Social Harmony & Vigilance Commission

 

Chairman

Bp. Mar Thomas Chakiath
Major Archbishop's House, P. Box No. 2580 - Ernakulam, Cochin - 682 031, Kerala, India
Tel: +91 484 - 2352906, 2352629 (O), 2355010 (P), Fax: +91 484 - 2355010
E-mail: bpchakiath@ernakulamarchdiocese.org
Vice- Chairmen
Bp. Joshua Mar Ignathios

Amalagiri Catholic Bishop's House, Punnamoodu,
Mavelikara - 690 101, Alappuzha Dt., Kerala, India
Tel (O): +91 479 2344081, Fax (O): +91 479 2344083
E-mail- marignathios@yahoo.co.in

Bp.  Rt. Rev. Dr. Vincent Samuel

Bishop's House, Neyyatinkara, Aralummood P.O - 695 123,  Kerala, India.
Tel: +91 471 - 223133, 220693, 222262, Fax: +91 471 - 222262
E-mail: dioneyka@hotmail.com 
 

Secretary
 Rev. Fr. Philip Nelpuraparambil
Secretariat, Pastoral Orientation Centre, P. B. No. 2251 , Palarivattom P.O, Kochi-682025, Kerala, India
Tel: +91 484-2805722, 2805815
E-mail: nelpura@sancharnet.in

Social Harmony and Vigilance is a Commission of the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council. Though it was working as part of the Education Commission for the last many years, it became an independent Commission on January 15th 2007. His Grace Archbishop Emeritus Mar. Joseph Powathil was the First Chairman of the commission. At present Rt. Rev. Dr. Stanly Roman is the commission chairman and His Beatitude Moran Mor Baselius Cleemis, Bishop Mar. Thomas Chakiath and Bishop Mar. Joseph Kallarangatt are the Vice-chairmen of the Commission. Rev. Fr. Johny Kochuparambil MST is the first full-time Secretary of the Commission. The Commission aims at building up a society enjoying stable social harmony and peace based on the teachings of Jesus Christ.

 











 
 

 

Social harmony and Vigilance is a commission of the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council. The Commission has its office at Pastoral Orientation Centre, Palarivattom, Kochi.

 

Vision

 

A Society enjoying stable social harmony and peace based on  the teachings of Jesus.

 

Mission

 

The Commission will realize the vision by

  • Upholding the uniqueness of every human being and  promoting universal brotherhood.

  • Encouraging ways of thinking and actions that  promotes social harmony.

  • Preventing the origin and operation of forces which threaten social harmony.

  • Initiating peace processes in the events of social disharmony and justice.

  • Promoting the doctrines and institutions of the Catholic Church.

     

Value Statement

 

The Commission is uncompromisingly committed to Christian  values (“Truth, Love, Kindness, Peace  and Justice”)  and to the goals mentioned above. The Commission will function professionally adopting relevant developments in all spheres of knowledge and technology.

 

Objectives

  • Macro level and micro level scanning of social and human environment.

  • Research and   Documentation.

  • Publication.

  • Attitude Evaluation and Awareness Generation and Opinion formation.

  • Constructive interventions (both proactive and reactive) like mediating in case of social disharmony and working towards peace.

  • Constructive interventions on occasions when Christian doctrines and institutions are threatened.

  • Conducting Social Harmony Audit of the activities of the Church and cautioning the appropriate body.

  • Assessing the trends the contradictions of Christian doctrine within the catholic institutions.

  • Lending Consultancy services.

Strategy

  • Encouraging the trends, events, forces, practices   and any other opportunities which can promote social harmony and peace in the society and also the doctrines and institutions of the Catholic Church.

  • Being  ever vigilant about the trends, events, forces, practices and any other threats  which can create social disharmony and disintegration in the society.

  • Documenting, promoting information about positive trends, events, forces, practices and opportunities for maintaining social harmony and peace in the society

  • Reporting and intervening proactively in all trends, events, forces, practices which promote social disharmony.

