Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Bombay Archdiocesan Healing Ministry

Official Note from Cardinal Ivan Dias on the Bombay Healing Ministry in Bombay Archdiocese

ARCHDIOCESAN HEALING MINISTRY

Our Lord Jesus Christ healed bodies, minds and souls during His visible sojourn on this earth two thousand years ago. He has promised to be with us till the end of time and wishes to continue His healing touch in our midst. He has left us the Sacraments of healing, viz. Baptism (cleansing of original sin), Reconciliation (forgiveness of personal sins), Anointing of the Sick (for serious illnesses), and above all the Eucharist where He, the Divine Healer, is present with His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.

The Archdiocese of Bombay has been giving special attention to the healing dimension of its mission of proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ:

- Since June 1981, Fr Anthony V. D'Souza has conducted healing services in various parishes in Mumbai: offering Holy Masses, hearing confessions, praying over and counselling the sick, etc. I want to congratulate and thank him and his valiant team of collaborators on the Silver Jubilee of the Ministry, and I encourage them to continue in their zeal and compassion for the sick for the greater glory of God and the good of souls.

- The Archdiocese is about to witness the sprouting out of another much needed branch in its Healing Ministry. Fr Conrad Saldanha is being set aside to organise retreats which are intended to help the participants to achieve peace of mind and heart through a deep inner healing of disturbing memories, hurt feelings, resentments, etc. It would be like pruning a tree of unhealthy or dead branches, so that it can produce the fruits of the Spirit in abundance (Jn 15:2, Gal 5:22) and make for a more authentic Christian behaviour and witness.

- I want to recall a third expression of our Archdiocesan Healing Ministry: the Hello Doctor project, which is meant to help poor people in their medical needs. It is the executive arm of the Archdiocesan Commission for Health and is available to any parish which desires to give qualified services to those who need it, but cannot afford it. I would recommend that every parish, and especially the Centres for Community Organisation, avail themselves of this easily accessible service in favour of the poor and marginalised.

Besides encouraging the faithful to have frequent recourse to the Sacraments of inner, spirtual and bodily healing, I exhort one and all to facilitate the exercise of the aforementioned three healing branches which are being offered in the Archdiocese. May God bless with abundant graces and favours all those who are involved in the Archdiocesan Healing Ministry and those who will avail themselves of it in any way.


+ Ivan Cardinal Dias
Archbishop of Bombay
April 23, 2006
Feast of the Divine Mercy

Source: The Examiner, April 29, 2006.

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