Priest Vincent Toppo

Ranchi, July 11: Three decades ago when he launched “marriage encounters”, a counselling programme to help couples improve their quality of life, inter-personal problems were not so complex.

Today, Vincent Toppo, who completed 50 years in the service at Society of Jesus, said he feels that there is lack of personal communication between husbands and wives.

In most cases, couples do not share their feelings — their joys, sorrows, aspirations, values and even fears — though they continue to live under the same roof.

“Behavioural analysis has revealed that money, ego and careers and in some cases relatives obstruct personal communication between couples,” he said.

Hailing from Jhargaon village under the Chainpur block of the Gumla district in Jharkhand, Toppo joined the Society of Jesus in 1958. Over the next 20 years he underwent intensive training at Rome, Hazaribagh, Pune, Simdega and at Kurseong in Darjeeling, before being posted as the professor of philosophy at St Albert’s College, Ranchi, in 1977. The institute is one of the largest theological colleges under the Roman Catholic Church in the country.

Toppo conceded that he retired from active service from St Albert’s but continues to take regular classes in philosophy in undergraduate and postgraduate courses due to lack of a proper substitute.

“The problems between married couples have increased and turned even more complex over the years. When we started the programme, few couples came forward for counselling. Now, couples are voluntarily coming up and their attendance reveal complexities have grown,” Toppo told The Telegraph soon after the conclusion of a commemorative service in his honour at St Albert’s College, Ranchi, on Thursday.

Toppo stressed that the training session has not only become popular but has also helped reduce the number of divorces, separations and break up of families.

Besides, he also supervises a formation programme designed to help young boys and girls enter the world of matrimony.

“We conduct at least three courses in a year, which are basically an orientation programme, said Toppo.