Home Mission

I am Sr. Kumplankal Anne belonging to Sacred Heart Province Bangalore. Now I am in Auxilium Centre, Palluruthy Chochin 682 006 India.

Well, I hope you will be very happy to know about Home Mission, a program organized by the Family Apostolate Department of the diocese of Cochin, this being the year of the family. The Director of this department Fr. Peter Chadyangad consulted 37 Provincials of 37 congregations and 32 superiors agreed to give a sister each from each congregation for a year (May 2014 to May 2015). Accordingly 32 of us were given training from 26th May to 31 May 2014. The Congregation of Sisters of Nazareth were the facilitators. After the training we 24 of us were divided into 12 teams and the rest were kept as substitutes.

The parishes which requested our service arranged the families for the visit. A family is allotted with two hours and a team has to visit 4 families per day. There is flexibility in the time arrangement. We begin our work at 9.00 a.m. and conclude by 6.00 p.m. There is adoration in the parish simultaneously by the parishioners for the success of the visit. As per the time schedule all the members of the family are asked to be in the house. There is great co-operation from the parish priests, family unit leaders and all those who are related to it. We are accommodated in convents or in private houses. Wednesdays are holidays and we return to our own communities.

On 1st June we began our mission in St. Joseph’s parish, Kumblanghi, Cochin. Then we proceeded to St. Joseph’s Kumblam and St. Lawrence Edakochi. With these three parishes we covered 1712 families. Now we are in St. Francis Xavier Parish, Eramalloor, Cochin.

We greet the members of the family as we enter a home and chat with them for a while and then invoke the Holy Spirit to guide us and inspire the members of the family. Then we meet one by one and if necessary again all the members of the family for a discussion. We give addresses or phone numbers of retreat centers, counseling centers, hospitals, etc. to people for their comfort and healing. Then we have a common prayer to intercede for their needs and the reading of a Scripture passage for their further prayer and reflection. The result is amazing and wonderful. The faith of the people, their life of deep prayer experience, the endurance of children and wives to the lawlessness of the head of the family with faith, financial reveres, malignant diseases, etc. are a real eye-opener and an inspiration to us. Reconciliation between the members of the family, their coming back to the sacrament of confession, their agreement to participate to Sunday Mass, and their good will to stop drinking, etc. everything takes place during the visit. During the hours of our visit, parish priests are ready in the parish to hear confession and also to listen and help solve problems. An extra confessor is arranged for one of the days of the visit. Youngsters express their willingness to give up drugs, drinking, sexual abuse and other evils. [...].

The openness of the people surprises us. They share everything in depth, and especially women who wait for a chance to communicate, find much relief. I can really say: God is at work. Some people, who try to escape the visit with us, are brought home – not by chance - by the Lord. People, who did not go for confession for years, went for the sacrament of reconciliation. Those who were not in good terms and unable to talk, met and began a dialogue. Some agree to set right their marriage.

Here is an example of God’s intervention. A drunkard, who went to work on the day of our visit, experienced a miracle. He went to work fearing his two sons who are also drunkards would abuse him in front of their sisters. He thought he would be blamed for his sons’ life too. When the sisters were at home, this man had the inspiration, in his workplace, to stop drinking. In the evening, after working, he went to the parish and told the priest that at the very moment when the sisters were at his home praying, he had the inspiration to stop drinking. He went home and firmly resolved to stop drinking.

We have numerous stories and examples of this type to narrate. We are welcomed very well, appreciated and encouraged very much by the people. We are booked for family visits till 20th May 2015. We entrust ourselves and our mission to your prayers that we may bring Jesus and His Word to His own people.

Sr. Anne Augustine Kumplankal

Secretary of Home Mission

INK Province