|
2002 MARCH UPDATE
____________________________________________________
March 2002 Update for
Regina Pacis
(changing lives since 1952)
Change A Life Program
(changing lives since 1998)
http://www.theworldnow.com/cal/
Don't just sit there, Change A Life!
______________________________________________________
This update is sent to Sponsors and friends of the Change A Life Program. This update may be freely distributed if copied in its entirety. It cannot be printed for public distribution nor emailed commercially without permission.
A hearty welcome to all the new Sponsors and Happy New Year to all! This update has wonderful words from Sr. Margaret Fernandes about the historical success of Regina Pacis. The personal life stories, submitted by two Regina Pacis graduates, are personal testimony of that success. We are enriched knowing about this unique place in the world and you can be proud to support it!
IN THIS UPDATE:
- General Change A Life Announcements
- News from Sr. Margaret Fernandes
- Two personal life stories from Regina Pacis graduates:
o "I want the world to know"
o "Foot-hold up the ladder of life"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENERAL CHANGE A LIFE ANNOUNCEMENTS
(1) A heartfelt Thank You to all who renew Sponsorship without reminders! Paperwork has been misplaced so 2002 renewals will be forthcoming and attempted by email only. If you are reminded in error, please forgive and email corrected information. Thank you again.
(2) Sponsors, please remember to write to your Butterflys! The CAL internet site has ideas and information if you need a refresher
http://www.theworldnow.com/cal/
(3) Donations to Regina Pacis are tax exempt in India as defined by Indian law. Tax exempt status for the USA is still being attempted. Resolution hopefully in the next few months.
(4) If you have information or questions you would like to share in subsequent newsletters, fantastic! Please email Deanna at cal@theworldnow.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NEWS FROM SR. MARGARET FERNANDES
Principal of Regina Pacis and in charge of the CAL Program
On the 9th of this month of March we are having the final celebration of the golden Jubilee of our presence as Religious of Mary Immaculate in India. These have been fifty years of dedication to the young girl child and to young women in general. We have striven to give them the opportunity they lack:
A. Let the Girl child live and grow
B. She has the right and the potential
C. Give her the opportunity and the environment
This indeed has been our endeavor all through these years. In the different celebrations of the Golden Jubilee year for the Domestic Workers, the residents and ex-residents of the Working Girl's Hostel and for the students and graduates of the Regina Pacis Boarding we have been able to witness the extent of our influence in the lives of these people.
OPPORUNITY and GROWTH have been the watchwords. We have put in our mite and the girls have responded! The outcome has been indeed "lives that have changed dramatically." In the two personal accounts included in this newsletter this is evident.
The contribution of Sponsors has been a tremendous help. People ask "How do you all manage?" The answer is God's Providence, but God's instruments have been you, the Sponsors.
I can truly say with pride and love that everybody who visits us remarks on the atmosphere of happiness and peace. The children are happy. Every child who has passed through this Boarding, and now, with the occasion of the Golden Jubilee, has visited us, says with great joy "those were the happiest days of my life!" They proudly show their husbands and their children all over the Boarding which is materially quite shabby (not dirty, thank God and thanks to the children themselves). They point out all the little nooks and corners where they were up to mischief, where they studied and ate and learnt how to keep house. Their memories are only joyful ones.
Soon we shall begin the reconstruction of the Children's Home and I have great hopes that at last we shall be able to put our Butterflys on beds and give them a more comfortable place to grow up in.
Please pray that we are able to start the reconstruction soon and that work will go fast and we shall be able to finance the whole project.
yours affectionately
Margaret Mary Fernandes r.m.i.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PERSONAL NARRATIVE:
"I WANT THE WORLD TO KNOW"
by Isabel Gonsalves (Almeida)
You may hear many ladies say: 'If it were not for Regina Pacis where would I be today?' I too must say that I WANT THE WORLD TO KNOW that it is Regina Pacis that has made me what I am. This great institution that exists in the teeming metropolis of Mumbai is and will always be the beacon of hope for many a young woman. Regina Pacis has not only changed my life, but it has changed the lives of all my family as well as many other families whom my husband Salvador and I have been able to assist.
