Preparing women of fire for Asia, Africa
By Lissy Maruthanakuzhy
Institute of Mater Dei, Old Goa
Old Goa: Sr. Annie Ponmani had lots of doubts about her
vocation when she came to Institute Mater Dei in 1976.
However, two years of theology studies there not only
convinced her about her calling but prepared her for future
responsibilities, such as provincial councilor, superior,
formator and editor of her province's publications.
"The confidence IMD instilled in me nearly 40 years ago
continues to help me through the ups and downs in my life,"
said the Daughters of St. Paul sister.
Ponmani is among more than 5,000 sisters, who, after
graduating from Mater Dei, play critical leadership roles in
Asia and Africa, said its superior, St. Anne Sr. Edwige Maria
Anthony.
The institute, which completed 50 years in 2014,
sits atop a hill, surrounded by magnificent
churches in Old Goa, the ancient capital of the
Portuguese colonial rulers.
In modern times, the body within the three-story edifice has
triggered a quiet revolution in the church by helping women,
especially nuns, speak up.
"Religious women walking out of the portals of Mater Dei
institute, every year, are fired with earnestness to work,
particularly for the uplift of the downtrodden of their own
gender," said Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao of Goa.
Oblate Fr. John Sankarathil, who teaches at Mater Dei, points
out that it is the only institute managed by India's women
religious to empower Catholic nuns to deepen their conviction
and commitment.
Anthony said the institute was the Indian church's
answer to the Second Vatican Council call to
empower women religious through formation programs.
Archbishop J. Knox, an Australian who was India's
internuncio from 1957 to 1967, requested Sr. M.
Theodosia, the only woman observer at the council
from Asia, to plan and manage a national formation
house for women.
The Apostolic Carmel nun responded by setting up the Mater
Dei Institute in 1964. It aimed to equip Catholic nuns to
face modern challenges and help them find relevance and joy
in their vocation, Anthony said. It chose as a motto "Grow
into the fullness of Christ" to instill a sense of worth and
dignity in its students.
Theodosia set up the institute in Santa Monica, the first
Catholic convent in Asia that the Portuguese built in the
early 17th century. Goa, a tiny western Indian state, was
under Portuguese rule from 1510 to 1960.
The new formation house began with a two-year theology
program. In 1990, the program was divided into a one-year
ongoing theology program and a one-year baccalaureate program
for those involved in the formation of sisters. In 2010, the
institute launched a one-year diploma course in philosophy
and the following year a baccalaureate course in theology.
The institute teaches subjects that range from basic Hebrew,
history of Christianity in India, and theology of religious
life to Mariology (the theology of Mary), Eschatology (study
of final events in human history), and biomedical ethics. The
courses are affiliated with Jnana Deepa Vidyapeeth, a papal
seminary at Pune in neighboring Maharashtra state. Women also
study in other seminaries.
Feminist theology is an overarching subject taught
at the institute. Sr. Pauline Chakkalackal, a
teacher at Mater Dei, said feminist theology shares
the concerns of feminism in Christianity. It calls
for a critical assessment of patriarchal theology
and biblical interpretation that is responsible for
the invisibility and domestication of women in the
church.
"It helps us develop a holistic approach to God and religion,
humans and the world -- in fact, all areas of life and
mission," Chakkalackal said. "It is a new way of doing
theology, rooted in the experiences of women and committed to
developing a life-affirming and change-oriented theology."
Mater Dei has about 15 students in each class group, so women
get opportunities to express their views without inhibition.
They can ask questions without being threatened by men or
being ridiculed. They also can use their creative talents for
dance and other group activities.
"The social analysis classes helped us understand events in
the world. We also discuss a lot about the role of women in
the church, relevance of religious in the world," said
Cynthia Andrade, a lay woman studying there.
Jesuit Fr. Savio Barretto, a close associate of the
institute, says Mater Dei has helped women be on a
par with men in the church. "By listening to
women, the church learns to become more caring.
The Mater Dei helps to build up this aspect in the
Indian church," said the rector of Basilica of Bom
Jesus, where the relics of St. Francis Xavier are
enshrined just walking distance away from the
institute.
