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| SVD – India Hyderabad Province (Estd in 2nd April 2002 ) |
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| A short History of our province |
| The SVD India Hyderabad province comprises of two states namely Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. It was in the year 1961 Fr. Karl Ritz SVD opened the doors of the Society to vocations from Tamil Nadu. He started St. Charles’ Apostolic School in Tiruchirapally, at Golden Rock (Ponmalaipatty). The Servite Sisters from Ponmalipatty offered their Gudoin’s bungalow as a residence for Fr. Ritz and his co-workers until their own building was constructed. While staying in Gudoin’s Bungalow, the building construction steadily progressed and was ready for occupation in 1963. Later the Divine Word Missionaries joined him to undertake various activities in Tamil Nadu such as pastoral, social, educational and retreat and counseling ministries. |
| Currently we are working in the diocese of Madurai, Trichy, Chennai, Palayamkottai and Tuticorin. Thus as a missionary congregation we have felt the pulse of the people of our mission and are working in 9 places in Tamil Nadu. |
| Based on the charism of the society of the Divine Word, We, the SVDs landed in Andhra Pradesh mission field in the year 1972. The first batch of pioneers chose the remote rural areas where the people were left as sheeps without the shepherds. Thus with the good response and collaboration of the local people, the Government and the diocesan authorities, we branched out to many rural villages, reaching out the Marginalized. As we look back our meaningful presence and achievements in Andhra Pradesh, we are more and more encouraged to stoop down to the gross-root level, catering to the spiritual and material needs of the less fortuned. The young and energetic SVD confreres too gladly volunteer to spread the Word of God to the unknown areas in and through spiritual and socio-economical activities to uplift the rural mass. Currently we are working in 32 centres in the diocese of Hyderabad, Nalgonda, Warangal, Guntur and Khammam. |
| Indeed it is marvelous to note that the Divine word Missionaries in this province are involved in pastoral, mission, biblical, educational, medical, social, communication and youth ministries. |
| Arnold Bhavan - The Provincial House – India Hyderabad Province |
| A host of Bishops, Provincials, Priests, Sisters and lay people began to descend on Hyderabad on October, 24. At 4 O’ clock they along with many local friends and well wishers began to gather at Habsiguda, to witness and to be part of the blessings and inauguration of “ ARNOLD BHAVAN ”, the new Provincial house of the newly carved SVD Province “INDIA-HYDERABAD”. It was indeed fitting that this new house was inaugurated on Mission Sunday, as all those who come in, stay and go from this house will share the same mission of Christ. |
| A Provincial House where a number of activities will be carried out has to be built with a lot of foresight and planning. This can be seen when we walk into this house and take a stroll on the verandas. It is indeed a magnificent structure with three floors, a beautiful Chapel, more than 40 living rooms which can accommodate comfortably 100 confreres at a time, an office block where many important transactions will take place, a conference hall where confreres will come together to think, discern the will of God for themselves and for their mission endeavors, a dining hall and a modern kitchen, spacious verandahs, a sit-out on the first floor and a welcoming portico. It has a great view both from the aesthetic and practical points of view. |
| A Provincial house for a Province, is like, a cathedral for a diocese. So an earnest attempt was made by Fr. Gnanaprakasam Lazar SVD, the Provincial Superior and Fr. R. Soosai SVD, the provincial Procurator, to have a new house built immediately after the bifurcation of the erstwhile India-South Province, into India-Mumbai and India-Hyderabad. |
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