  • Networking with other groups working with similar vision.

  • Resorting  to advocacy and lobbying.  

  • Enabling  individuals to  live in dignity and honour irrespective of  class, caste, creed and  gender and status related to  social,  economic, political and health conditions.

  • Building up groups of population (both for the present and future) who are committed activists of Social Harmony and who can also act as eyes and ears of the Commission.

 

Programmes

  • Research and Documentation

  • Training and education

  • To constitute a panel of experts and advisors who can act as a Think-Tank at the level of each diocese

  • To disseminate the message of Social Harmony through

  • Awareness meetings and Training sessions

  • Organization of Seminars

  • Use of media including internet

  • Organization of public meetings

  • Conducting brain storming sessions

  • Promotion of art forms on the theme

  • Publication of articles, newsletters, pamphlets, magazines and   books 

  • Making of   audio/ video CDs for documentation

  • Use of the possibilities of internet /website

  • Addressing the groups at institutions and other places where we get a secular crowd. .

  • To meet and hold relevant discussions with key persons to prevent reported possibilities of social disharmony and threat to doctrines and institutions.

Methods

  1. Establish a centre that constantly monitors peace and harmony in our society.

  2. Have a centre for religious, educational and social statistics.

  3. Make a documentation centre for various socio-religious issues, past and present.

  4. Keep vigilance on social and religious events that have an impact on peace and harmony.

  5. Conduct seminars led by experts on various religious and social problems and on social and religious harmony.

  6. Initiate public discussion on current socio-political issues making the public aware of the need of social and religious harmony.

  7. Establish a network with various diocesan centres, their PROs and publication offices, Social Service Centres, exchanging ideas and providing documentary information.

  8. Provide relevant documents on various issues to the other commission of K.C.B.C.

  9. Establish a research centre on social issues.

  10. Publish books and articles on problems that affect religious and social harmony.

  11. Build up co-operation and co-ordination with like minded commissions on the state, national and international levels.

  12. Form core groups of experts in different branches of knowledge such as theologians, sociologists and social workers.

  13. Collect documents of legal judgments on pertinent issues.

  14. Visit places of social disharmony and help the establishment of peace and harmony.

  15. Devise channels of help to students doing research in social and religious problems affecting peace and harmony.

  16. Going to relevant groups to disseminate the message – Self Help Groups, Service Clubs,

  17. To net work with educational and research institutions to exchange data and promote research on social issues.

  18. To visit catholic institutions for fact finding regarding social harmony/disharmony and witnessing /anti witnessing Christian values.

Structure

 

State Level Office at POC:

  • Environment Scanning and Research cum Documentation  Division

  • Education and Training Division

  • Field Co- Ordination Division

  • Consultancy and Social Harmony Division

  • Publications and Public Relations Division

Advisory Committee:

Advisory Committee consisting of Bishops and experts in the field of Research, Training, Publications and Public Relations ,Consultancy and  Lobbying and Advocacy

 

Diocese/Arch Diocese/  Forane and Parish level :

 

At the diocese level and parish level a committee is to be constituted consisting of youth, women and men headed by the Bishops and Parish Priests respectively.
 

Present activities at KCBC State Vigilance office

  • Research and Documentation Centre.

  • Media Scan and  Jagratha News bulletin.

  • Co-ordination and Networking with Diocesan PR departments.

  • Responding to the current Socio- religious issues though media.

  • Symposium, State level Seminar and debate on current Social and religious issues

  • Collaboration with other KCBC Commission.  

 

Contact:


Secretary, Social Harmony and Vigilance

Secretariat, Pastoral Orientation Centre, P. B. No. 2251 , Palarivattom P.O, Kochi-682025, Kerala, India

Tel: +91 - 484 - 2806262, Mob: +91 9447572439

E-mail : kcbcshv@gmail.com,  frjohnyk@yahoo.co.in