No, I was not an orphan, I had both parents living and thriving then. But my father was irresponsible, as he was depressed having six daughters and one son! He wanted to get rid of some of us from the family and hence in the year 1965 he gave my sister and me to a nun from the convent in Nandakhal whom I would not like to name. She gave us to her sister in Byculla who needed a servant. At the tender age of 9 I worked day and night for only brutal abuse and torture in return.
In the year 1966 I was rescued from the clutches of this 'madam' when I entered the gates of Regina Pacis to attend the evening school for house working young girls. When I greeted Sister Nirmala ' Good morning sister' I was corrected and told that it was 'Good evening'! It was this Sister Nirmala who welcomed me into her arms as a mother would do and along with the other sisters attended to my wounds (physical, mental and spiritual). I was taught to read, write and speak in English and was saved from the stigma of a servant and brought to the Regina Pacis home for children.
I was also encouraged to bring two of my younger sisters to R.P. Unfortunately one had to return due to ill health. Mary and I began our school life with radiant smiles on our faces. The homely environment, the loving care and the education given by the sisters of R.P. are the treasures we possess and cherish.
In the year 1975 I passed High School and entered MMK College of Commerce in Bandra. With the education and upbringing at R.P. it was not difficult for me to graduate in 1979. It was here that Salvador singled me out as the right girl for his life partner. We married on 20 January 1980. My eldest son Chris has just graduated (BE) from the Christian Brothers University Tennessee-Memphis USA. My second son Sandeep is also studying for an Engineering degree in the same university and my daughter Manisha is in Class X this year. Salvador works as a finance manager in one of the largest organizations in Oman and I work for IBM, which is known as GBM in the Gulf, as a Data Processing Administrator.
This home-cum-school was, is and will be a solace to many needy young women. It gives an opportunity for education to those who otherwise would not have this opportunity. The Day School is meant for the children of the boarding and girls who do not get admission in the more reputed schools. The Night School is for those who have to work and study, and the 'National Open School' for those who work and study, and for those who have dropped out of the regular school due to failure or for any other reasons. It is only because of the good work of the sisters of Regina Pacis that salvation came to me, and today my husband and I are able to support our family and many others without hesitation. Hence I really WANT THE WORLD TO KNOW that the love, care and extraordinary work of the humble sisters at Regina Pacis have transformed not only my life but also the lives of many under privileged young women.
I wish to extend my heartfelt thanks to all the selfless, wonderful sisters of Regina Pacis
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PERSONAL NARRATIVE:
"FOOT-HOLDS UP THE LADDER OF LIFE"
by Ms. Harsha Pandya
Achievements are not gained overnight or at a stroke. Every small effort is a foothold up the ladder of life and the ladder of life has many rungs. One has to overcome many obstacles and solve problems that come up one after another like waves on the sea.
This is in brief the story of my life, which I would like to share with you; all the while bearing in mind my heartfelt regards for my school "Regina Pacis Convent High School" the school that gave me the foundation for living an independent life.
I was born a normal baby but at the age of 3 months I had the misfortune to contract the dreaded disease of poliomyelitis. In those days there was no anti-polio drive as intense as it is today. We lived at Porbander at that time and so my parents brought me to Bombay and I was put in a full body plaster. I had to go through many hardships as a child. I was given electric shock treatment, made to sleep on an ice block, stand on a bench for hours etc. When I was seven years old we came to Bombay again and I was admitted to the children's orthopaedic hospital at Mahalakshmi. My parents were not permitted to stay with me so I had to stay alone and go through many operations on my legs. That year in the hospital made me strong and courageous psychologically. While in the hospital I learned to read and write in English.
When released from the hospital my parents sought admission for me at this Regina Pacis, my loved school. Sr. Josepha, Principal of the primary school found me overage for the Kindergarten but I underwent the prescribed tests and came out well.
