Sr. Lino - the light house.

“The world today is hungry not only for bread but hungry for love, hungry to be loved “ - the words of Mother Teresa could have inspired Sr. Lino when she decided to serve the poor people belonging to the Parish of Mount Carmel Church, Mariyapuram. She was obviously a carrier of abundant love spreading all over the parish and stood as a light house for those people who were drooping in darkness due to the lack of education, social awareness, spiritual life and liturgy.

Sr. Lino with students at Mariyapuram Church

Sr. Lino started her unconditional love of service to our Parish by visiting the marginalised group like poor and illiterate people, patients, suffering women headed families, jobless men, children and those homeless. She could conceive the frailties as well as the merits involving the poor innocent people of the Parish.

Then She decided to go around the parish to be a voice like John the Baptist son of Zachariah who said (St.Luke Ch:3, 7-9) “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” Though the words evoked some unpleasant response (dark dots) from many quarters, Sr. Lino with unlimited spiritual power which was received from the Altar of the Chapel of St. Mary’s convent, continued to make out deep rooted causes of the backwardness of our Parish.

Sr. Lino, was a teacher having exceptional experience, knew the importance of education only through which social improvement was possible in the Parish along with the spiritual means of prayers. Every day, after spending a long hours in the Convent Chapel and Holy Mass at the church, she was really thinking how to provide possible education to the poor students and for their personality development. Because Sr. Lino, was only one who could realise the hard reality of socio-economic and educational backwardness of the Parish people and the region as well.

Sr. Lino, a person of having magnetic personality, has the rare quality of transforming others coming in touch with her. She was a successful light house leading and guiding those students who failed to concentrate on education due to various family issues. Therefore being a sister of positive thought and the Head of Supplementary Education scheme, Sr. Lino gradually became an inspiration and hope for the poor students who was seeking for better education. She was a confidence building light house for those students who fails to identify themselves their abilities given by the Creator, the Almighty. She took various steps to eliminate the stage fear of the students by preparing light music programmes, dramas, comedy shows, Mimics and tablows based on different events abstracted from the Holy Bible. She knew that good character and behaviour alone would largely influence one’s personality and found out that success was hidden within the students of the Parish.

She loved the nature and believed that godly elements were present on every objects of it. she nurtured plants even in front of the Priest House and used to say to the children the proverbs : “Maram charinju nilkunnidethekke veezhukayyullu”, “Kalathiludenkile thaviyyil kanoo”. Whenever obstacles came on her way, she was extremely happy to avail many hours before the Holly Monstrance, (Eucharistic adoration) which was the unlimited source of her energy to confront the hurdles . Whenever she found that someone missing from the group of her students, Sr. Lino did as St. Mathew puts (Ch-18:12) “If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray ? “

Punishments given to the children were thought provoking which were leading them to new rays of hope and understanding. She believed that one who wanted to improve his personality must have deep desire and determination for his goals to achieve it. Sr. Lino concentrated prominently on imparting her students the knowledge in English language since the fact that “English language is the widow to the modern world”. Therefore those students who were trained by her became confident both for facing any school examinations and various stage programmes. Sr. Lino being a master trainer of teachers, her classes on Holy Bible were largely helpful both for Catechism teachers and students of the Parish as well. A photographer or a painter can reproduce only the image of one’s physical body, a talented biographer may make hair-splitting evaluation of one’s life : but the personality is a quality found in Sr. Lino cannot be described but only to be experienced, so what I have with her so many years !

While we are celebrating Hundred Years’ celebration of the Parish, students of Sr. Lino today became the moving force in every sphere of the development of the Parish. They are leading, guiding and monitoring the various activities of the Parish harmoniously with the Spiritual Leader, Rev. Fr. Benedict Kannadan, a true Pallottine.