On Saturday, 13th May 2023, which also happened to be the feast day of Our Lady of Fatima, a one-day recollection was organized for the Catholic teaching and non-teaching staff at the Junior section hall. The recollection commenced at around 8:30 am in the morning with Praise and Worship. Fr. Alphonso Francis, currently the parish priest of Mother Teresa Church, Dumdum, was the resource person for the day. He offered the staff members an opportunity to connect deeply with the Lord and gain a closer insight to God's unconditional love and mercy through his talk. This was followed by a solemn Eucharistic celebration emblazoned by Fr. Alphonso. Ahead of the session, the congregation received the sacrament of penance through confession. The program concluded at 2:30 pm with the vote of thanks and a small token of gratitude to Fr. Alphonso on behalf of the Loreto Elliot Road family.

The Holy Spirit Mass was celebrated on 4th May, 2023. It was commemorated by Fr. Vivien Andrew SJ, the parish priest of Prabhu Jisur Girja. This Eucharistic celebration was to evoke the Holy Spirit to enter our lives, guide and protect us in all our endeavours so that we may be able to accomplish excellence in the goals and aspirations set for this year 2023-2024.

The altar was beautifully decorated with fresh flowers, candles and flames on which the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit was written and favours having the picture of the Holy Spirit were pinned on everyone’s garment by the students. The mass began with a biblical reference to the Pentecost which celebrated the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus. Father spoke about superheroes and asked the congregates if they ever aspire to be like Superwoman and continued to say that it is the power, gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit that will help us to fulfill our dreams, achieve our goals and be like Superwomen.

This auspicious event concluded with a vote of thanks given by our respected Principal ma’am Mrs. Jessica Gomes Surana who expressed her gratitude towards Fr.Vivien for being amidst us for this Eucharistic celebration and all those who were involved in making this Holy Spirit Mass a success.

The Mass served to install a zeal among students to do their best in this academic year.

The Principal, Staff and Catholic students came together to celebrate the Crowning of Our Lady on 2nd of May, 2023 where Fr. Soosai Manickam, Parish Priest of St. Mary's Church, Ripon Street was the main celebrant.Catholic students of class V who had received their First Holy Communion were given the honour of crowning, garlanding and paying respect to our Heavenly Mother, followed by a reading from the Holy Bible and a homily by Fr. Soosai where he expressed the significance and true meaning of this ceremony. Intercessory prayers were offered for various intentions. While the Holy Rosary was being recited in English, Hindi and Bengali, Fr. Soosai along with three other priests went around blessing both the school buildings. At the end of the blessing, Fr. Soosai thanked the Principal, Mrs. J Surana, teachers and students for giving him this opportunity to honour our Blessed Mother along with them.

Keeping in with the true spirit of Christmas, that is, sharing joy amongst one and all; a 'Christmas Tree' celebration was organized for the needy and less privileged children of our school on Saturday 17th December. The one and half an hour programme began with a short prayer service. This was followed by a few outdoor games with prizes awarded to the winners. Santa then shared sweets, toys and a bag of goodies with them. The smile and joy on their faces said it all. This goodwill gesture helped us experience the true Christmas spirit and the real joy of giving.

On Thursday 15th December 2022, at 3:00 pm the Catholic teachers along with the Catholic students of classes 11 and 12 made their way to the Loreto Residence at 52C, Entally, Kolkata to share the love and joy of the Christmas season with the Loreto nuns residing there. The celebration started with a short prayer followed by the students leading us into the singing of Carols that built up the real mood of the celebration. This was ensued by a couple of games that the nuns simply enjoyed. A small token of love was gifted to each of the nuns from the Loreto Elliot Road family. The celebration concluded with light refreshments offered by the sisters to the teachers and students. It was a short yet a wonderful start to the upcoming Christmas.

On 9th Dec ,2022 a few Catholic students from Classes 11 and 12 had gone to Lawrence De Souza Home for an outreach programme during the season of Advent. The students were delighted to meet the inmates of the house. The elderly people living in the home were given gifts to invoke the Christmas spirit and bring in the cheer. The students were accompanied by two CLC teachers of the school.

The Solemn Corpus Christi Procession on the Feast of Christ the King was held on 20th November, 2022 at St. Xavier's College Grounds. The theme for this year was "Life through Jesus"(John 6:57)
The Catholic students of classes 7-12 along with Sr.Clara and all the Catholic teachers were part of this solemn procession. The recitation of the Rosary and singing of hymns made this sacred event successful.....

The Junior School Catholic teachers organised the rosary service on 18th February, 2022 at \6:00pm for the Catholic students, parents and teachers of our School. As it was a Friday we meditated upon the Sorrowful Mysteries. It was a prayerful experience listening to our little angels reciting the prayers .

The recitation of the Holy Rosary on 4th February, 2022 was conducted by the Junior Section. It was held at 6 p.m on Google Meet and was attended
by all the Catholic students, parents and teachers of our school.
The rosary was offered up for Amanda and Ellena's father Mr. Gonsalves who has been admitted to the hospital and is in a critical condition.
This weekly recitation of the Rosary enables us to pray for each other and we believe that through the powerful intercession of our Blessed Mother, our prayers are answered and we come closer to God.

On the 13 th of December,2021 the CLC teachers ,Mrs.Govindraj and Mrs.Gomes along with two CLC students of Class 11 visited Lawrence D'Souza Home for the aged.There were a total of six inmates in the house for whom Christmas goodies were taken.Although personal interaction with the inmates was prohibited due to the safety measures taken against Covid,the lobby allowed the teachers and the students to see the inmates from a distance who looked very contented and healthy in the warm and cosy environment of the home.
IThe warden and the in-charge of the home were very welcoming and invited the teachers and the students to visit again when the situation normalises and it is safer for the inmates to meet visitors once again.

