It gives me joy to pen down an introductory note for the Family of Faith a lay apostolate functioning under the Archdiocese of Hyderabad, Telangana State. We are indeed living in unprecedented times and especially for the church when there is so much work still to be done in the vineyard of the Lord and yet the labourers are few and scattered. I am in full concurrence and I support the Family of Faith which has taken up this challenging responsibility to firstly, catechise through a well standardised set of Catholic instructions approved by the magisterium, secondly, to renew and solidify the catholic faith for our community here and elsewhere and thirdly, to continue to build the kingdom of God here on earth through their innovative and well-structured FAST (Faith Building. Apologetics, Spirituality, Theology) Programme across the Archdiocese.

The Church in India is preparing herself with enthusiasm and joy for the two year Synodal journey of the Universal Church, which was inaugurated by His Holiness Pope Francis. The Church in India has already begun preparations for the Diocesan phase of the Synod 2021-2023 with the theme:“For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission.” It’s very appropriate for us to all use our resources and be in line with the mind of the church to make the church more vibrant through the activities of this lay apostolate in our Archdiocese.

The Family of Faith (FoF) is well prepared for, and ready for the New Evangelization of our society and culture. The call to evangelise, has never been louder or clearer today, which is indeed the mission of the mother Church. The faith must be taught and lived with the same rigour, enthusiasm and zeal of the first Christians. I am happy that the Family of Faith has been extending a wonderful hand in promoting the truth of the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Hyderabad for the past 12 years through its two year Diploma in Theology combined with other Seminars, Webinars, activities and animation courses.

FoF is well established and ready to train thousands in the future. Its sights are set on restoring, revitalizing, reforming and converting millions. If the early Christians succeeded; they can, too!

In his Apostolic Letter “At the Close of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000,” Novo Millennio Ineunte, our Holy Father Saint Pope John Paul II sets forth the work of the New Evangelization to respond to the loss of faith and the failure to practice the Catholic faith in our time. And this we all must do with fervour.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church was given to the Church by Saint Pope John Paul II for a dual purpose, namely, to set forth the basic tenets of the faith and, at the same time, to indicate the pedagogy for its transmission (cf. p.101; Instrumentum Laboris).

So let Hope be that silent trigger of the seeds of faith in that same effort for the church here. May they sprout into multifold yields that pleases our Lord. Truly, we are all called to do one thing here on earth, i.e. to produce good fruits that will last. So we must. And yes, many struggles and hostilities will be encountered. But we are to engage patiently, persistently, prayerfully and within the promise of that one Hope.

Every Christian needs to feel the call to engage in this task, which comes from one's baptismal identity. These times, in which choosing the faith and following Christ is not easy and is little understood by the world — if not outrightly resisted and opposed — make it more compelling for communities and individual Christians to be courageous witnesses of the Gospel. The reasons underlying such actions come from St. Peter the Apostle, when he asks us to give an account and respond to anyone who asks us the reason for the hope which is in us (cf. 1 Pt 3:15). The Spirit indicates for our Christian communities the path to be followed, if they are to bring about a new season of witnessing to our faith and new forms of response (apo-logia), the reason for our faith.

As I close here, I stress along with His Holiness Pope Francis in preparations for the Diocesan phase of the Synod 2021-2023 with the theme: “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission” to be our effort to make the Catholic Church vibrant. The new evangelization means to "rekindle in ourselves the impetus of the beginnings and allow ourselves to be filled with the ardour of the apostolic preaching which followed Pentecost. We must revive in ourselves the burning conviction of Paul, who cried out: 'Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel' (1 Cor 9:16) This passion will not fail to stir in the Church a new sense of mission, which cannot be left to a group of 'specialists' but must involve the responsibility of all the members of the People of God. Those who have come into genuine contact with Christ cannot keep Him for themselves, they must proclaim Him.

My prayers are with The Family of Faith. May your ministry produce good fruits and the labourers unceasingly sow the seeds and reap the harvest of their hard labours, even when the climate seems unfavourable at times. Do not be weathered, never give in but push on. Go forth and preach The Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil your ministry (cf. 2 Tim 4: 2-5).

My blessings to all,