Several nuns, including some Mater Dei alumni, now teach in
Indian seminaries, which was unthinkable some 50 years ago,
Barretto said.
Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil of Jowai, another Mater Dei
supporter, says the institute came into existence when its
services were most needed. It offered young religious women
theological studies and several other courses related to
their ministries that were considered non-traditional for the
time. Over the years it has enriched the lives of thousands
of people through its students, the Salesian prelate
attested.
Currently, 127 sisters from 55 congregations, including one
from overseas, study there. Ponmani said that during her time
there the institute has had students from 50 congregations
from Africa and Asian countries.
"When I went there I was preparing for my final vows but
wondering whether I should go ahead. The spiritual director
and professors at Mater Dei helped me look inside me and
decide for myself," she said.
"Classes in scripture and liturgy boosted my spirit. What I
learned there became handy when I was assigned to formation
works in our congregation," she recalled. The institute also
awakened her spiritually, she said.
The courses at Mater Dei also embolden its students to engage
in social transformation, said Redemptorist Fr. Desmond de
Souza, who has been lecturing there for 30 years. After a
week of theory class, the 75-year-old priest takes the
students outside to show them how other people live.
"The exposure to the migrant people challenged me to get out
of my comfort zone and reach out to the wounded brethren,"
said Sr. Linta of the Little Sisters of Therese of Lisieux.
Chakkalackal is happy to see her students becoming critical
thinkers. "Theological formation should help women religious
to critique certain irrelevant traditions, practices the
church maintains in the name of theology," she added.
Fr. Saturnino Dias, former deputy secretary general
of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India,
recalled that the institute was set up when women,
including nuns, had little voice in society or in
the church. He said women felt discriminated
against in a male-dominated society and had no
courage to try anything new. Now, education has
emboldened many to break off from stereotypes and
venture out into freedom, he said.
The priest acknowledged that India's traditional patriarchal
system makes women, Catholic sisters, submissive and docile.
Priests took advantage of the situation and kept women
religious away from decision-making bodies.
Sr. Tresa Nirappel, a former student, says social conditions
force women to keep quiet. "However, women religious,
including many IMD alumni, have now gained courage to
challenge unjust structures while remaining loyal to their
faith and vocation," she said.
Salesian Sr. Julie Fernandes, former president of her
community in Goa, said theological studies have awakened
women to realize that they are indeed the church's backbone.
Catholic sisters, she said, now manage most institutions in
medical and educational sectors, for which the Catholic
church is known and admired.
Sr. Diana of the Pious Disciples of the Divine Master, was
overwhelmed by the awareness that she is in an historical and
holy place, also known as the Rome of the Orient.
"Each stone here would have a story to tell. I am privileged
to touch the relics of St. Francis Xavier, which helped
deepen my faith," she said.
Despite all this, Barreto is uneasy about Mater
Dei's female-dominated atmosphere that allows
interaction only among women. "It would do them
good if they had opportunities to interact with
seminarians, or with male formation houses, to gain
a holistic outlook on life," he suggested.
He also wants them to do research and publish journals with a
female perspective.
Archbishop Menamparampil said he wants the institute to
address the challenges of veiled intolerance growing in
India, where people once coexisted harmoniously. This
requires creative thinking and determined efforts to equip
the coming generation to respond, he added.
Whatever that may be, Sr. Bindu Paul, a former student, is
grateful that the institute has made her a woman of fire.
"I entered the institute as an empty vessel to be filled in,
and God touched me and I have grown. IMD has prepared our
timid hearts to prepare the challenges of the Third
Millennium," said the nun, a member of the Sisters Adorers,
Handmaids of the Blessed Sacrament of Charity.
[Lissy Maruthanakuzhy is a member of the worldwide
Congregation of the Daughters of St. Paul in India and a
correspondent for Matters India. This article is part of an
ongoing collaboration between GSR and Matters India, a news
portal that focus on religious and social issues. This
article appeared in GSR on May 4, 2015.]
http://mattersindia.com/preparing-women-of-fire-for-asia-africa/