On the 11th of December 2021, Loreto Day School, Elliot Road had its Advent service with Fr. Jayaraj Veluswamy, S. J, the Rector of St. Xavier’s as the celebrant. The mass was held in the Junior School Hall and was attended by Sr. Clara, Sr. Molly, Sr. Phyllis, Sr. Binista, Sr. Lynette, the Catholic students, parents and staff.
It was truly a pleasure to see the children of the school involved in the mass and to hear their sweet voices echoing in the hall as they sang the hymns and carols. Father’s sermon made us understand the true meaning of Christmas which was sharing with the less fortunate.
The Advent mass helped us in preparing ourselves for the coming of our Lord so that the light of the Lord can dispel the darkness of the world.
We thank Sr. Clara, the teachers, students and parents for this opportunity of coming together to celebrate the love and joy of Christmas.

Every year the catholic children and their parents look forward to attending the Advent Mass and the Nativity Play. Last Year it was sadly missed due to the pandemic but this year, although we are still in the grip of uncertainty, we organised this annual event and fortunately got a resounding response from parents and well wishers.
As is customary, the Advent Mass was followed by the Nativity Play. The play entitled ‘A New Star’ was staged by the Junior School children. The story revolved around an old star and his buddy, who were witnesses to the first Christmas, narrating all that had happened 2000 years ago to a new star and thus preparing him to take on the reigns as a new leader of the stars. As this year was dedicated to St Joseph, the role played by this great saint in the lives of Jesus and Mary, his dreams and his virtues were also highlighted. The play ended with the choir singing a few Christmas carols heralding in the spirit of Christmas.
After our Principal, Sr. Clara delivered the Vote of thanks, the winners of the Exhibition organized in honour of St Joseph, were announced. The competition was judged by a few Sisters of the community before the Eucharistic Celebration.
The enthusiasm and hard work of both the students and teachers were lauded by one and all and needless to say this celebration proved to be a great way for us to begin our preparation for this festive season.

Report on the Rosary – 19th November, 2021
The recitation of the Holy Rosary on 19th November, 2021 was conducted by the Junior Section Catholic teachers and students. The rosary was offered for the people who have abandoned their faith in God and instead have turned to false Gods; that the Lord may send the Holy Spirit upon them to bring them back to repentance, renewal and conversion. The rosary was also offered in thanksgiving to our Blessed Mother for the success of the Junior Section Inter-School Elocution Contest.

On 12th November 2021 the Holy Rosary was lead by class 7s. At 6 pm the Catholic students of our school along with their families join in for the Rosary on a google meet. It was a very calm and peaceful feeling. The Rosary intention for the day was the health and well being of the children all over the world. The class 7s organised the recitation so well. It was indeed a wonderful experience being part of it. - Caroline Chater (XIC)

Report on All Souls' Day Mass
The All Souls' Day Mass for the Catholics in our school and their families was held in St. Mary's Church at 8:30am. Fr. Neethi was the celebrant of the Mass.
During the Mass, we fondly remembered our loved ones whom we have lost and prayed with hope and faith for their souls. In his homily, Father reminded us that death is not the end but a new beginning to our heavenly journey.
The Mass was livestreamed on youtube and screen shared on Google Meet for the catholic teachers and catholic students of our school which they could view along with their families.

We had the recitation of the Holy Rosary on 29th October, conducted by the Junior School students. The rosary was offered up for the inhabitants of Kerala and Uttarakhand who have been affected by heavy rain and landslides.

After the rosary, Sr Clara encouraged the children to attend the Holy Mass online or offline on 1st and 2nd November commemorating the feasts of All Saints and All Souls respectively and to pray in a special way for all our saints and deceased members of our families.

The Rosary on Friday 15.10.2021 was conducted by the Junior Section. It was offered up for the intention of every baptized person that he or she may be engaged in evangelization and be available for the mission by being witnesses of a life that has the flavour of the Gospel. Being the month of the holy rosary, the parents and children ensured they were a part of this gathering though it was in the midst of a vacation. May our Blessed Mother ever be our guide and protector!!

The First Friday Eucharistic Celebration for this month was held on 1st October, 2021 in the Senior School Hall. Fr. Jesu was the celebrant of the mass. 'To become children in order to enter the kingdom of God' was the theme for the Mass. It was offered up for three intentions; in thanksgiving for favours received by Loreto Elliot Road and for the successful operation of one of our staff members, Mrs. Biswas; thirdly for all the family members of our staff and students who are sick and suffering that they may experience God’s healing touch. Fr Jesu in his homily enlightened us on the life of St. Therese of the Child Jesus whose feast we were celebrating that day. After the Mass Father blessed the Senior School building while, through a song, we implored God’s blessing on our school.

The Mass was livestreamed and screen shared on google meet for the catholic teachers, catholic students and their families.

On the 2nd of October 2021 a retreat was conducted by Sr. Arockia for classes VI-VIII from 9:00am to 12:30pm.

The session began with half an hour of praise and worship where we sang hymns. Sr. Arockia taught us a game which was very similar to stone, paper and scissors.

After the game, Sister made us read verses from the Bible that taught us the fact that we are beautiful just the way we are. We learnt that we should look at ourselves the way God looks at us because we are created in His image and likeness.

