From May 1 to June 10, Brother
Vincent Kochamkunnel conducted the General Canonical Visitation of the Indian
Province, which includes the Mauritius House, in accordance with the
Constitutions of the Order.
The closure of the Visitation
took place on 19th and 20th June in Kattappana, where the Superior General,
Brother Jesús Etayo, who was present in India from 18 to 23 June, was
accompanied by Brother Thomas Binish, the Superior and Director of the Vatican
Pharmacy and a member of the Indian Province, who assisted him with the
translation.
The Superior General, together
with the Visitor, Brother Vincent, met the Provincial Superior, Brother George
Kizhakkenath, and his Council on the morning of the 19th. During the meeting
the shared some of the most important issues in the life of the Province that
had emerged from the Visitation. On the morning of the 20th they met a group of
Brothers from all the Houses, including the Superiors, and in the afternoon a
group of Brothers and Co-workers from all over the Province. At both meetings,
Brother Vincent presented a report on the visit, which was followed by a very
interesting dialogue and concluded with a few words from the Superior General
in which he thanked the Visitor for his services and urged everyone to live
with passion the vocation and mission of Hospitality, pointing out some
concrete points to be taken into account in order to be able to face the
current challenges specifically facing the Indian Province. He also thanked
everyone for their hospitality.
During his visit, Brother Jesús
Etayo visited the General House of the Sisters of Charity of St John of God,
sharing prayer and supper with the Superior General and the rest of the Sisters
present. In addition to visiting the Kattappana and Velloor Centres, he
attended several events held in both Houses: the graduation ceremony at the
Kattappana College of Nursing and the celebration of the tenth anniversary of
the St John of God College Of Special Education in Velloor, which celebrated
the 25th anniversary of its foundation in March this year. Several cultural
events were held to mark the occasion. In the chapel of the Kattappana Centre
he visited and prayed at the tomb of Brother Fortunatus Thanhauser, whose
remains had been recently translated following the conclusion of the diocesan
phase of the beatification process.