India

Pastoral activities

The Charism of our Congregation motivates us to care for the needs of the Church primarily. We respond to this demand by invoving in the pastoral activities whenever and wherever required . This include teaching catechism to the catholic children, looking after the needs of the church in the locality, visiting the sick, conducting seminars to invigourate catholic faith, co-ordinating family units of catholic, organizing mothers, youth etc. for the well being of themselves, looking after the children in the boarding houses, arranging and conducting prayers sessions, SCC meetings and retreats, distributing communion to the sick, preparing the catholics for various sacraments such as confession and First Holy Communion, Confirmation, Marriage preparation etc. Various devotional practices are arranged at different times such Novenas, Way of the Cross, Marian devotion, carol singing etc.

Social developmental activities

We, the sisters of St. John the Baptist contribute our mite to solve the gnawing problems of India by undertaking various social developmental activities in our own way. Sisters make it possible to conscientize the people of their rights and act as a link between the government and the poor and illiterate villagers. The government schemes such as Mother and Child Health Programme, (MCH), Food for work programme(FFW), National Integrate Rural Development programme(NREP), Integrated Rural Development Programme(IRDP) etc are made use of for the well being of the people.

Educating a woman is conducive to education of the whole family. Keeping this in mind St. John’s sisters have started Grihini school. Many young girls are inspired and directed to establish themselves in their own village with better facilities. The trainees are made self – reliant to help themselves, manage her house and trade, acquire a few skills which are very necessary i domestic life and enable them to bring a better family by leading a physically and mentally healthy life.

Boarding homes render the children facilities for the pursuit of their studies. Less privileged old people are looked after by the sisters. Many old people could spend their last days peacefully and depart from this world without fear and anxiety. Sisters also take up the task of helping the differently abled persons to make them self-reliant and to brighten their future in spite of their deformities. The centre for the orphan children whose parents are affected by AIDS gives a ray of hope to the tiny lives.

Health care

Sisters of St. John undertake various steps to improve the health conditions of the people in remote villages. They diagnose the disease, offer medicines, conscientize them on health and hygiene, causes and preventive measures of diseases , need of nutritional food etc. Sisters offer their service even at the time of epidemics and save many people from death. The beneficiaries and the authorities admire and appreciate the work done by the sisters in this field.

Sisters also render theri services in various hospitals. They are highly esteemed for their availability and quality of work.

Education

Being aware of the fact that ignorance is the root cause of many problems and as the needs of time demanded, sisters took up the ministry of education. Education is a double edged sword. Handled properly and used prudently, it becomes a powerful means to conscientize and empower the people and ground them in a value based life. We aim at the moulding of integrated personalities in the schools. For this we adopt various ways and means which helps in the intellectual, physical psychological social, emotional and spiritual growth of the children.

JEEVADHARA PSYCHOSPIRITUAL CENTRE

The Nature of Jeevadhara– Integral Care and Development of the Person

Jeevadhara Psychospiritual centre is an attempt to help the people, particularly destitute and abandoned women and other disadvantaged sections of the population, by helping them to discover their talents and abilities and make the best use of them. Jeevadhara focuses on the psycho-spiritual dimension, assisting them to be cured of their psychiatric illnesses and its consequences, the long-standing psychological problems, crippling cognitive debilitation, baseless social stigma and taboos, disabling superstitious beliefs, etc. The special focus of the centre is on the integral development of the human person, addressing the areas of need and taking care of the lacunae in the current system of care. It is geared to a holistic approach where a person is taken care as a human being physically, spiritually, intellectually, mentally, emotionally and socially. Through such an integral care a person is re-oriented and capacitated to pre-morbid level of functioning in order to live independently in the mainstream of society.

Different Activities of Jeevadhara

Jeevadhara is committed to total development of people especially destitute women. It is primarily involved in the integral care and rehabilitation of mentally ill women who are neglected and abandoned by society. It also caters to the de-addiction and rehabilitation of persons with alcohol and drug addiction. Jeevadhara gives thrust for family counselling, community reintegration and counselling for women in distress, adolescents and children.

More specifically Jeevadhara includes the following:

1.A day-care centre for mentally ill patients and people needing psychological help.

2.A counselling centre with special focus on children and women in distress.

3.A short stay (half way) home for the rehabilitation of persons with mental illness after their discharge from the hospitals.

4.A deaddiction centre to help persons with alcohol and other substance dependence.

5.A rehabilitation centre for the wandering mentally ill persons.

Spiritual Centre

Jeevadhara is situated in Sanjevvani Ashram campus which has a retreat centre. There are conducted retreats, seminars and workshops with facilities to stay as a group or individually for a few days or weeks. We welcome people who would like to spend some time with the Lord in silence and prayer, guided or otherwise. The centre caters to the spiritual needs of religious men and women. Special thrust is given to the spiritual guidance of men and women undergoing formation for religious life. Talks and classes are conducted, according to the needs of individual persons or group attending the retreat or seminar. An atmosphere of silence and solitude prevails in the centre, which will help the participants to take an inward journey and be in touch with the indwelling presence of the divine. Our simple buildings are constructed in an eco-friendly manner. The surrounding of the residence has lush green all around with flower gardens, fruit trees, spacious walk ways and agricultural fields inhabiting varieties of birds and animals. The centre provides an atmosphere of profound communion of the divine and the nature. The centre will be always open to welcome people from all denominations, caste, colour and creed.