After a short break, we resumed our session where Sister made us hear a song that said God looks over us all the time. After the song Sister presented a slide that showed us the way we look at ourselves and the way God looks at us.

Before the Eucharistic Celebration Father Jesu had blessed the junior school building. We concluded the retreat with the Eucharist Celebration where Father spoke about each one of us having a guardian angel that protects and guides us.

We would like to thank our principal, Sr. Clara for organizing this retreat for us and Sr. Arockia for conducting such a moving retreat that brought us closer to God.

Last but not the least I would like to thank our teachers who were with us through out the retreat .

On the 24th of September, Loreto Elliot Road attended a fest coordination meet organised by St. Xavier’s Collegiate School for the CLC programme- Xavo Christi which is to be held on the 2nd and 3rd of October, 2021.

At this meeting, the guidelines and rules were laid down for all the events. The teachers and students from various schools were given an opportunity to clear their doubts. The itinerary for the 3rd of October was given to the participants too.

We are grateful to Sr. Clara for giving the students this opportunity to come closer to God through the CLC programme.

The students of Loreto Elliot Road participated in the CLC programme- Xavo Christi organised by St. Xavier’s Collegiate School which was held virtually on Zoom.

The students beautifully expressed their love for God through art, song, dance and creative writing in the form of videos which was sent to St. Xavier’s. A live debate was held on the 2nd of October on Zoom and the motion for the debate was “Our lifestyle today is in conflict with our faith”. The debate was interesting as each school did their level best. The jury’s views on the motion were quite insightful too. We are grateful to Sr. Clara for giving the students this opportunity to experience God and His love through the CLC programme.

*Report on The Senior School Retreat*

Loreto Day School, Elliot Road, organized a two day online retreat on 24th and 25th September,2021 for the Catholic students from classes 9 to 12. Father Remesh was our spiritual guide for the retreat.

The first day of the retreat began with praise and worship led by Sir Dominic Saldanha followed by prayers. Father Remesh began the session by sharing the various experiences he has had with other people and how he helped them to overcome their difficulties . Various passages from the Bible was discussed and Father gave us some passages to reflect upon. After a short break, the sacrament was exposed and father led us into the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. The day ended with a beautiful mass and was the perfect ending for the first day of the retreat.

On 25th , the day started with father leading us into prayer. Bible verses were discussed at length and the girls volunteered to read them out to the group. Father gave real life examples and reiterated how the Bible is relevant to our present lives. He focused on the importance of forgiveness and how we can control our anger, jealousy and other evil emotions.

The two-day retreat was an awaited reprieve from the burdens of everyday life. Spending time in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, reading the scriptures and discussing them at length and in all being closer to God through praise and worship provided the respite that we were yearning for. It was an eye opening and exceptional experience for which I would like to thank Sister Clara as she gave us this opportunity. I would also like to thank Father Remesh for leading us through this spiritual journey and helping us to understand ourselves better.

Antoinette Saha

(XI-Humanities)

The Rosary was organised by a group of the Junior Section teachers . The intention for this week's rosary was for the people of Afghanistan ; that our Blessed Mother may help them to live fearlessly, protect them and help them feel peaceful in this time of distress. We also lifted up this rosary for the Tali ban ; that the Holy Spirit may work in them and soften their hearts. Like every week, the Rosary was conducted for all the catholic students of Loreto Elliot Road and for their families . We are grate ful to all the students, teachers, parents and the faithful who joined us together in prayer.

“God will grant you what you ask for in prayer once you will believe He will”.

The senior school students of Loreto Day School, Elliot Road organised the recitation of the Holy Rosary on 20TH August, 2021 at 6:00 p.m.

As we reflected on the Sorrowful Mysteries, we prayed for the various needs of the people. Our Principal, Sr Clara encouraged everyone to recite the rosary and to remember the people of Afghanistan in their prayers.

The recitation of the Rosary that was held on the 13th of August 2021 was organised by the Junior School. The intention of the rosary was based on the Assumption of our Lady and Independence Day. The rosary ended with a message from our Principal Sr. Clara on the importance of prayers in our lives.

"To implore God’s blessings in a special way on our Anglo-Indian community, on the occasion of World Anglo Indian Day, Loreto Elliot Road organized a Eucharistic Celebration at St Mary’s Church, Ripon Street. It was celebrated by Fr. Arun Lucas (S.J). with the hymns and the readings being done by our Anglo-Indian teachers and students who were present in the church. Having it livestreamed on YouTube enabled a larger number of viewers.
Fr. Arun in his homily gave us an insight into how God provides us with abundant blessings which is beyond what we need and that today He performs all his miracles through us.
The Anglo-Indian Community has contributed much to the nation in the fields of education, politics, sports and entertainment and continues to do so. During the Mass we prayed for the well being and prosperity of this community.

Our school celebrated World Anglo-Indian Day virtually on 2nd August, 2021. The programme commenced with a beautiful prayer service seeking blessings on human beings around the world. The Anglo-Indian and a couple of non-Anglo-Indian children put up an entertainment programme, singing and dancing the Anglo-Indian way. Two siblings also showcased their talent in playing the piano and one girl recited a poem expressing how proud she was to be an Anglo-Indian. A few teachers and students performed the line dance and swayed to the 'Macarena' and the 'Las Ketchup'. The programme concluded with our Principal, Sr. Clara’s addressing the school. The children enjoyed watching the programme which they viewed with their class teachers on google meet"

Mary our Mother.

