Symposium on Administration Inaugurated at Ryshivana
Mangaluru: A week-long symposium on administration was inaugurated at Ryshivana on October 5, 2026, with a focus on strengthening administrative skills, accountability and leadership among religious and institutional leaders.
Fr Dominic Vas, OCD, Director of Ryshivana, welcomed the gathering and explained the significance of the institution’s name. He said the acronym RYSHI represents Religion, Spirituality, Health and Integration, with the four dimensions being integrated into the holistic vision of Ryshivana.
He said the symposium would focus on responsible management of resources, balancing accountability with compassion, remaining spiritually grounded while shouldering administrative responsibilities, and developing skills to manage conflicts and make appropriate decisions.
Dr Laveena Noronha, Founder of Ave Maria Palliative Care Centre, Vamanjoor, was the chief guest. Speaking about Ryshivana, she recalled her long association with the centre and her years of teaching at spirituality centres of the Karnataka-Goa Province, particularly at Ryshivana.
Describing Ryshivana as a place of scenic beauty conducive to inner silence, she also recalled her association with the Carmelite fathers and their spiritual support to palliative-care patients, particularly during the final stages of their lives.
Yogacharya V. L. Rego, founder and president of Integral Yoga Satsanga, Mangaluru, was the guest of honour. Before he was honoured, Fr Dominic Vas presented a brief account of his life and contributions.
Yogacharya Rego is widely known as a pioneer in promoting yoga in coastal Karnataka. He has conducted more than 500 yoga camps in India and abroad and is associated with the publication To Christ Through Yoga – Integral Yoga.
Rego was described as the founder of Ryshivana, having acquired the property and later handed it over to the Carmelites, who have continued its mission of holistic formation through yoga, retreats, symposiums and seminars.
In recognition of his contribution, Rego was honoured with a shawl, memento and sapling.
The inaugural function was presided over by Allen C. A. Pereira, former Chairman and Managing Director of Bank of Maharashtra and associated with Solutaire Global Ltd., Mumbai.
In his presidential address, Pereira began by quoting the English poet John Donne: “No man is an island.” He said that since human beings are social by nature, effective leadership and good administration are essential for the proper functioning of any organisation.
He outlined four pillars of a non-profit organisation: efficiency, transparency, sensitivity and affordability. He stressed that efficiency should foster collaboration rather than competition, transparency should build trust, administration should be sensitive and graceful, and services should be affordable rather than necessarily free.
Using the analogy of an overhead water tank, he said that if the water in the overhead tank is clean, the water reaching the ground-level tanks will also be clean. Similarly, if leaders are efficient, trustworthy, sensitive and compassionate, members of the organisation are likely to imbibe the same qualities.
Fr Archiebald Gonsalves, OCD, Programme Coordinator, compered the inaugural programme and gave an overview of the week-long symposium, which will examine administration from both canonical and legal perspectives.
Sessions will cover financial administration, accountability, FCRA regulations, properties and assets, societies and trusts, and new labour laws, with noted Mangaluru-based chartered accountant Sunil Gonsalves among the resource persons.
Other sessions will address the need for public relations officers in religious institutions, construction works and social apostolate, the use of artificial intelligence in administration, and empowering religious men and women to take up administrative responsibilities. Eminent resource persons will lead these sessions.
On the concluding day, former MLA J. R. Lobo will speak on “Administrative Challenges Faced by Christian Leadership” and distribute certificates to the participants.
The inaugural programme concluded with a hymn at around 10.45 a.m.
