Mangalore: Cordel Church Celebrates Centenary with Splendid Ceremony
Pics: Spoorthy Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (NM)
Mangalore, Feb 19: The centenary celebrations marking the consecration of Holy Cross Church, Cordel, Kulshekar, were held on a grand scale at the Church premises here on Saturday February 18.
The celebrations began with the inauguration and blessing of the centenary memorial ground and open air stage by Bishop of Mangalore Dr Aloysius Paul D'Souza.
It was followed by the jubilee Eucharist Mass, of which the main celebrant was Bishop Dr Aloysius and co-celebrant Bishop of Shimoga Dr Gerald Isaac Lobo.
The stage programme began later in the evening with a documentary giving a brief history of Cordel Church. The power-point presentation provided an interesting glimpse into the journey of the Cordel Church, right from the days it was founded by Frad Saib, the development it has seen over the past hundred years up to the present.
Apart from the two bishops, deputy speaker of the state legislative assembly Yogish Bhat, high court judge Justice B V Pinto, IGP (western range) Pratap Reddy, parish priest of Cordel Church Fr Valerian Pinto, vice-president Praveen Patrao, secretary George D'Souza, and convenor of the jubilee celebration committee Sushil Noronha were present on the dais.
Yogish Bhat in his address congratulated Fr Valerian Pinto and Cordel parishioners on their service to the holy place. He also lauded the achievements of the educational institution run by the Church, which had recently secured cent percent results. He also poured showers of praise on the Bethany Sisters for their service to the people.
Bishop Dr Aloysius Paul D'Souza said that Fr Alexander Dubois, the founder of the Church, had sowed the seed 100 years ago, and over the years, parish priests who came after him nurtured that seed. "Today, parish priest Fr Valerian Pinto has received the yield," he said.
He added that more people should take up religious vocation and thus add to the stability of the Church.
Bishop of Shimoga Dr Gerald Isaac Lobo said that a jubilee is about five elements - rememberance, tribute, compromise, right path and celebration.
He also said that the early Christian fathers showed lots of interest in development of church. "Today's generation should draw inspiration from them and work towards the same goal," he added.
IGP (western range) Pratap Reddy appreciated the contribution of Christian missionaries in various fields like education, healthcare and social service, and said that it was his previlige to be part of the centenary celebrations of the Church. He also recalled that when he had attended a programme in another state, he noticed that most of the important people there were of Mangalore origin, which was a matter of pride for this region.
Two books were released on the occasion - 'Frad Saib and the Church of Cordel' by Fr Devadutta Kamath, and 'Cordel-100', the Cordel parish directory. Justice B V Pinto released the first book while Pratap Reddy the second.
A felicitation programme was also held, wherein Fr Swebert D'Silva, principal, St Aloysius College, and Fr Joseph Rodrigues, rector of St Aloysius Institutions were honoured. Former parish priests of Cordel Fr Valerian DSouza, Fr Gregory William Vas, Fr Lawrence D'Souza, along with present parish priest Fr Valerian Pinto were also felicitated. The sponsors of the jubilee event were also recognised.
Fr Valerian Pinto welcomed the gathering. A centenary jubilee meal was organized at the premises for all those who had gathered.
A delightful medley of songs, dances, skits and mime show was performed by the members of ICYM and YCS, which kept the audience entertainment throughout.