TMay is the month dedicated to Mary our Mother.To honour Our Mother specially in the month of May ,the Catholic students of Classes IX -XII prayed the Holy Rosary daily with their families.The students also indulged in acts of kindness like feeding stray dogs,keeping water for the birds,helping the needy etc.in honour of Mother Mary.The students prayed earnestly to Mother Mary throughout the month of May seeking her blessings and protection for the world during these dark times.

The Holy Spirit mass

In these unprecedented times, prayer is a powerful weapon and keeping that in mind, Loreto Day School, Elliot Road organized a Holy Hour for its teachers on 8th May, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. to praise and thank God for the gift of His love in our lives.

The prayer service began with the Principal, Sr. Clara exposing the Blessed Sacrament, which was followed by the recitation of the Holy Rosary, scripture reading and the intercessory prayers with hymns. The sisters of the community, the teachers, staff and students and all the other members of the Loreto family were remembered in prayer.

We were glad to have been provided with an opportunity to pray in unity and to remember that we are truly not alone and that these are but passing moments on the way to the glory of God.

The month of May is dedicated to Mary our Mother and we hail her Queen of Heaven and Earth. Loreto Elliot Road resumed the recitation of the Holy Rosary from the 7th May 2021 at 6:00p.m every Friday. It was decided that it will be held once a week and the junior and senior sections of the school would organise the rosary alternatively.

I was glad to be part of its preparation as well as the recitation. It was indeed a peaceful and heart rendering experience . Resuming this journey with Our Lady brought us back to the thought of how grateful we need to be for the gift of Life. The intention of the Holy Rosary was for all the families in Loreto Elliot Road. I would like to thank our principal Sr. Clara and the teachers for giving us the opportunity to reunite with God in prayer as we praise him with grateful hearts for all that we have received. - Caroline Chater ( XI – Commerce)

On 30th April, 2021 Loreto Day School Elliot Road celebrated Support Staff Day to thank all our dear Support Staff members who work day and night for us. A special assembly was shown to us about the life of Saint Joseph, father of Jesus. We remember him as a humble worker who really worked hard as a carpenter for his family and the Will of God.

The Roman Catholic Church dedicates the month of May to our beloved Heavenly Mother – Mother Mary – the mother of Jesus Christ and to commemorate this She is symbolically crowned the Queen of May every year during this month.. Therefore, this year on the 3rd of May, a special assembly was organized and presented to the school on Google Meet. It was a twenty-minute video in honour of our Blessed Mother in which we crowned Her in a symbolic manner as our Queen of May.

Besides crowning our Lady, meaningful prayers were placed at her feet with the faith that she will intercede for us to Her Son Jesus Christ. We prayed specially for those infected by the Corona Virus and pleaded that all of us are kept safe in the arms of Her Son.

Hymns to our Blessed mother were sung with the belief that through these hymns our humble pleas for mercy and compassion on us sinners, would be heard.

Our Principal, Sr. Clara also expressed her faith in the intercession of our Blessed Mother by praying to her. Sister then delivered her message of gratitude to those involved in putting this assembly together.

The assembly set the right tone not only for the beginning of this week but also for the beginning of this month.

Despite the Pandemic, the senior Catholic students of classes IX-XII had the luxury of attending the Ash Wednesday Service in our school parish church, St Mary's Church on 17th February, 2020 at 8:30 a.m.

The attendance was low because of the situation but we were blessed to begin our Lenten journey as we usually do every year.

On 22nd August, 2020, the Catholic girls of classes IX and X had attended an online retreat on the theme of ‘The Spiritual Life of Students During this Pandemic’. The preacher for IX and X was Father Patrick Lepcha (S.D.B) who had guided us through this retreat.

The retreat consisted of three sessions which began with a payer and a hymn by the students. Fr. Lepcha began the session by reminding the students of the significance of the day- the Feast of Queenship of Mary. He used a ppt and umpteen videos to impart to us the qualities of a good retreatant, how to be more of a disciple and how to be a doer rather than a dreamer as a Christian. Father also spoke about the power of the subconscious mind and how we can control our mind with our own willpower. He conveyed Pope Francis’ message on "Paths of Young People as Seekers” to us.

The retreat concluded with a vote of thanks and with the presentation of an e-card to the preachers as a token of appreciation on behalf of Loreto, Elliot Road. We are grateful to Sr. Marilla for her concern for our spiritual well- being and for bringing us closer to God in these trying times.

The catholic girls of classes 5 and 6 attended their first ever Retreat on the 10th of September, 2020 of course experiencing it on a virtual platform. The theme for the retreat was ‘The Spirituality of Students during this pandemic’. The resource person, Sr. Priyanka IBVM created the right atmosphere for the girls by first having a preparatory session with them the previous evening, breaking the ice and sharing with them certain questions to reflect upon so that the retreat would be a fruitful one; and indeed it was!

It began with a prayer to invoke the presence of God. As instructed earlier the girls were seated at a table / desk arranged with a Cross, a Bible and a rosary or any one of these to make them feel the presence of God all through the retreat. Sr. Priyanka had already developed a rapport with them the previous day so the girls were very comfortable with herandresponded very well to her sessions of sharing and reflection.

In a simple and yet effective way, Sister expressed to them the main purpose of their lives on this earth as Christians. She then gradually led them to appreciate how God has created them and the need to use and multiply the talents that God has blessed them with. She allowed them to share what blocked them from being and doing good, to which they responded with absolutely no fear or inhibitions whatsoever.

