

  •  Exposure programs: many groups, agencies, foundations, etc. visit the Centre, interact with the residents, and support the Centre according to the needs
  •  Anniversary celebration: every February we celebrate the anniversary of Snehalaya with a variety of entertaining programs and public meetings. During the celebration, we distribute the handwritten magazines created by our children. This is also an occasion for our donors to see our Centre.
  •  World AIDS Day celebration: On December 1, the World AIDS Day, we conduct an interfaith prayer service connecting leaders of different religions and our Franciscan Centre for peace and dialogue.
  • Death and after events: We give the utmost care for the dying people in the Centre. We render our maximum care for these, our brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. In this small way, we help ensure a peaceful and dignified end of their lives, and a decent funeral.



5.    BALA YESU BOY’S HOSTEL

The friars of Bala Yesu Franciscan Ashram, Dondapudi, administer a Boys’ Hostel attached to our Friary. In Dondapudi, most of the population is very poor and the child labour ratio is very high. Therefore, those children who are grown enough are sent to feed the cattle or work in the fields to help sustain their families. This means there is no time or money for education.

Seeing the great need for educating these children and thereby bringing them into the mainstream of society, we built this home where their needs can be met entirely by the Friars. Because their families do not have the expense of caring for and feeding them, they are free to devote themselves to their education. The students who reside here benefit greatly from this project. Successful graduates move on to secondary schools, after which they can find employment with opportunities for higher income, increasing their ability to lift their families out of poverty. Some may move on to even higher levels of education.

There are facilities for around 50 boys in the hostel.

6.    MICRO FUNDING PROGRAMME FOR WOMEN

This is a self-financing project by which the women in the village designate a portion their earnings and invest them together as savings. It helps them to have a fund of their own and to create the incentive to plan for the future.

7.    RAPID ACTION FORCE

On occasion, India is affected by natural calamities. We try to help the affected people as far as possible. In most cases, there has been no pre–planning to help people immediately, in order to prevent casualties. With this in mind, our Social Action Committee has formed a Rapid Action Force (RAF) to help the people immediately. This group consists of people who are committed to this and who are willing to go to the natural-calamity-affected area and help in whatever way possible. In addition, the group will be authorized to collect funds and in-kind help (clothes, supplies, etc.) for the affected people. In this way, we are able to help the people who are affected by any kind of natural disaster when government agencies fail to act immediately. We were very active in the recent catastrophic flood in Kerala, providing physical, material, and spiritual assistance to the people who were affected.

8.    DRINKING WATER PROJECT

In Christianpet, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, there are several villages where our parishioners are spread across a wide area. Most lack basic human facilities, among which clean drinking water is the most important. Through our social project, with the help of other Franciscan Provinces in Italy, we have provided a purifying system through which pure drinking water is available now. The water is pumped up in tanks and distributed through taps to the villages, and hundreds of families are now benefiting from this.   

9.    LEPROSY COLONY

There is a Leprosy colony in our parish at Dondapudi, Andhra Pradesh. This colony already existed before we accepted this parish. There are many families there living together. At present the Friars are taking care of their spiritual needs by celebrating Holy Mass regularly and administering the Sacraments when needed.