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JOLARPET, AUGUST 02, 2025: Deepagam-Catechetical Center of the Salesian Province of Chennai, through twenty-four lay volunteers and collaborators, engaged in the Catechetical Program titled Illam Thedi Irai Arasu during the month of August, 2025, in Jolarpet (Tirupattur District) in view of Families and Small Christian Communities (SCC) Catechesis by visiting Anbiums (i.e., SCC) and homes of the villages in and around Jolarpet Parish and its substations. The final day was celebrated in the parish with a solemn Eucharistic celebration, a cultural fest, and a fellowship meal.
 

Deepagam's Lay volunteers visited all the anbiums (Small Christian Communities / SCC) of the Jolarpet parish, two-by-two, and catechized them to participate in the Illam Thedi Irai Arasu celebration in the parish. Their main thrust was how to build SCCs and get families involved in the wider parish community.
 

Fr. Jeffrey Gladstone (Parish Priest, Tirupattur, Tirupattur District), who was the main celebrant, quoted Luke 17:21, saying, “The kingdom of God is among us, in our hearts.” He said, “We are renewed Christians. And Gospel is among us.” Illam Thedi Irai Arasu is an effort to impart what Jesus has effected in our hearts; we must bring change in the society through personal transformation and community witness to usher in the Kingdom of God in family and society.
 

Fr. Jeffrey’s sermon was catechetical in nature. Here is the gist of his catechetical exhortation on the virtue of humility: “The important virtue is humility, which is against pride. Whereas Christ by his humility has redeemed us, the original fall of man is by pride. Jesus’ obedience is faith; only God can be perfectly humble. True humility is, though being the Son of God, Jesus died on the Cross for our sins. We must have Christ’s humility as foundational for witnessing Christian faith. Humility leads us to selfless and loving service. Excessive denial of humility can transform into pride. Also, rejecting God is the sign of the lack of humility. We love people who are humble. Pride is an inner sickness, and its healing medicine is humility. Humility is never the inferiority complex. But overestimation is a superiority complex, which is also a form of ‘comparative tendency.’ The manifest of humility is the self-realization that ‘I am God’s child.’ St. Irenaeus says, ‘The Glory of God is Man Fully Alive.’ Humility is the foundation for Illam Thedi Irai Arasu, Fr. Jeffrey concluded.
 

Following the Sunday sermon, Fr. Jesudoss (Deepagam-Director) gave a catechetical oration on the ‘Precepts of the Church’ as Gospel principles for the way of the Kingdom of God. The Precepts were expounded as ‘moral principles’ for simulative introspection that challenges the discerning spirit to transform word into action.
 

Religious sisters in the parish exhorted the Sunday congregation to nurture faith in the family from childhood, pray the rosary daily, come for Sunday Mass, and pray Psalm 23. “The way of love is forgiveness,” they added. We need to reach out to the poor and the abandoned not by words but by our actions; in this way we must spread the values of the Kingdom of God. SCC is all about being united by being together through prayerful communion.
 

A feature of this Catechetical fest was Villu Paattu (Folk Art Singing, literally translated as ‘Bow Song’), a series of questions and answers through dialogical singing that highlighted the Marian Devotion: the role of Mary in the Church, the Rosary, Ave Maria, the Four Mysteries, and Mary as the bridge to OT and NT promises.
 

Mr. Arokiadoss, an elderly parishioner, in his short testimony shared, “The Kingdom of God starts with parents. God chooses parents to spread the Kingdom of God. God corrects us from evil ways.” A Deepagam volunteer added, ‘Prayer transforms actions into holiness.’
 

The month-long preparation culminated with the Sunday celebration, which began at 10:00 AM and concluded at 11:40 AM, followed by the cultural fest. The parish church was packed as usual for Sunday’s Holy Mass. The overall focus of the Cultural Fest was vocation and nearness of God. It was organized by Fr. Francis Xavier, parish priest, and Fr. Selvaraj Jerome, assistant parish priest of Our Lady of Victories Church, Jolarpet.
 

Parishioners from all Anbiums sang the following popular devotional hymns: அப்பா, உந்தன் மடியிலே நான் தலை சாய்க்கணும்; தூயவனே! தூயவனே! படைப்பின் காரணனே; தாயை போல தேற்றி தந்தை போல ஆற்றி... நீ போதும் என் வாழ்விலே; நீங்கள் என் சாட்சிகள்... உலகினை வெல்லுங்கள்; தினம் தினம் எனில் அருள் தரும் மரியே தாய் மரியே; and இன்ப கனவொன்று நான் கண்டேன், இறையாட்சி மலர கண்டேன்.
 

Children performed a vibe dance to the popular Christian song சந்தோசம் தேடுவோம், சமாதானம் தேடுவோம், இயேசுவிடம் வாருங்களேன். The fest was completed with an environmental awareness folk song performed by Kalaivazhi Irai Mozhi-trained children.
 

Illam Thedi Irai Arasu is a catechetical program catechizing families and anbiums; it envisions Love, Truth, Justice and Equality as values of the Kingdom of God. The program motto is “Through Word of God to Kingdom of God.” In all the Catechetical Fests, the Salesian ministry dimensions are introduced by its directors to help build the communities and offer integral pastoral care for the faithful (children, youth, and adults), families, SCCs, and the parish.