Since the purpose of the retreat was to help the children maintain their spirituality and closeness with God during this pandemic, at the end of the last session, keeping in mind the difficulties and fears of the children during these trying times, Sister asked them to share petitions that they would like their friends to pray for. This exercise made them feel united in prayer with each other in these difficult times. It ended at 12:30 pm after which the girls joined classes 7 and 8 in a prayer Service for healing and strength conducted by Fr. Rodney Borneo from 12:45pm to 1:45pm. Thiswas a beautiful way to end their spiritual experience for the day.

Our heartfelt gratitude to Sr. Priyanka for her creative and inspiring sessions; to Fr. Borneo for the beautiful healing Service; to the teachers involved in organizing this retreat and last but not the least to our dear Principal Sr. Marilla for her support, guidance and encouragement.

On the 10th of September, Loreto Elliot Road organised an online retreat for classes VII and VIII on the theme ‘The spiritual Life of Ourstudents During this Pandemic’. The retreat was conducted by Fr. Rodney Borneo, a priest of the Archdiocese of Calcutta and the Principal of Loyola High School who is forever inspiring the youth.

In the first session of the retreat Fr. Borneo spoke about our relationship with God. He explained to us the importance of prayer and told us that it is more of a conversation with God. He also told us why it is important to go to church and quoted a line which said “When I enter a church I enter to be blessed and to worship.” He narrated some interesting stories which motivated us to pray.

In the second session, Brother Jacques spoke to us about the essence of having a relationship with God. Some lines that he quoted from the Bible that made an impact on me were, “Jesus’ love is deeper than the ocean”, “God speaks in the silence of our heart”, “Make something new in my life oh, Lord.” The retreat concluded with a prayer service for healing and strength where we prayed for our intentions.

I would like to thank our Principal, Sr. Marilla and our teachers for organising this retreat for us which made us realize the importance of prayer and the importance of having a relationship with God.

On 3rd December, LoretoDay School,Elliot Road had organized a virtual ReconciliationService for the Catholic girls of both the junior and senior section.Both the sessionswere conducted by Fr Remesh Cherian S.B.D, the Director of the Auxilium Renewal Centre as well as the Director of the CCCRS.

The session began with a short prayer followed by a hymn.Fr.RemeshCherian through his preaching helped us understand what reconciliationis through examples from the Bible itself. As we have entered the season of Advent, we need to prepare ourselves by purifying our hearts and our minds through the act of confession in order to celebrate our Lord’s Birth.Therefore, this session has helped us to know more about our faith in Christ and the gift of reconciliation.A session between 3:30- 5:30 p.m. was organized especially for the parents of Loreto Elliot Road which was livestreamed on YouTube.On the behalf of all the students, we would like to thank Fr.Ramesh Cherian for conductingsuch an enriching and fruitful virtual sessionalong with Sir Dominic. At the same time we are grateful to Sr.Marilla D’Souza, our Principal, for scheduling this session for us to become closer to God in these difficult times.

Gloria Gomes
12 C

“God is the only one who can make the valley of trouble a door of HOPE”– Hosea 2: 15

We may be in the midst of a global pandemic and it is our HOPE for better times that helps us survive.

It is this HOPE that inspired us and brought us together this year too to celebrate the Advent Mass and present the Nativity Play virtually on Saturday 12th December,2020 from 3:00pm to 5:30pm.

Before the programme could begin, our Principal Sr. Marilla D’Souza delivered her Advent message to the audience. Sister helped us look at the good side of this pandemic. She said this would be the best time to find the gifts of love, joy, peace and hope that Jesus wishes to give us because there are lesser distractions this year.

The Mass was celebrated by Fr. Remesh Cherian SDB –Director of Auxilium Retreat Centre, Kolkata. Fr. Remesh, in his homily made the viewers aware of the need to torecite the ‘Our Father’ in a meaningful way with great faith and patience; to be willing to take up our crosses of suffering and follow Christ and to face humiliation with joy because humiliation is a sign that God truly loves us. Father also asked us to build a crib in a unique way during the remaining days of Advent by putting twigs or any material required to make a crib in a bowl every time we do small good deeds.

Immediately after the Mass,the Nativity Play, titled ‘The Stable in the Starlit Sky’was presented which was a pre-recorded video enacted by our children in their homes. It depicted the story of Christmas in a short and simple way and was beautifully presented. The Mass, the Christmas story and carol singing which are usually performed on stage now being viewed on screens in our homes, made us feel nostalgic.

Since the programme was live streamed on YouTube, it was possible for us to reach out to a larger audience. Sisters, teachers, parents, childrenand well-wishers who viewed it surely had much to learn and remember from this celebration.

An Advent Recollection was organised virtually on 14th December, 2020 for the Christian Staff members of Loreto Day School, Elliot Road from 12noon to 2:00p.m.The Recollection Service was conducted by Fr. Lawrence Maniyar S.J.

The session began with a song ‘You Raise Me Up’ sung by Sir Dominic Saldanha. Sr. Clara, our Vice Principal then addressed the staff and Mrs. Rocha introduced Fr. Lawrence Maniyar to them. Thereafter, a meaningful Prayer of Repentance with Biblical readings was read out by many teachers.

This was followed by an enriching talk by Fr. L. Maniyar. The topic was very apt and reflected the need of the hour. Father expressed the need to surrender to God just like our Blessed Mother did, no matter how difficult the times might be and to continue loving our neighbours even more than before. He also reminded us of the fact that God still loves the world although things might not be going according to His Holy will. Father ended his session with an emotional video highlighting the value of living life to the fullest with positivity and inner strength.

The teachers were then encouraged to share what they had grasped from this Recollection Service.

The session ended with Sir Dominic making the staff feel the spirit of Christmas by singing ‘Joy to the World’ and ‘Feliz Navidad’.

