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One Day with the Poor Clares - Johnson Paul & Bisojit Marak

We the novices eagerly awaited our meeting with the Poor Clares at Vellore. On 11th August 2021 we had that great privilege of spending a day with them on the Solemnity of Mother St. Clare and on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee celebration of the Mother Abbess Sr. Arul Mary. After our morning prayer at the Friary in Palamaner we started our journey to the Monastery along with four friars at 7.30 am and reached the destination at around 09.30 am. The external sisters warmly welcomed us and invited us to have breakfast and get ready for the Eucharistic Celebration. 

The Solemn Eucharistic celebration was presided over by Mgsr. Fr. John Robert the Administrator of the Diocese of Vellore. The sisters had arranged the liturgy very well and asked us novices to share some part of it by our singing of the offertory hymn and reading the first reading. Fr. Bosco, SDB, the spiritual father of the sisters preached an inspiring bi-lingual homily. Sr. Arul Mary renewed her commitment to her heavenly bridegroom and so did all the sisters in latter part of the Mass. After the Eucharistic Celebration the Diocesan Administrator felicitated the Jubilarian Sr. Arul Mary and wished all the Poor Clares a happy feast. After the Eucharist, the space at the grill was overflowing with the crowd of priests, sisters and lay people. We waited along with others for the sisters to arrive at the grill. There was grand silence and curiosity at the time of opening the grill, as if all were awaiting for the Pope after the Conclave. We saw so many grace filled faces inside the cloister. After the common wishing, we partook of a sumptuous meal.

When the entire crowd retired, we performed a short cultural programme for the sisters at around 3 o’clock in the afternoon It was a moment of Franciscan family spirit renewed with the sisters. Every one of us presented the sisters with a small gift as a sign of our love and wish for them. Friar Roobandoss, our Guardian presented a gift and conveyed the prayerful wishes of the community with a short message. The sisters were overwhelmed with joy at our creative presentation of a dance and a skit. After the programme, we were given some time of sharing and asking questions to the sisters. Friar Charles A our Novice Master and Friar Naveen George our Assistant Novice Master facilitated a meaningful interaction with the sisters. Then the sisters wished us and assured their prayers for us to follow Christ in the footsteps of St. Francis. We were served grand tea after which we bid bye to the sisters at around 5 o’ clock in the evening. It was an experience of a lifetime for us to see the glowing faces of our dear Poor Clares to remain faithful to the Lord till the end of our life.

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