A message from Kerala, Dominic Gleeson MSC

Hello from Kerala, India, on the first day of the Ignatian 30 Day retreat for the men of the MSC Indian Province novitiate!   I arrived on Friday evening 8 March at about midnight and began the 'disposition days' the following morning. 

The photo with the three 'wise men'  of the novitiate are (left to right) Sumanth, Kranthi and Sanu.  Please remember them in your prayers....They are a delight to be with and they can't do enough for me to help me settle in. 

The other photo was taken in the community chapel where we celebrated the Eucharist to begin the retreat and I was able to gift to each man a symbol of their choosing to take to their prayer spaces to help them to focus on their prayer for the next 30 days.

The third photo is taken at an MSC community meal with the three men of the MSC Novitiate, two community members who live here (including Alex Kulandai, msc - Novice Director) and his assistant Nelson, msc.  At table are three men who will be ordained to the Diaconate this Saturday, Karthik, Sesu and Vinodh.  I received a very warm welcome by the MSC here and it is an honour and a privilege for me to serve in this way - despite the fact that my flight was late I was welcomed at the airport at midnight by Fr Darwin (Indian Union Superior).

It is hot and humid 24/7 but as Michael Fallon said to me once after his experience of being in India -  "it's only weather, Dominic" ...