Bangalore (India), 06/05/2016, Sr. Teresa.- Jubilee is a celebration of rejoicing because God has blessed us with immense graces during the past 800 years of life as Dominicans. It is a time of sharing of our joy as a family and a time to thank God for His constant companionship with the order in the past years. So as a family we gathered in our Provincial house on the 4th of June 2016, to celebrate this day of joy.

The day began with a prayer at the grotto of St. Dominic in our garden. The presence of Prior Provincial Fr. John KusumalayamOP , Sr. PhilominaVengachottil OP Provincial , Superiors and members of the other Dominican congregations in and around Bangalore doubled the joy of the gathering. The jubilee candle was lit and carried by the Provincial Fr. John Kusumalayam. Holding lighted candles and singing the Jubilee song all proceeded to the hall at Marie Poussepin’s Home Community.

The rich tradition of the presence of a Franciscan for a Dominican celebration was very clear with the presence of Rev. Fr. Joseph DolphyPais OFM Cap who enlightened us with his talk on “Impact of Dominicans in the Church and the World Today”. The solemn Eucharistic celebration presided over by Fr. Dolphy along with our Dominican brethren along with the melodious singing was indeed inspiring. The Holy presence of the relics of Saints Dominic de Guzman, Catherine de Siena and Vincent Ferror enabled us to experience God’s heavenly blessings on each of us and our celebration.

Added to that the delicious meal shared together as a Dominican family brought us closer to each other. After lunch, the session on the sharing of our experiences as a Dominican refreshed our past memories as a Dominican family. Following the example of St. Dominic who gave great priority to prayer, we concluded the day with a prayer led by our Dominican fathers. It was indeed a day of joy and with grateful hearts, we bid farewell to one another.