Nature 

Nature, in the broad sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical universe, material world, or material universe. Nature refers to the phenomenon of the physical world and also to life in general; even various types of living plants and animals are incorporated. The term does not include manufactured objects and human interactions unless qualified in ways, for example, Human nature. It is generally distinguished by the supernatural. It is often taken to mean the natural environment or wild animals, rocks, forest, beaches and those objects which are not substantially altered by human intervention.

Br. Godfrey

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Stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi 

It is the month of august 1224 and Francis is frail and sick through various journey and mortification.  The feast of St Michael on 29^th September was approaching. Francis was accustomed to spend 40 days of prayer and fasting in preparation for the feast of the archangel. That year he decided to spend 40 days lent on mount La Verna.

 Once in the solitary confines of la Verna, night and day he kept his eyes on fixed on the passion of Christ. As he meditated on the passion of Christ, he reminisced about his own sinful past.

Br .Godfrey

Environmental Issues in India

            The Environmental issues in India are huge. Whether it's the rapidly dropping water tables, mass deforestation, land degradation or river contamination, India has it all and on a massive scale. Below you can find information on all of India's most serious environmental problems.

Water pollution:

Perhaps the largest of the environmental issues in India facing the people of India is inadequate or lack of access to vital fresh water resources. The companies accused of causing huge droughts and contamination to a massive area by exploiting an excessive amount of ground water and then replacing it with toxic discharge. Of course, Coca Cola is a big famous company and that is why this came to news but I have no doubt that there are a million examples of similar things happening all over India.

            The rivers are on the front line of pollution in India. Millions of people depend on them for their livelihoods but they are slowly being polluted and destroyed by sewage, chemicals and other agricultural and industrial waste.

Deforestation:

The story of deforestation is another of the highly serious environmental issues in India. Most of it being chopped down for housing, industrialisation and river projects. It is estimated that the number of Mangrove Forests have more than halved in the last 20 years.

Air Pollution:

India now has one of the worst qualities of air in the world. Without a doubt the main contributor of air pollution in India is the transport system. In the big cities like Delhi and Mumbai, millions of old and very dirty diesel engines churn out millions of turns more sulphur than their western equivalents partly because of being old and partly because of the diesel.

Plastics and Other Waste:

             Plastic isn't in any urgency to degrade but the people of India don't seem to recognize this as they throw every unwanted item onto the floor wherever they are. Of course, the victims of these environmental issues in India are the future generations and the animals. On A brighter note, solar power in India is going through a boom along with several other eco friendly power sources.

                                                     Br. Godfrey Cap.

News from the Ashramites

Fraternal greetings to all the readers of Bonavani and join with us as we share all the latest happenings from Capuchin Ashram, Nashik

New Year, New Start

The new academic year saw fresh faces arriving in our community, where we welcomed 5 new brothers. Fr. Rakesh, the Rector along with the community members welcomed the brothers in their midst and made them comfortable with the new settings.

Get, Set, Go…..

Fr. Joseph D’souza, Provincial inaugurated the new academic year 2015-16, on 12^th June with the Eucharistic celebration in the evening. The following day we had a formal inauguration in Divyadaan (Salesian Institute of Philosophy) where the inaugural talk was delivered by Fr. Maria Anthuvan, SDB on ‘Meaning of Culture according to Bernard Lonergan’.      

And the Lord gave us more Brothers!!!

We had unexpected addition to our community in form 5 aspirant brothers who joined our community to complete their PUC studies. The community gladly welcomed the new members with open arms and wishes them a pleasant stay here at Nashik.

Adieus Brothers

As our family here at Nashik grew bigger and bigger, sadly we also had to bid adieu to some members. Fr. Wilson Gaikwad left for Shelti in June, so did Fr. VIshal, The Asst. Rector, who left for Nagar in July, to pursue his studies in MSW (Masters in Social Work). Fr. Rector appreciated the contribution made by both the members and how they would be sorely missed.

Br. Ashish, the aspirant left the community in August, to complete his studies back home in Daman. Thus the community now stands at 18 members including Fr. Rector.

Sister Sickness comes calling…….

Br. Jesu one of the Aspirant brothers was taken ill with stomach infection and had to be admitted in Hospital. The community prayed for his quick recovery, by Gods grace he was discharged within 5 days and has now recovered fully.

Ad Multos Annos Fr. Rector

Come August 01 and our community had double reason to celebrate as it was Fr. Rakesh’s birthday and Community Day. To add to our joy Fr. Vishal and Fr. Godfrey Dinis from Nagar and Fr. Rakesh’s relatives from Mumbai joined the celebrations. The day started on a High with the Eucharistic celebration, where Fr. Vishal spoke highly of Fr. Rector’s qualities, his simplicity and juggling various responsibilities single handedly. Also he pointed the importance of community life and individual responsibilities towards making it a success.

The day saw steady stream of visitors from the neighboring communities who came to wish Father. In the evening, the brothers hosted a cultural programme in honor of Fr. Rector and thus signed-off the day on high.

Feast of Assumption!!!!

15th August marked the twin occasion of India’s Independence and Solemnity of Assumption of Our Lady. The local Don Bosco parish organized the annual cultural event called ‘The Academy’, where the neighboring communities had to present any act based on Marian theme. The brothers from Capuchin Ashram presented a Lyrical and Contemporary dance act highlighting the ills faced by women in the Indian society. The dance was a rousing success and well appreciated by all.

The Shepherd Cometh Calling!!!

 Fr. Joseph D’souza along with Fr. Sandip Koshav the Provincial Secretary came for his canonical visit from 2-3 September, 2015. Fr. Provincial conducted a stirring prayer service based on the latest encyclical by Pope Francis, ‘Laudato Si’ and reminded us of our Franciscan calling. Later in the evening, he addressed the community, where he stressed on the importance of scholastic studies and urged the brothers to concentrate on the same. On the other hand he also reminded us of our individual responsibilities towards the community and personal growth in our Franciscan charism.

The next day Fr. Provincial met the brothers personally and we concluded the visit with an Agapic meal in the evening. The community was glad and grateful towards.

Parting Notes

Thanks for sharing our joy and on parting note we wish all the readers of Bonavani a Happy Feast of our Father Francis!!!!