Sep 15: A momentous milestone in the annals of the Bethany Educational Society ® Mangalore (BES) is marked 04 September 2022. The Congregation of the Sisters of the Little Flower of Bethany which was started in the year 1921 by the Servant of God (SD) Raymond Francis Camillus Mascarenhas with the first four lady teachers (the Pioneer Sisters of Bethany) had 34 institutions under its Management within 27 years. Consequently, in the year 1948 our Revered Founder SD RFC Mascarenhas, the Champion of Education, with a far-sighted vision encouraged the Sisters to register the Society under the Joint Stock Company’s Act, XXI of 1860. Thus, Bethany Educational Society was registered on 04 September 1948. To mark the dawn of Platinum Jubilee Year, we, the Sisters of Bethany Generalate and Mother House Community gathered around the table of the Lord on 06 September to offer thanksgiving Eucharist for the numerous blessings and His constant guidance for the past 74 years. Rev. Fr Cedric Prakash SJ, a great-grandnephew of our Founder RFC Mascarenhas, a well-known scholar, and a Human Rights Activist presided over the Eucharistic Celebration. In his homily, he acclaimed the accomplishments of the worthy adventure of the Servant of God Raymond Francis Camillus Mascarenhas, for starting Bethany Educational Society, Mangalore with a far-sighted vision of imparting education to all especially to the underprivileged of the Society and the girl children. He also praised the accomplishments of the Founder to transform the Society according to the signs of that time.
With deep gratitude to God, we gratefully remember the members of the first Council of Management who played a prominent role in registering Bethany Educational Society, Mangalore. They are Mother Petra (President), Sr Francis (Vice President), Sr Violette (Secretary), Sr Bertha (Treasurer), Sr Joseph, Sr Bernard, and Sr Raphael of happy memories.
Sr Sandhya, the Secretary of the Bethany Educational Society ® Mangalore (BES), organized a meeting on 06 September 2022 at Bethany Convent, Mangalore to plan the opening ceremony of its Platinum Jubilee. Sr Rose Celine, the Superior General of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Little Flower of Bethany and the President of BES in her opening address appreciated all the stakeholders of BES and invited the members of the planning committee to count the blessings of the Lord and to plan creatively the programmes ahead.
Fr Cedric Prakash SJ the resource person of the day enumerated 7 ‘C’s and 5 subthemes (75) related to the ministry of education. He focussed on being compassionate, courageous, creative, critical, conscientious, committed, and constitutionality - Justice, Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, and Secularism. He called on the members to capture the vision and the goal of BES and to be relevant and contextual while imparting education. He further said having completed 74 years of dedicated service to the Nation, we need to explore more and go beyond. ‘Going beyond’ challenges us because we need to interact with the world with generosity, excellence, and empathy. Our education should have the transformative power of Jesus taking into consideration education then and education now.
In 1948 while registering the Society there were 34 institutions. Society has grown in leaps and bounds. Today the Society has 140 schools, 33 hostels, and 3165 teaching and non-teaching staff with 76,000 and above students studying in the institutions with God’s grace and human collaboration. The Platinum Jubilee, therefore, invites us for a continuous ‘Laudato Si’ –‘Praise be to You’.
Sr Shaila BS, The Administrator
Central Administration
