Report of the Annual General Body Meeting 28/08/2026

Theme: “Consecrated Life: Relevance and Prophetic Witness in Today’s Context”

The Annual Meeting of the CRI Varanasi Local Unit was held on 28 August 2026 at Nav Sadhana Regional Centre, with the participation of 108 priests, religious sisters and brothers, Superiors, and representatives of various religious congregations. The gathering provided a valuable opportunity for prayer, reflection, fellowship, evaluation, discernment, and planning for the future.

Inauguration and Welcome

The programme began with an opening prayer led by the Banaras Zone, followed by the ceremonial lighting of the lamp. The lamp was lit by Most Rev. Bishop Eugene Joseph, Bishop of the Diocese of Varanasi; Rev. Fr. Anuroop, CRI President; Sr. Benedicta, CRI Regional Secretary; Sr. Elsa, SHM; and Sr. Sheela, FSM, Provincial Councilors.

The gathering was formally welcomed by Rev. Fr. Anuroop, President of the CRI Varanasi Local Unit, who greeted all the participants and highlighted the importance of coming together as one religious family for reflection, communion, and renewal.

The first input session was led by Most Rev. Bishop Eugene Joseph, Bishop of the Diocese of Varanasi. He reflected on Pope Leo XIV’s Magnifica Humanitas, which emphasizes human dignity, communion, relationships, and the protection of the person amid rapid technological and social changes. The Bishop’s call for genuine presence, care for human vulnerability, and meaningful relationships reflects the Pope’s vision of building a more human, compassionate, and fraternal society. He reflected on the relevance of consecrated life, spiritual consciousness, human dignity, relationships, and the prophetic role of religious in today’s changing world. He emphasized strong spirituality, genuine presence, communion, and relationships, encouraging religious communities to be relevant and responsive to human vulnerability and the realities of people.

The Bishop also highlighted challenges such as technology, Artificial Intelligence, migration, marginalization, and new forms of poverty, including digital poverty. He stressed the need to balance technological and spiritual advancement while protecting human intelligence, reason, freedom, and dignity. Through prayer and mindfulness, religious are called to deepen their awareness of God and promote a culture of solidarity, compassion, and “one body of humanity.”

The second session was led by Swami Anil Dev, who focused on the relevance of consecrated life in the present context, especially regarding youth, education, ministry, leadership, and formation. Reflecting on Revelation 21:5, “Behold, I make all things new,” he called religious to continual renewal and to move beyond excessive attachment to the past.

He emphasized that relevance means life and responding meaningfully to people’s real experiences. Young people, he noted, seek authenticity, credibility, openness, and genuine relationships and need to be listened to through dialogue. He encouraged schools and religious institutions to strengthen counselling and moral formation, addressing areas such as responsible use of technology, sexuality, relationships, social awareness, civic responsibility, and sensitivity towards marginalized persons.

Swami Anil Dev affirmed that religious life remains highly relevant but challenged religious to live authentically what they profess. He called for visionary and participatory leadership and a renewed approach to formation. Formators, he stressed, must listen to those in formation and ask, “What are we forming them for?” The pedagogy of formation must respond to the realities and challenges of today’s generation.

Both sessions called for renewal, authentic spirituality, respect for human dignity, meaningful relationships, dialogue with youth, relevant ministry, responsible leadership, and formation suited to the changing world.

Election of the New Executive Team

An important part of the Annual Meeting was the Business Session and election of the new Executive Team of the CRI Varanasi Local Unit.

The newly elected team is:

·         President: Rev. Fr. Sandeep, MSFS

·         Vice President: Sr. Alphonsa, SRA

·         Secretary: Fr. Anumod, IMS

·         Treasurer: Sr. Betsy, SPG

The newly elected members were felicitated with potted plants as a symbol of appreciation, encouragement, and their willingness to serve the CRI family.

The members congratulated the new Executive Team and expressed the hope that their leadership would strengthen unity, collaboration, fraternity, and mutual support among the religious communities of the Varanasi Local Unit.

Appreciation of the Outgoing Executive Team

The gathering expressed sincere gratitude to the outgoing Executive Team—Rev. Fr. Anurup, Sr. Arpita, Fr. Wilson, and Sr. Snehal, SHM—for their dedicated service and leadership during the past three years. The appreciation was expressed by Sr. Anita, SHM. The outgoing team was acknowledged for its commitment, time, energy, coordination, and service towards strengthening the CRI Varanasi Local Unit.

Rev. Fr. Anuroop, outgoing CRI President, expressed his gratitude to the Bishop, Major Superiors, Executive Team members, the office bearers of all four zones, and the entire CRI family for their support and cooperation during his term of service.

Annual General Body and Zone Reports

The Annual General Body Meeting 2025 Report was presented by Sr. Snehal, SHM, former CRI Secretary.

This was followed by the presentation of reports from the four CRI Zones—Balia, Banaras, Ghazipur, and Mau. The reports provided an overview of the activities undertaken, achievements, challenges, and contributions of the different zones.

The presentations also offered an opportunity to evaluate the past year's activities and to identify areas for greater collaboration and development.

Action Plan and Group Discussion

The afternoon session focused on Action Planning and Group Discussion. The participants reflected on four important questions:

1.       How can we make our communities more relevant today?

2.       How can we make formation more relevant to today's realities?

3.       How can we restructure our ministries in the present context?

4.       How can we reach out more effectively to young people and families?

The discussions emphasized the need for renewal of religious communities, relevant and contextual formation, restructuring of ministries, meaningful youth and family outreach, greater collaboration, and a stronger prophetic witness.

The participants were encouraged to translate their reflections into practical and concrete action for the future.

Sr. Alphonsa, SRA, the newly elected Vice President, expressed her appreciation and heartfelt gratitude to the outgoing Executive Team for their dedicated service, leadership, and valuable contribution to the growth of the CRI Varanasi Local Unit. She acknowledged their commitment and selfless service and assured them of the continued cooperation of the new team as they move forward together.

Vote of Thanks and Eucharistic Celebration

The meeting concluded with a Vote of Thanks by Sr. Arpita, Former Vice President of the CRI Varanasi Local Unit, who expressed gratitude to all those who contributed to the success of the Annual Meeting.

The Holy Eucharistic Celebration followed the meeting, with Rev. Fr. Sandeep, MSFS, the newly elected CRI President, as the main celebrant, and Fr. Anumod, IMS, and Fr. Prem IMS as concelebrants.

The Annual Meeting of the CRI Varanasi Local Unit was a meaningful experience of prayer, communion, spiritual renewal, fraternity, dialogue, discernment, and commitment.

The reflections of Most Rev. Bishop Eugene Joseph and Swami Anil Dev challenged the participants to look afresh at consecrated life and its relevance in the rapidly changing world. The meeting particularly highlighted the need for authentic witness, spiritual depth, human dignity, solidarity, meaningful relationships, youth engagement, relevant formation, renewed ministries, and collaborative leadership.

The election of the new Executive Team marked a new phase in the journey of the CRI Varanasi Local Unit. The gathering concluded with a renewed commitment to work together so that consecrated life may continue to be a relevant, credible, and prophetic presence in the Church and in society.

Report by,

Sr. Snehal SHM

Former CRI Secretary

CRI Varanasi local unit.