The Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) trained 18 priests, religious and laypeople in Scripture-based pastoral ministry, urging them to make the Bible central to parish life, family formation and evangelization, Catholic Connect reported on October 22.
The five-day residential course, titled “Skills for Biblical Pastoral Ministry,” was organized by the CCBI Commission for Bible at Shanti Sadan in Benaulim, Goa, a coastal state in western India, from October 16 to 21. It brought together nine priests and religious and nine lay participants for biblical formation and practical training in the pastoral use of Scripture.
Fr. Patrick Mathias SDB, executive secretary of the CCBI Commission for Bible and course director, designed the program in collaboration with Father Doming Gonsalves, administrator of Shanti Sadan.
Opening the course with a session on “The Centrality of the Word of God,” Fr. Patrick drew on the Second Vatican Council’s constitution Dei Verbum to emphasize Scripture’s central place in the life and mission of the Church. Participants also studied Verbum Domini and Evangelii Gaudium, exploring how biblical formation can shape evangelization and pastoral practice.
The program focused on equipping participants to receive, proclaim, explain, teach and witness to the Word of God in their communities. Sessions examined the relationship between Scripture and theology, liturgy, family life, youth ministry and catechesis, alongside Lectio Divina, a prayerful method of reading the Bible.
Emphasizing the six stages of Lectio Divina, Fr. Patrick urged participants to move beyond academic study toward a lived encounter with Scripture.
“Move beyond merely studying the Bible to living the Bible” was a central message of the course.
Fr. Mariano D’Costa, assistant director of St. Joseph Vaz Spiritual Centre in Goa, led sessions on the historical development of the Bible, contemporary biblical ministry and practical approaches to reading, interpreting, teaching, praying and integrating Scripture into daily life.
He also explained the Biblical Animation of Pastoral Life, which seeks to root every aspect of the Church’s mission in the Word of God. The sessions highlighted its relevance to catechesis, liturgy, family and youth ministry, social action, religious formation and priestly ministry.
The course stressed that pastoral activities risk becoming mere activism when disconnected from Scripture.
Family life received particular attention, with participants reflecting on Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, which presents the family as a place of love, growth, mercy and Christian formation.
On October 19, participants made a pilgrimage to the Basilica of Bom Jesus, Se Cathedral, St. Agnel’s Tomb and St. Joseph Vaz Church in Sancoale, all in Goa.
Bishop Simião Purificação Fernandes of Goa and Daman celebrated the concluding Eucharist on October 21, preaching on translating the message of the Bible into action.
Participants also exchanged pastoral practices and explored ways to strengthen Scripture-based initiatives in dioceses and parishes, including the establishment and promotion of parish Bible cells.
Concluding the course, Fr. Patrick called on participants to renew the biblical apostolate by placing Scripture at the center of parish life, nurturing Bible-centered families and encouraging prayerful engagement with God's Word.
He urged them to move from information to transformation and help people encounter Jesus Christ through Scripture.
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