First Communion of LER Students

On behalf of the Sr. Marilla, Sr. Clara and the entire Loreto Elliot Road family, we take this opportunity to congratulate and shower our blessings on 7 of our students who made their First Communion from St. Mary's Parish on 31st of January, 2021.

The year 2020 had been a fallow one, a time of temporary stillness. It has been mentally, if not physically, exhausting for most. Therefore, as we move into this new year, we are filled with gratitude for everything that we have endured which has made us stronger and wiser. Loreto Day School, Elliot Road, continues with the recitation of the Holy Rosary which takes place on Fridays and on Saturdays by the senior school and the junior school respectively. With the blessings of our Mother Mary, we hope 2021 brings us all new opportunities and chances.

A TALK BY FR. MOURLIN K. SJ.

On 8th February 2021, the students of class XII were provided with the opportunity to be a part of an enriching session by Dr. Father Mourlin. K. The session commenced with a prayer which set the atmosphere for the calm and motivating talk. Before Father began his talk, he asked the students what it was that they learnt from their years in school and what they would take with them as they move on to higher institutions in future. Stressing on various virtues and morals they had learnt over the years, the students were enthusiastic in their responses and were thoroughly engaged in the interactive session. He then shared various anecdotes about real-life heroes who rose above all challenges and transcended themselves to become successful. The narration of these real-life stories and Father's own life were truly moving since they were stories of ordinary people who did something extraordinary with whatever little they had. Father also spoke about the importance of emulating the virtues of sincerity, passion, perseverance, determination and confidence in one’s life to unlock one’s own true potential. Providing the students with the example of a pencil sharpener, he asked students to sharpen and hone themselves instead of being pulled back by their failures and vices.

The session was absolutely enriching and was conducive in inspiring everyone present to better themselves as they are about to cross the threshold of the school

We’re grateful to Sister Marilla and Sister Clara for providing us with the privilege of being a part of such a motivating session and Mrs. Sharma, Mrs. Gomes and Miss Majumdar for guiding us throughout.

- Alisha Khan
XII Humanities

The Corpus Christi Procession took place at St. Xavier’s' Collegiate School (Autonomous) on 24th November, 2019 wherein all Catholic teachers, sisters and students from classes VII to XII participated. All present walked in the procession to and from the college by singing hymns and praying the rosary. It was filled with feelings of immense joy and love for the Lord, Jesus Christ on His Feast Day. The day ended with the solemn Rite of Eucharistic Exposition and Benediction.

On the 23rd October 2019, the Catholic girls of class XI from our school were given the golden opportunity to visit the nuns residing at Loreto Entally. Since the month of October 2019 is declared as the Extraordinary Mission month by Pope Francis, our principal, Sr. Marilla D'Souza gave us the opportunity to visit the Loreto missionaries; our Loreto nuns.
Two Catholic teachers from our school, Mrs. Govindraj and Mrs. Rocha accompanied us to the place where our Loreto sisters reside. Our principal had suggested making cards for the sisters and our teachers helped us in doing so.
On reaching the place, we began with a short prayer service, followed by the presentation of the cards to the sisters.
We interacted with the sisters there. All the sisters present there were old and were very experienced.
On interacting with them, we got to know that most of the sisters present were in their eighties and nineties. Many of them had been seen our school since its foundation.

They regaled us with stories as to how they spend their entire day. In the end we sang hymns for them. They joined us in the renditions as well. We requested the sisters to pray for us.
It was a wonderful experience being there .To be given this opportunity to be able to spend time with such important pillars of the Institution was indeed a humbling experience.
Thank you is too small a word to express our heartfelt gratitude towards our principal for giving us the golden opportunity to go there. It was an experience which we will not forget in a hurry.

Sanjana Mondal
XI ( C )

A Quiz based on the Gospel of Saint Matthew was held in Saint Mary's Church premises on 18th August 2019. There were 13 participating teams, all from various action groups from the church. Among them, were our girls who participated in the LER JUNIOR GROUP (the youngest group) consisting of
1. Gracy Hembrom
2. Neelakshi Sarkar
3. Kate Rao
4. Hailey Caszo
The SENIOR GROUP with
1. Kelsey Joseph
2. Shae-lynn Samuel
3. Clement Okonkwo
4. Elena Das
and in the four members ALTAR SERVERS GROUP were two of our girls
Kaushaliya Rao
Angela Mashuque
I had represented the SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS.
The quiz was conducted by the CAB MEMBERS of our Parish. It was indeed a great experience and platform for our children who participated and answered so well. The quiz master was Mr. Sameer Baptist from Our Lady of Vailankanni Church, Picnic Garden.
While all the participants were awarded Participation Certificates, the First Place was bagged by The Elliot Road Residents' Group, Second Place for the Sunday School Teachers and the SCC Members were awarded the Third place. Each group member was awarded with a trophy and certificate.
We would like to thank Sister Marilla D' Souza for her support and presence which certainly make a difference and was a boost to all who participated.

