Historical Introduction
The Social apostolate is one of the important apostolates of the Church India. During the pandemic period especially in the year 2020 the Vatican Dicasteries were asking reports from the CCBI concerning the Social Service apostolate of the Church India. As the CCBI is the Canonical Episcopal Body of the Latin Bishops in India it was felt to appoint a Coordinator for the Media Apostolate of the Latin Church in India. It is envisaged in the Pastoral Plan of the CCBI published in 2013.
The CCBI Office Bearers in their meetings held on 6 March 2021 and 9 July 2021 discussed the need to appoint Coordinator for the Social Service Apostolate of the CCBI. The Deputy Secretary General of the CCBI Rev. Dr. Stephen Alathara presented the agenda to the CCBI Office Bearers. The CCBI Office Bearers: Most Rev. Filipe Neri Ferrão, the President and the Archbishop of Goa and Daman; Most Rev. George Antonysamy, the Vice President and the Archbishop of Madras-Mylapore and Most Rev. Anil Joseph Thomas Couto, the Secretary General were agreed with the proposal.
In the 86 Executive Committee meeting of the CCBI held on 14 and 15 May, 2021 the agenda was discussed and the President Most Rev. Filipe Neri explained to the members of the house the need to appoint ‘Coordinators’ in the CCBI for education, health, social service and media. Since the CCBI is a full-fledged Conference, we could establish our own Commissions, yet, in order to avoid duplication with the CBCI Offices, we are not establishing their counterparts at the CCBI level. Nevertheless, the Vatican Dicasteries and the Offices of the FABC once in a while ask for reports from the CCBI concerning supra-ritual matters like health, education, social work etc. and we have to submit these reports because the CCBI is a full-fledged Conference.
It is in this context that a pressing need is felt to appoint ‘Coordinators’ for education, health, social service and media, as our Conference does not have ‘commissions’ in these areas. Since the CCBI is a full-fledged Conference, we need to have at least ‘Coordinators’ who are experts in these areas. This was already envisaged in the 25 Plenary Assembly of the CCBI held from February 5 – 10, 2013, at the Shrine Retreat House, Vailankanni, where the Pastoral Plan for the Church in India was discussed and promulgated. The Pastoral Plan covers ten areas basically, but more can definitely be added according to the needs of the Church in the years to follow. There is a lacuna in the areas of health, education, social service and media. The Coordinators could be those who are experts in their respective fields.
The members of the 87 Executive Committee meeting of the CCBI held on 20 and 21 September, 2021 appointed the Coordinator for the CCBI Social Service Apostolate. Rev. Fr. Bipin Kumar Pani from the Diocese of Jamshedpur was appointed as the first Coordinator.
Coordinator
Rev. Fr. Bipin Kumar Pani
Coordinator, CCBI Social Service Apostolate
Social Initiatives for Growth and Networking
3rd Floor, Social Development Centre
Camil Bulcke Path (Purulia Road)
Ranchi, Jharkhand 834001, India
Mobile:9006139951
Email:jtpani@gmail.com
Former Coordinators of CCBI Social Service Apostolate
- Fr. Bipin Kumar Pani: 2021-