REPORT

THE CONSULTATION MEETING WITH THE DIOCESAN ANIMATORS OF
STUDENTS STUDYING OUTSIDE KERALA

Held on 6-7 December 2006

At the Major Archiepiscopal Curia, Mount St. Thomas, Kakkanad

The consultation meeting convened by Bishop George Alencherry, the Secretary of the Synod, as per the decision of XIV Synod (2006), Session 2, ‘to organise a co-ordination programme for the Diocesan animators of all the Syro-Malabar dioceses in India who deal with the problems of students studying outside Kerala,’ was attended by 34 delegates from all the 15 dioceses/archdioceses of the territorium proprium and 1 representative from Kalyan.  Fr. Antony Kollannur, the Chancellor of the Major Archiepiscopal Curia welcomed the chief guests and the participants.  His Beatitude Varkey Cardinal Vithayathil, the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church who inaugurated the meeting at 6.00 p.m conveyed to the gathering the great concern of the Synod of Bishops regarding the situation of the students studying outside Kerala.  He pointed out that as a result of the lack of pastoral care to these young people, they lose their religious fervour and fall into economic, social, moral and spiritual snares.  He exhorted the animators to discuss about the various difficulties these students face and report to their respective bishops so that the matter could be further discussed in the Synod and proper measures could be taken, especially with regard to pastoral care in our own ecclesial traditions. 

The keynote address was given by Mgr. Joseph Karinattu, Syncellus of the Archdiocese of Thalassery.  In his exposition Mgr. Karinattu emphasised mostly on the profession of nursing and made some concrete proposals.  This was followed by a sharing session which was moderated by Archbishop Mathew Moolakkatt. The delegates shared the various activities conducted in their respective dioceses for the students going outside Kerala for studies and how pastoral care is organized for them in the places of their study.  Many dioceses have already begun organizing some pastoral care such as prayer services, annual retreats, etc., and seminars, conventions, awareness programmes, and counselling centres as also organizing financial help and guidance for admissions and continued contact with the students and the institutions concerned, by appointing animators and making use of the Nightingale programme of the Jesus Youth.  The delegates also proposed some suggestions which were later fine tuned through the group discussion and the general discussion which was moderated by Bishop James Pazhayattil.  During the general discussion, Bishop Joseph Perumthottam summarised the points that arose from the discussion.  Rev. Fr. Jose Odanatt expressed the vote of thanks and the conference came to an end with Lunch on Thursday, 7 December 2006.

The participants pointed out the following difficulties experienced by the students:

1.  Environmental change – absence of family, priests, sisters, mental shocks after ragging, etc. Those who are abroad are rootless in neither culture.

2. Change in the value system - the enormous amount of money at their disposal by way of pocket money or remuneration spoils them.  The poor students try to emulate them in spending by seeking easy ways of acquiring wealth, even sacrificing the moral and spiritual values.

3. Crisis in faith, in moral life, danger of falling prey to the Pentecostal movements, devil worship, immoral life, drugs, alcoholism, smoking, etc. In some non-Christian countries, living one’s faith is almost impossible.  So also in some institutions, no permission is given for attending Sunday Mass, etc.

4. Victims of exploitation – When in isolation, if somebody shows some concern or gives some gifts, then easily fall for him, without considering the background of the person or his religious values.

5. Parents look upon their children with fear as they are the earning members who command the economics of the family.

6. Nurses forced to abandon their values due to the force not only from the institutions, but more from the co-workers.

7. Problems in the Nursing Schools – unrecognised schools, even if there is recognition, it is used for more students than allowed, cheating by the agents and middlemen, threatened by the system of internal assessment, by the deployment of Goondas.

The following lines of action were proposed by the participants:

1. A scientific study to be conducted in each parish to collect exact information of those who have gone for studies outside Kerala.

2. Parents to be given awareness programmes regarding the dangers involved.

3. Providing pastoral care, to be dealt with at the diocesan level/Animators to be appointed by a central committee ensuring co-ordination between the Animators of the place and the home diocesan animator.

4. Retreats to be conducted during holidays.

5. Career guidance to be organized at the central level of the church.

6. A Synodal Commission for Labour to be constituted.

7. A Data-bank and Directory of contact persons – including priest, sisters, institutions to be made available and Data Bank to be prepared with the help of recognized institutions.

8. Chanalise those who have got high IQs to higher fields than nursing.

9. Develop the capacity of the parents to respond to the various situations of the students.

10. Make wider use of the Nightingale programme organised by Jesus Youth for those who are going for nursing.  The parents also called for the final session.

11. There should be greater co-ordination among the various departments in the diocese.  At the diocesan level a special department to be created or attach it with an existing department.

12. In order to persuade the students to get in touch with the local Syro-Malabar parishes where they are studying, make it mandatory to get a certificate from the local parish priest, when they return to their original parishes.

13. Networking needed.

14. Start professional institutions outside the proper territory for which the synod should take initiative.

15. Efforts to be made to make the qualifications unified in all States.

16. A web site to be designed.

17. News letter to be started.                     

Fr. Antony Kollannur

Chancellor for the Syro-Malabar Bishop’s Synod