Written by -
PRISCILLA CASZO
Teacher of LER (Junior School)
AND team member of the Sunday School Teachers' Group

A two day Catechism workshop was organised on 21st and 22nd June, 2019 for the Junior School Catechism teachers at Loreto House. Ms Grace David, who is a teacher in St. Columba's School, was the resource person for both the days. The day began with a prayer service organised by the Loreto Darjeeling teachers, invoking God's blessings on each of us. Mrs. Kaveri Dutt, the Province Education Coordinator welcomed our Resource person for taking time off from her busy schedule to conduct a workshop for the teachers. Ms. David organised an interesting activity through which the teachers introduced themselves. The quotes from the Holy Bible made us realise that the Lord had chosen each of us to be present that day. This was certainly inspiring. The next session was conducted by Sr. Agnes. We were reminded of the Loreto core values and how important it is to instil those values in the children. Using a Power Point Presentation, the resource person briefed the teachers on the four aspects of teaching Catechism - who is a catechist, Quality Faith Formation, the content of Faith Education and the methodology of teaching Catechism. A lot of action songs were used by her to break the monotony. Numerous group activities, which can be implemented in our classrooms, were conducted. Many questions were put before us which we needed to reflect upon and we did so. This introspection was much required. On the second day, the teachers were allotted three Loreto schools namely Loreto House, Loreto Dharamtala and Loreto Sealdah for an Immersion visit to the Rainbow Homes. In three different groups, the teachers dispersed to their respective Rainbow Homes. We spent an hour or so with the Rainbow children, interacting with them, singing and dancing along with them. We returned back and shared our views and thoughts in an interactive session. Ms Grace David gently reminded us of our call - to proclaim God's words to our children as Catechism teachers. Each one of us enjoyed the two day session with our resource person. It was truly an enlightening session for all the teachers. Each of us had so many takeaways to share in our respective schools. Sr. Phyllis thanked and appreciated Ms Grace David and urged all the teachers to put into use what was shared with us during this session.

A two- day retreat was organised for the Catholic teachers of Loreto, Elliot Road on 3rd and 4th May, 2019 at Auxilium Parish, Gobra. It was a breath of fresh air from their mundane routine and the teachers welcomed it with great enthusiasm and a positive attitude. Fr. Ramesh SDB led fourteen of our teachers into a journey of spiritual self realisation and self introspection. Sessions on the ‘Types of sins’ , ‘ The Ten Commandments ‘ and the ‘Sacrament of Reconciliation ‘ were eye openers. Father organised a session where the teachers were led into reconciling with each other which was a very emotional moment for them. The much awaited inner healing session in front of the Blessed Sacrament was indeed a fruitful experience where many of them felt the healing touch of the Holy Spirit. The teachers left the retreat centre all renewed and filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. They expressed the need for such retreats to be organised for them on a regular basis as teachers require spiritual renewals to give life a new meaning. A big ‘thank you‘ to our Principal, Sr. Marilla, for taking up the initiative of organising this retreat for us. We are most grateful to Father for this spiritual renewal and awakening.

On the 21st of June, the Catholic students of classes X and XII went to Auxilliam Parish Gobra at 7:30 am and the session started at 8:30 am.
The first day started in an amazing way with father Ramesh's preaching us the word of God with a short break of 15 minutes when we were given some snacks. We were in prayer session till 1pm after which we had a sumptuous lunch and a break for half an hour.
We resumed with our session till we got our evening snack which was again a 15 min break.
Thereafter, we had adoration which was holy and powerful. We cried our hearts out to the Lord and left all the frustration, stress, worries, and sadness out of our body. It lasted for an hour and a half.
Post dinner, we had a small session /kind of meeting in which we prayed for our personal needs and also prayed the Rosary before going to sleep..
We were divided into two different dormitories..On the second day, we woke at 5:30 am in the morning and we cleaned up by 6 am and started with the 6:30 am session with some actions songs, after which, we had breakfast.
We followed the same routine as on the first day while on the third day, we had Mass and ended up with adoration.
While our principal, Sr. Marilla gifted us a beautiful Rosary, Father Ramesh who was with us throughout the retreat also presented us with a holy picture.
Experience over there was unforgettable and it will stay with us forever.. None of us wanted to come back from there.. I, on behalf of the rest of us, really thank Sister to giving us this opportunity to go there.. I went closer to God and we came back changed.
- Mercy Pillai (X-i)

A feedback session on the Catechism workshop attended by two junior school teachers – Mrs. R Ireland and Ms. S Florian, was conducted on 28th June for the junior school Catholic teachers in the presence of Sr. Phyllis. Using a Power Point presentation, they briefed the teachers on who is a catechist, the qualities of a Faith Former, the content of Faith Education and the methodology of teaching Catechism. It was an effective session involving the teachers. Each teacher found the session helpful. Sr. Phyllis thanked and appreciated Mrs. Ireland and Ms Florian and urged the teachers to put into action what was shared with them in this two hours session.

The XXVII World Day of the Sick, was solemnly celebrated on 10th February 2019 in Kolkata this year at St. Xavier's College grounds. The Pontifical Holy Mass where the anointing of the sick took place was celebrated by Cardinal Patrick D'Rozario, Archbishop of Dhaka who was appointed as envoy to Kolkata by Pope Francis. Cardinals and Bishops from all over the world were in attendance. The theme was, “You received without payment; give without payment” (Mt 10:8). During the Mass , a special Anointing of the Sick took place. The Mass was attended by all Catholic teachers and students from class III upwards from Loreto Elliot road as well as from other schools, colleges, and parishes.

On the 15th of November, the YCS girls of Loreto Day School, Elliot Road of Class 10 had gone for a pilgrimage to BANDEL church. We were accompanied by Mrs.Rocha, Mrs.Partridge and Mrs.Govindraj. We had to reach Howrah station at 8:15 am. We boarded the train at 9:00 am. We reached Bandel station at about 9:45 am. After we reached the church we went to the top of the church and recited the rosary. Visited the statue to pray the Rosary. We prayed over there and burnt candles. Then we had attended the Sunday Mass at 11:00 am. After that we had lunch which was provided to us by the YCS Community. Then at 2:00 pm we left Bandel Church to board the train for our return where our parents were waiting for us. This was a spiritually enriching experience for us.

