By Dr Jason Anthony Furtado, Province of South West India

Since 2007, I have been working in St. Martha’s Hospital, Bangalore, India, where – through my work as a senior physiotherapist in pain management and rehabilitation – I have become no stranger to the depths of pain and suffering. It is here, through witnessing Sr Vandhana Lobo carrying out her duties, fully engaging with everyone around her, that I came to see the lived reality of the beautiful concept of mission partnership.

It was a way of working closely together that was echoed in the examples of Srs Bertha, Teresa of Avila, Lioba, Collette, Christine, Maria Rose, Bridget Paily, Shalini, Prameela, and Gracy Thomas, among many others. Through their living witness I learned the true meaning of ‘burning and shining’ for mission. Watching their example helped me enhance the way I interacted with my patients, colleagues, and sisters – with dignity and co-responsibility for the mission.

Already active in the hospital’s volunteering services, I opened my heart to embrace this mission partnership and together with other partners developed a project called ‘Love in Action’ to provide psycho-social support to the extended caregiving circle of our stroke patients.

Watch the video to learn more about the Love in Action program at St Martha’s Hospital, Bangalore, India.

I saw how mission partnership was not simply about giving support but also about receiving support when during my divorce and moments of challenging personal crisis, sisters and partner-in-mission reached out to me, helping me to bind up what was broken. I have witnessed St Mary Euphrasia rushing to my rescue through her daughters and sons during the darkest nights of my soul, and I thank God for it every day. What an inspiration!

It was through these zealous examples that – even during these difficult times – I had the strength to continue to reach out to others in need: assisting a vulnerable single mother to fly from Delhi to Bangalore or offering support to screen and regulate the large crowds of people who flocked to the hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Today, I continue to reach out to the margins of society in India, accompanying LGBTQ+ at-risk groups and those at risk of suicide to learn new skills to escape from their situations of prostitution or homelessness through gaining decent work and embracing a more dignified life.

Grace, gratitude, humility, and joy are the values that I nurture and stand for. Every day, I witness in amazement at my own transformation as I respond to new to situations in new ways. I have learned to be fluid, flexible, and – most importantly – to see God in everyone and everything I encounter.

Following my participation in the working groups on the Calls to Action at the Congregational Chapter I helped develop our Call to Action on partners-in-mission – and then respond to that call!

I was previously a representative for the Region on the Congregational International Committee, and continue to be a convening member of the Province Commission for Mission Partnership and a representative for the Province on the Asia-Pacific Partnership Team.

I am also a member of the Province Communication Committee and was recently appointed as the link person for communications with the Congregational Communications Office. I am eager to become part of this new global network of communicators at the Congregational level.

I also continue to support the Congregational and Province archivists to rediscover and reimagine the history of our Province through a deeper appreciation of the treasures held in our archives – and what a great opportunity it is to discover new things about our spiritualty, history, and heritage!

Zeal for mission propels me to go well beyond my comfort zone and I look forward to learning new skills to help in formation and communication in an attempt to embrace the ‘virtual’ and further spread this zeal for mission.

My spirituality guides my life. I am greatly inspired by St. Francis of Assisi and follow his example and footsteps to live simply and consciously. I am also greatly inspired by the life and example of Count D’Neuville, who through self-sacrifice, generosity, and good counsel gave his all to St Mary Euphrasia. As a ‘Neuvillite’ – through our mission partnership – I learn, serve, burn, and shine in whatever role God molds me into. For in the words of St Mary Euphrasia, love never says ‘Enough’!

I believe that everyone is called, everyone has a vocation – but it is only those who dare to say ‘yes’ who embark on a wonderful journey of self-discovery on their unique path of mission partnership.

I would like to end with the following verses of St John Eudes. They inspire me every day and point me to the symbiotic journey between growth of self and growth of the mission – pruning and polishing us for mission. As a partner-in-mission, I live our shared mission every day and experience Jesus the Good Shepherd as living and working through the presence of the sisters and our partners-in-mission. Long may we continue to journey together zealously working for mission!

‘What is the duty of a shepherd?

To strengthen what is weak,

To bind up what is broken,

To bring back what was driven away,

To preserve what is well and strong.

A true shepherd should be a

burning and shining light, burning

interiorly and shining exteriorly,

a light to others in action.

To shine only exteriorly is vanity.

To burn solely within is something,

but it is not enough for a shepherd of

souls.

To be shining and burning is

holiness.’

St John Eudes