Diocese of Dindigul. Tamil Nadu. India

Bishop’s Programs

Message of the Month
September 2026

Apostolic Administrator’s Message for Newsletter –
September 2026

The Cross: Our Suffering, Our Hope,
Our Communion 

Dear Rev. Fathers, Sisters, Brothers, and my dear Lay Faithful of the Diocese of Dindigul, 

Greetings of peace! 

1. A Time of Gratitude, Prayer, and Communion 

On 3 August 2026, our Holy Father Pope Leo XIV accepted the resignation of His Excellency Most Rev. P. Thomas Paulsamy, the Second Bishop of Dindigul, upon the completion of the age prescribed by the Church. At the same time, the Holy Father appointed me as the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Dindigul. With filial obedience and gratitude, we thank the Holy Father for his paternal care for our Diocese.  

We express our sincere gratitude to Bishop Thomas Paulsamy, who has served the Diocese of Dindigul for ten years with pastoral dedication, fatherly presence, and many initiatives for the growth of the Diocese. Through his leadership, the Diocese has moved further ahead in faith, pastoral life, formation, administration, and service. As he enters this new phase of life, let us wish our Bishop Emeritus a peaceful, joyful, and blessed retired life. May the Lord reward him abundantly for his ministry among us. 

During this period of waiting, let us remain united in prayer. Let us ask the Lord to send to the Diocese of Dindigul a shepherd according to His own heart, a shepherd who will know the flock, walk with the people, serve the poor, strengthen the clergy and religious, and lead the Diocese in faith, communion, and mission. 

2. The Cross in the Light of Scripture 

In the month of September, the Church invites us to contemplate one of the deepest mysteries of our Christian faith: the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. On 14 September, we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. What was once an instrument of shame, punishment, and death has become for us the sign of salvation, victory, mercy, and hope. 

The mystery of the Cross is already prepared in Sacred Scripture. In the Book of Numbers, when the people of Israel were bitten by serpents in the desert, Moses lifted up the bronze serpent, and those who looked at it were healed. Jesus Himself refers to this event and says, “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up” (Jn 3:14). On the Cross, Christ is lifted up so that all who look to Him with faith may receive life. 

The Prophet Isaiah speaks of the Suffering Servant, who bears the wounds of others and brings healing through his suffering: “By his wounds we are healed” (Is 53:5). Saint Paul proclaims that Christ crucified is “the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor 1:24). For the world, the Cross may appear as weakness and failure. For believers, it is the place where God’s love is revealed in its fullness. 

At Calvary, Jesus does not merely suffer. He gives Himself. He does not merely die. He offers His life in love. He does not merely carry pain. He carries the sins, wounds, fears, and hopes of humanity. Therefore, the Cross is not a sign of defeat. It is the throne of divine love. 

3. The Cross: From History to Faith 

Historically, crucifixion was a cruel punishment used by the Roman Empire. It was meant to humiliate, destroy, and silence. But God transformed the Cross into the greatest sign of His saving plan. The Church lifts high the Cross, not as a symbol of violence, but as the sign of redeemed suffering and victorious love. 

Theologically, the Cross reveals three great truths. First, it reveals the seriousness of sin. Sin wounds our relationship with God, with one another, with creation, and with ourselves. Second, the Cross reveals the depth of God’s mercy. God does not abandon wounded humanity. He comes close, takes flesh, suffers with us, and saves us from within. Third, the Cross reveals the meaning of discipleship. Jesus says, “If anyone wants to become my follower, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Mt 16:24). 

To carry the cross does not mean to love suffering for its own sake. Christianity does not glorify pain. Rather, the Cross teaches us that suffering, when united with Christ, can become a path of love, purification, courage, and hope. The Cross does not remove every sorrow from life, but it assures us that no sorrow is meaningless when placed in the hands of God. 

4. Our Lady of Sorrows at the Foot of the Cross 

Immediately after the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the Church celebrates the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows on 15 September. Mary teaches us how to stand before suffering with faith and hope. 

When Mary and Joseph presented the Child Jesus in the Temple, Simeon blessed them and said to Mary: “A sword will pierce your own soul too” (Lk 2:35). This prophecy was fulfilled most profoundly at the foot of the Cross. There, Mary saw her Son rejected, mocked, wounded, and crucified. The sword spoken of by Simeon pierced her maternal heart at Calvary. 

Yet Mary did not run away. She stood near the Cross. Her standing is full of meaning. She stood in faith when everything seemed lost. She stood in silence when words were not enough. She stood in hope when the world saw only failure. She stood as Mother when her Son gave her to the beloved disciple and gave the beloved disciple to her: “Woman, here is your son… Here is your mother” (Jn 19:26-27). 

In Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, we see the vocation of the Church. The Church must stand near every cross. The Church must stand near every wounded family, every suffering child, every abandoned elderly person, every grieving mother, every struggling youth, and every person who feels forgotten. A Church that honours Our Lady of Sorrows must be a compassionate Church. 

5. The Cross in the Life of the Diocese 

Dear brothers and sisters, as a Diocese, let us learn from the Cross and from Our Lady of Sorrows. Let our parishes become places where suffering people are not judged, but welcomed; not ignored, but accompanied; not forgotten, but embraced. 

Let our priests, religious, catechists, teachers, parish leaders, and faithful become ministers of consolation. In our families, let the Cross teach us forgiveness. In our institutions, let the Cross teach us service. In our pastoral ministries, let the Cross teach us humility. In our social life, let the Cross teach us justice. In our personal struggles, let the Cross teach us perseverance and hope. 

At this moment in the history of the Diocese of Dindigul, let us avoid discouragement, division, and unnecessary anxiety. Let us remain united as one family of God. Let our prayer be simple and sincere: “Lord, guide your Church. Lord, send us a shepherd according to your heart. Lord, keep us faithful to the Gospel.” 

6. Let Us Lift High the Cross 

The Cross always points to the Resurrection. Good Friday is not the final word. Easter is. Suffering is real, but grace is greater. Sin is strong, but mercy is stronger. Death wounds, but Christ gives life. 

As we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and honour Our Lady of Sorrows, let us renew our faith in Christ crucified and risen. Let us not be afraid of the crosses of life.  

Let us carry them with faith. Let us help one another carry them with love. Let us place our wounds in the wounds of Christ. 

May the Holy Cross protect the Diocese of Dindigul. May Our Lady of Sorrows intercede for all our families. May the Holy Spirit guide us during this period of waiting. May the Lord send us, in His time, a shepherd according to His own heart. 

With my prayers and blessings, 

+ Most Rev. Dr. Antonysamy Savarimuthu 

Archbishop of Madurai 

Apostolic Administrator of Dindigul