Pannur-Manvi Twinning Programme

The Jesuits are grounded in love for Christ and are animated by the spiritual vision of their founder, St Ignatius of Loyola, to help others and seek God in little things.

This was made evident to the 11-member faculty team of SJBHS who visited Pannur-Manvi Mission station from the 28th to 30th of October 2021, as part of the Twinning Program.
On arrival, the SJBHS team was served a hearty breakfast followed by a traditional style welcome with an aarti.

There was a brief introduction given by the superior, Fr Leo Pereira SJ. The pioneer of the Mission, Fr. Maxim Rasquinha SJ went on to explain his successful journey towards the establishment of this great ministry despite the many obstacles that came his way. A video presentation was also screened. The team then visited the Xavier and Loyola schools. They went to the classes explaining to students some basic concepts of various subjects and even gave students guidelines on how to focus on studies in order to build their careers.

A lunch with the hostel children created moments of sharing and little chats.

Fr Melwyn D’Cunha accompanied the team to Rajalabanda /Sunkeshwara villages which lie on the banks of the river Tungabhadra. The dam on the river offered a picturesque and breath taking view.

After returning, there was an interactive session with the teachers of Xavier and Loyola schools where collaborative ideas were expressed and shared over a cup of tea and snacks.

The evening walk around the campus was guided by Fr. Leo and ended with the mesmerizing sunset.

The following day was a visit to Pannur after breakfast. There was a brief stop at St Peter’s Church followed by a visit to the Loyola Kapepaladi School at Jagir Pannur. A felicitation programme was held for the team by Fr. John Crasta, the staff and the students after which the team interacted with the students. A visit to a dispensary showcased the service rendered by the nuns. After a sumptuous lunch, the team returned to Manvi.

The evening visit to the villages led by Fr. Anil D’Souza was indeed very fruitful. A glimpse of the tuition centres where children were helped with their studies and the interaction with the self- help groups were the highlight of the visit. These pin pointed the need for major help from benefactors. The day culminated with an evaluation session of the visit.

On the 30th, the team left for Bengaluru with hearts filled with happiness and pride of having been part of this amazing experience.

A stop at Hampi gave a peek into the magnificent past that the area holds.