The Catholic girls from class 7-12 had attended the Corpus Christi procession on Sunday 22nd November 2015. This day marks d feast of Christ d king and it is d last ordinary Sunday of the year as it brings in d festive season of advent. During the procession we see so many people from different schools and parishes walking for the same reason. The procession starts from St. Xavier's college and ends at the same. It’s wonderful to see so many of our Catholic brothers’ and sisters walking together in procession. It was a wonderful experience and it was amazing to be a part of this celebration. I would like to thank all the Catholic teachers for accompanying us.

The Catholic Get-Together was held in the Junior School Hall on 31st October 2015 from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm. The invitees were the Catholic ex students of batches 2013, 2014 and 2015 and the hosts were the catholic girls of class 12. The evening began with a short prayer service based on the readings from Holy Bible “I can the true vine”. After a short coffee break, a game Make my Mission was conducted by the hosts. After this invigorating game, an interactive session between the ex students and the present class 12 batch inspired all present. The invitee’s words of advice to our students were “work hard and success will come to you”. The evening came to an end with our Principal Sr. Nirmala speaking on career guidance she enlightened the girls on the plus points of taking up teaching as a career. The vote of thanks was given by Mrs. S.Govindraj Senior school coordinator. She specifically thanked the organizers Mrs. P.Quadra and Mrs. S.Gomes for making the event a successful one.

On 2nd October, 2015 the Catholic girls of classes ten and twelve attended a retreat organized by the school and conducted by the Jesus Youth. The theme was ‘‘God’s Love’’. The retreat began with a short prayer then an ice breaking session was conducted. The girls were engaged in various activities like action songs, skits, and input sessions. At 3’o clock, adoration was conducted by the Jesus Youth for over an hour followed by the Mass.

On 25th August’ 15 , the Anglo Indian girls put up a small programme and celebrated the Anglo – Indian Day which was on the 2nd August. We started with a poem written by one of the girls followed by introduction, a prayer and the news. This was followed by an entertainment session which included two powerpoint presentations followed by a short skit. We then ended a programme with a bang with a dance programme and a medley of famous Anglo – Indian Songs. We brought the programme to a close with the Anglo Indian way of Vande Mataram.

This commitment day was held on 1ST May and was organized by YCS’ers of different schools. We were a group of 350 students from 12 different schools. We had a short seminar at our schools. We had another seminar in which we saw an inspiring movie and danced to action songs. In spite of the heat, we all were patient listener and came to know that being an YCS’er takes a lot of pride and it changes our lives completely.

ZINIA CHANEL

9-ii

A two-day seminar for Catechists’ was organized on the 10th and 11th of May, 2014 at Christ the King Church, Park Circus. It was organized by the Catechetical Commission of the Archdiocese of Calcutta. The resource persons were Sr. Bernadette IBVM, Fr. Robin Gomes SDB, Mrs. Pamela Ryan and Mrs. Lynette (teachers of Loreto Dharmatalla), Mrs. Grace Williams (teachers of Loreto Entally) and Mr. Danny D’Souza an active church member.

The aim of this seminar was to make those present, aware of the aims, syllabus, books and methods of teaching involved in the process of teaching catechesian in parishes and schools.

On the first day of the seminar, the Catechists’ were made aware of the concept of a) Faith b) Expressions of Faith and c) Sharing of Faith. Later on in the day there were panel discussions on the aims of Catechists’ and techniques to be used by them while teaching Catechism. After which, the teachers were introduced to the various source books{ Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), Compendium Catechism of the Catholic church (CCCC) and the YOUCAT(for the youth)}, text books(Faith quest series etc) and the syllabus to be covered for certain age groups . The Sunday Catechism teachers were introduced to the book: In His Footsteps- Cycles A, B and C

The second day dealt with methods of teaching and Lesson Planning. Three distinction parts to a lesson plan were stressed upon 1) Human and personal experience 2) Word of god and 3) Children’s Response. There was a special session on the teaching of Sacraments which was indeed unique and interesting. Now and then, in between sessions, the particulars were made to take part in action soap which they could in turn be used in their classrooms.

The roll of media, a very contemporary aspect of classroom teaching today was also dealt with closely. After the sessions, as a part of evaluation, three questions were posed to the participants and they were encouraged to give their suggestions if any. The seminar ended solemnly with the Holy Eucharist held in the church.

It was indeed a much required Seminar for Catechists’ and was just the beginning. Refresher sources would be organized by the commission in a bid to equip our teacher with a better foundation. Better Catechists’ would produce better Catholics and this thought would serve as the crux of all organized by the Commission.

All in all it as a wonderful experience for our teachers who attended this Seminar- Mrs. A. Rocha, Mrs. S. Govindraj , Mrs. P. Quadra, Mrs. M. Patridge, Sr, Banisha , Mrs. N. Biswas, Mrs. R. Ireland and Mrs. A. Mondal.

Vocation camp: On 12th April, Sr. Nirmala had arranged a Vocation camp for classes 9 to 12. Sr. Banisha, Sr. Gretta and Sr.Parveen organized this camp which started at 9:00 am. It was a wonderful experience as the Loreto Sisters had organized games, action songs and presentations. There were many questions put before us which were concerned about our future vocations. We were guided as to how we should choose our vocation and how should we follow the were provided with snacks, lunch and tea. The memorable camp ended at 4:00 p, with the distribution of bookmarks as souvenirs.

Cherie Stephen

X-2