A step, the first one upon the ladder of my education. I loved going to school even though it meant going through the humiliation of being carried there like a baby. My academic success was total, with high percentages I satisfied all the requirements. Sister was very happy and she too became enthusiastic about my progress. After a month she gave me another test and found me fit for the Std. II and after a short interval I passed to Std.III and caught up with my age group.
Life in school was very interesting. I had good friends and there was always a helping hand to go up and down the stairs. The girls were always ready to help. My friend Laila would carry my bag home. I did not miss the picnics either as the girls were there by my side. Once my mother felt ill and weak and found herself unable to carry me up to my classroom. Immediately Sister came to the rescue, offered her some coffee and made her relax while the girls carried me up so carefully.
At the IV Std. level the hospital routine began again. This time the doctors worked on my spine. This was the fourth operation in India of such a kind. For the first fifteen days in the hospital I was under Dr. Dholakia's observation and then I was operated upon. For eight months I lay there in bed not allowed to turn. I felt so low thinking I would have to repeat Std IV but this time my Principal Sr. Margaret noticed this and told me not to worry she would find a solution. She would send my friends to keep me company.
After those eight crucial months I was allowed to sit up. Now there were only three months to the final exam. Sister sent a girl from the Regina Pacis hostel to teach me each day for an hour in the morning and another hour in the evening. I was still not able to attend school but when the exam started a teacher would bring the question paper to my home and in this way I was able to appear for the exam with the other children and was promoted to Std. V. Which school would do so much for one student? I did well in my studies with the help of the staff, my friends and the love of my parents and brothers. Each year when I limped onto the stage on the prize distribution day, unable to even stand on my own, to receive my prizes, the children and the rest of the audience would give me a thunderous applause. This is how I climbed the ladder of my life as a scholar.
After the S.S.C. I approached many colleges but all of them demanded a minimum of 35% physical attendance at the classes. That year unfortunately was a bad year for my family. I lost my elder brother who died of hepatitis, my parents broke down with the sorrow. I finally decided to study through correspondence courses at the S.N.D.T. University. Even though I no longer belonged to Regina Pacis School, the sisters continued to take a keen interest in my progress. They helped me by sending me teachers from the hostel to help me in Economics. While I did the exam my mother would sit outside the examination hall for the three hours duration waiting for me. I, in my turn, had to do something for others, so I offered to tutor needy girls in the Regina Pacis boarding. Sr. Valentina, now in London, encouraged me to learn typing even though I could only use one hand.
My Principal advised me to earn my own living by tutoring young children in my own house and from that day forward this is the course of my life. My reputation as a teacher has spread and I consider my students as my own. I love them and care for them as if they were family. I spare no pains to see that they study well but I also take the trouble to inculcate in them the good values I learned from my school days and I am proud of the success of my students. No student of mine has ever failed a class and all of them are well behaved.
In 1996 I went to my native village for a holiday. As I walked along one day my crutches slipped and I fell and fractured a leg. I was operated upon and advised to rest in bed for four months. So I had to ask the children and their parents to find their own teachers but the children insisted that I continue to teach them even if I was in bed. They promised to give me no trouble and kept their word. Even after studies they accompanied me and played indoor games and so with their help I was able to bear my hardship.
Two years ago I received an award from the Lions Club as a handicapped teacher who merited it. Some of my students are now engineers, businessmen etc. they still visit me when they have time. They remember me on Teacher's day and on my birthday.
Thus I learned that one must strive and never give up. One must continue to climb always upward taking one foothold at a time. This is what Regina Pacis School has done for me. It has taught me to love unconditionally and having been loved so much I cannot help but pour out love on others.
ABOUT THIS UPDATE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This Change A Life Update was distributed by
Deanna Zack. If you have any input, questions, suggestions, critiques or want to contribute to future Updates or to the CAL program in general, please don't hesitate to email cal@theworldnow.com We love questions, especially the difficult ones.
|
|