Circular 41/2025
- Nashik Catholic Diocese
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
November 28, 2025
My dear collaborators,
We will soon enter into the Season of Advent, a four-week period given to us by the Church so as to prepare ourselves for the Birthday of Jesus, God made man, who came and dwelt among us. I believe that the new Liturgical Season will inspire us to be like Jesus “who came not to be served, but to serve”. As priests and religious men and women, I believe that our ministry should be one of service, reaching out to the poor and needy so that our people will begin to experience Jesus in and through our ministry. Our prayer throughout the Advent Season could be: “Lord make me like you; please inspire me to be of service to the people entrusted to my care so that in reaching out to our brothers and sisters they may recognize you and give you praise and thanks all through their lives”. We have beautiful examples of people who have imitated Jesus while they were on earth: St Teresa of Kolkota, St Francis of Assisi, St Maximilian Kolbe, etc. May our Saints intercede for us so that we too may reach out to those who are deprived and neglected by people in our society.
One of the ways by which we could prepare ourselves and our people for Christmas is through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I am proposing that as priests we could make ourselves available on Saturdays and Sundays for Confession so that our people can experience the love and forgiveness from Jesus who does not condemn but forgives people of their sins. You could make an announcement in the Church so that our people are aware that you are available for Confessions and that they are not deprived of making a good confession. May I also request you to visit the sick and homebound of your parish during the Advent Season and inspire them to make their confessions. I assure you that these people will never forget you for having given them the time to hear their confessions.
Another way to help our people to prepare for Christmas is by organizing the Advent Wreath Service before the Sunday Mass. Four candles are lit on the four Sundays of the Advent Season with a short message. The Advent Wreath Service can be downloaded below.
The Diocese will be organizing the traditional Christmas get-together for all the priests and religious men and women on Friday, December 19 at St Anne Cathedral, Nashik beginning with a Prayer Service, followed by the recollection talk and Confessions and the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. The entertainment programme will be held in the Bishop’s House compound after the Prayer Service.
I am sure that your parishioners will be preparing for Carol Singing in the respective Zones/Communities/villages. Please encourage them to go for Carol Singing, but also inform them not to return home late. In some of the parishes, I am told that there are leopards who are seen on the road after 7.00 p.m. and they attack people. This is frightening, and our people should be told to be careful and not to be away from their homes till late night.
The Jubilee Year will come to an end on Sunday, December 28. The concluding programme will be held at St Teresa Church, Harigaon beginning with Mass in the evening. Details about this programme will be communicated to you well in advance. For the moment, please block the date and motivate your parishioners to attend.
Thank you for all that you are doing in your parishes and in your Communities. I deeply appreciate all that you are doing so as to make our brothers and sisters feel comfortable in and through your priestly ministry. On the occasion of the Solemnity of Christ the King on Sunday, November 23, some of the parishes organized Prayer Services for the Communities/Zones and also had procession with the Blessed Sacrament on the road. This for me has been a boost as we took Jesus in the monstrance so that our people could seek the blessings of Jesus: Prince of Peace and the Lord and Master of our lives.
And before I end, could I make a suggestion: If there are parishes and religious communities that our organizing programmes during the Christmas Season, could you please prepare a short report and send at least three to four high resolution photographs separately so that the same could be uploaded on the website of our Diocese. I have been receiving some telephone calls from our people that the Diocesan website is attractive and that a number of people are logging on to https://nashikcatholicdiocese.org from time to time.
Looking forward to meeting you for our annual Christmas Get-together at the Cathedral of St Anne on Friday, December 19 and with every good wish,
Yours in Christ,
✠Barthol Barretto
Bishop, Diocese of Nashik
Encl.: a.a.
CHRISTMAS GET-TOGETHER FOR ALL THE PRIESTS AND RELIGIOUS MEN AND WOMEN OF OUR DIOCESE
Date: Friday, December 19, 2025 from 10.30 a.m. till lunch Venue: Cathedral of St Anne
PLEASE BLOCK THE DATE AND PARTICIPATE IN THE CHRISTMAS PROGRAMME. |
CONCLUSION OF THE JUBILEE YEAR
Date: Sunday, December 28, 2025: Mass in the evening Venue: St Teresa Church, Harigaon
Details will be communicated to you shortly. PRIESTS AND RELIGIOUS MEN AND WOMEN ARE EXPECTED TO ATTEND. |
OUR NEW DIOCESAN WEBSITE https://www.nashikcatholicdiocese.org
Please send a short report of the interesting news (Feast Mass, School Annual Days, inauguration of a significant event, yatras, Blood Camp, Youth Days, Seminars, etc.) along with two or three high resolution photographs to nashikdiocese@gmail.com and we will surely upload the same on the Diocesan website. |
