Dimapur May 8 (MExN): Four Brothers – Albert Renao from Diocese of Kohima, Barnabas and Bitto Baby from Mao Diocese, and Peter Soude, Archdiocese of Imphal – were vested with clerical habit at Good Shepherd Seminary, Dimapur on May 6.
Bishop of Kohima Rev. Fr. James Thoppil, who presided over the Holy Mass, congratulated the brothers for boldly coming forward to get vested in clerical habit, according to a press release. Emphasizing on the word “commitment”, the Bishop said it is a total surrender one makes to the love of Christ. “We are all called for the ‘enduring love’ (John 1:14) to share the fullness of God’s love (John 1:15),” he stated.
He stressed on three aspects of commitment – permanence, faithfulness and fruitfulness. Permanence, he said, calls for continuous dying to oneself and rising in ever greater holiness daily and lifelong. To be faithful is to be united in the persons of the Trinity and in Christ’s spousal love for the Church, Rev. Fr. James added. “This will enable a person to express the gift by total consecration of their lives in single-hearted love of a generous ministry.” He further opined that fruitfulness marks the vocation to commitment in the church and fruitfulness is God’s love.
Other inmates of the Good Shepherd Seminary presented songs at the programme, which was chaired by Rev. Fr. Sunny Joseph.
