Mother Provincial's Message

Last Updated (Friday, 14 November 2008 06:24)

Dated 18th Oct 2008
Sr Antoinette , Mother Provincial

Congratulations LAAS ! I understand that you are a Registered Body, with your own Constitutions and elected leaders, and that you meet regularly. I hear too that you take active roles in the school, such as sharing responsibilities for the centenary celebrations – a once in a lifetime experience! 

Sometime back Loreto had conceived the idea of co-coordinating all individual Loreto Alumnae groups under the umbrella of the Loreto Education Office. Our hope was that by networking, intercommunication, etc., to animate each other according to the spirit and principles of our Loreto charisma, and to inspire one another to work with a more focused Vision and Goal. The intention is not to make all one. We recognize that each Alumna has its individuality, its own established Goals and purpose. The hope is based on the current tendency to draw strength from each other by interlinking, bonding, collaborating. With this expectation in view the various Alumnae bodies in Calcutta had organized an all-India meet in Jan. 07, to which all Loreto past pupils were invited. That was a very special Meeting. A lot of synergy was created that day. For some years before, this same move of joining hands together had been the focus of the Delhi Alumnae, which for many years have been including members of any other Alumnae into their annual and extraordinary meets and even into their executive. In Darjeeling there is a move towards collaborating and networking not only with all Loreto past pupils, but also with some of the major schools in the area. There is a recognition growing that together we form one Loreto family.

Perhaps this is the time to see how Loreto has moved through the years since you yourselves were in school here in Shillong. Over the last 25 years or so, Loreto has been moving out to those who have missed out on some of the basic necessities of life, including a sound education. For this reason we have closed down our boarding schools and given more space and scope for the local girl, and even for the more disadvantaged girl. Often this is done unobtrusively so that few if any, are aware of what happens behind the scenes. For example how many of you know that Loreto has had the policy for some years now of taking 20% poor admissions into our school? Also, how many know that there is the Wahkdait project here in Loreto, to help dropout girl children to complete their education in Lumiere? 

It is in this area that we require the Alumnae to bring your professionalism, competency and expertise to these ministries. I am aware that our past pupils are already in every field of professional and technical enterprise today. We are proud of this and congratulate you sincerely. We are happy to see that you are organizing yourselves into Associations, NGO's and other Groups to extend your vision further a field. Only through collaboration and networking will we be able to take the giant strides needed to keep pace with the changing scenario in society today. 

May we all be on fire to spread the message of greater union, more collaboration and stronger bonding. May this move achieve what all bonding endeavors accomplish – new energy, greater strength, concentrated focus and wider interlinking. 

So where do we move from here ? 

1. Have a person here in Shillong to coordinate activities. That person reports to the Sister who need not be residing here in Shillong, who guides, animates and gives input – mainly on how we are moving together. 
2. Perhaps this information could be put into a leaflet that circulates to all the Alumnae, which shows how we are moving, and how we may need to move. Where we are. Where do we need to go? How do we get there? 
3. Since we are celebrating the 400th year of the founding grace of our Institute and of the recognition of Mary Ward as Founder, perhaps some input on Mary Ward could be put up – e.g. a CD on Mary Ward, or a PP presentation for the Jubilee, to highlight certain aspects of Mary Ward, e.g. her passion for developing the status of women, her passion for truth, for being relevant to the signs of the times.