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Fransalian International

"Be what you are, Be at its best!"      - St. Francis de Sales

Editorial  SFS Fr. Moget  Fr. General  Fr Archie St John's, Nagpur  Nimkheda Perpetual Profession in Brasil  England Bonteheuwel  Mission Institute  Jubilees in NE India  Mermier Opticals  MSFS Scholastics in Cameroon  Mumbai  Help in Andhra Pradesh  Cardinal Sin  Mozambique Fransalian Youth Ministry  North-East  Apostolate of Care and Healing  Confreres in Switzerland  SFS College  Vol. 9   No. 2  (2005)

Fransalian International

One may often like to recall - if one has ever heard or read it - Martin Luther King's address at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington in August 1963, in which some 2,00,000 listened to his celebrated words, "I have a dream." Dr King brought all the hopes of the civil rights movement to a crescendo with his concluding plea, "let freedom ring." King envisioned all of God's children joining hands and singing, "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Freedom always has been a dream, a deep longing, of the oppressed and the depressed. It has been as well a ready theme of socio-political reformers. However, freedom consists of much more than just people keeping their hands off us. It is a matter of motivating ourselves rightly, conducting ourselves appropriately, orienting ourselves deliberately, and committing ourselves earnestly to the good of others. Genuine freedom, in a Christian sense, is becoming Christ who has become our Saviour, our Liberator, at the incarnation. Becoming Christ is a process of becoming more human so as to be more divine. It means different things to different people at different times. It could be keeping our eyes wide open to the signs of the time, raising our voices at the sight of injustice, sharing our resources and talents with the needy, caring for the sick and suffering, bearing with the limitations and imperfections of others, daring to endure harassment and persecution, faring well to encourage the discouraged, wearing a smile of appreciation at the successes and achievements of fellow-humans, tearing down the walls of segregation and discrimination through reconciliation, gearing up to empower the powerless, nearing and cheering up the solitary neighbour, and thus hearing the voice of God in the depth of one's being at every moment of one's life.

Since the last issue of the Fransalian International, a lot of things have happened in the mission-fields of the Missionaries of St Francis de Sales. You can read some amazing and inspiring news from our missions in various countries in the current issue. All the members of the Editorial Board of the Fransalian International wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR as we look forward to your continued support.