Mission Experience in Mallavi

Being in Mallavi for six months I would like to share my experience. First of all I would like to express my gratitude to our South Asian Delegation council for giving me this opportunity to be a part of mission experience in Mallavi.

Community life itself is a mission. Our Constitution says; “We are all responsible of the building of the community” # 39.  I am experiencing that spirit in our community.  Even though we are small in number, we could do the mission of God in this place because of the community spirit. I am experiencing the community that is flexible, helping, understanding, caring, baring and communicating. 

This is a place surrounded by more Hindus than Christians. For me this is a different experience; being Catholic and especially religious serving among the Hindus and living our Charism: “In teaching every creature the Holy Law of the Lord”.  I am experiencing the witnessing of our Claretian lifestyle among the other religions.

Another new experience for me is working with the Claretian Fathers in the Parish. Till this moment, I didn’t have any experience working together as Claretian family. It is a great opportunity that I have received. Here I felt the dream of our Founders. They worked together for the renewal of the Church at that time, following their footsteps now in this particular mission we are working together for the spiritual Renewal of a local church.

We too are collaborating with the other religious like Salesian Fathers for the education of the school students, conducting classes and helping the widows.  With this particular mission I learn and experience building our relationship with other religious communities is very important and it will help us to serve God in a vast way.

I too received a great opportunity to teach in a pre-school. Soon after completing the AMI course, I was transferred to this community at Mallavi, where I got a chance to practice what I have learned and I am so happy to do it, because we are call to serve where the need is. While I am involving in this ministry, I felt the need in this place. The pre-school in in the church premises but the children who come to the pre-school are Hindus. Really it is a challenging experience. Whenever I go to the pre-school I don’t feel the difference of religion but I see and experience that they are children of God. They don’t know religions unless we make difference among them. Especially I learned a lot of things being with the children. When I teach them, they too teach me a lots of things for my life.  In this ministry I try my best to give maximum from my part with the help of the other teachers and their parents.

I too am involving in the pastoral works which gives me joy to do with zeal. Because, for me doing a small things with joy and happiness is better than doing a big things without it. In this particular ministry, I experienced the responsibility and availability of the community and the flexibility for the ministry in any time.

Being in this place I am feeling and experiencing the real spirit of a missionary and my vocation to religious and Claretian life.

Sr. Lourds Dayola Jesuthasan Figirado RMI