Media Release
Mangaluru, Dec 31: The Annual Feast of Infant Jesus will be celebrated on January 14 and 15 at the Infant Jesus Shrine, Carmel Hill, Bikarnakatte, Kulshekar Post, here.
Addressing a press meet held at the Press Club in Mangaluru on Wednesday, shrine authorities said the formal inauguration of the festivity will take place on January 3 at 4.30 pm with the traditional votive offering procession (Vojem) from Holy Cross Church, Kulshekar. This will be followed by the Sahaballve programme, an inter-religious meet, and flag hoisting at the shrine campus. Rev Dr Praveen Martis SJ, vice chancellor of St Aloysius Deemed to be University, will bless and hoist the flag.
The Festal Mass on January 14 at 6 pm will be presided over by Rt Rev Dr Gerald Isaac Lobo, bishop of the diocese of Udupi. A special Mass for the sick and the elderly will be offered at 10 am, presided over by Most Rev Dr Aloysius Paul D’Souza, bishop emeritus of the diocese of Mangalore.
On January 15, the Festal Mass for children at 10 am will be presided over by Rt Rev Dr Duming Dias, bishop of Karwar, while the Festal Mass at 6 pm will be presided over by Most Rev Msgr Maxim Noronha, vicar general of the diocese of Mangalore.
On January 14, Masses will be celebrated throughout the day at 6 am in Konkani, 8 am in English and 1 pm in Kannada. On the second day, January 15, Masses will be held at 6 am and 8 am in Konkani, 10 am for children and 1 pm in Malayalam (Latin Rite). On both feast days, there will be adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and a special blessing for all devotees.
A special Children’s Day Mass will be offered on Saturday, January 10 at 6 pm.
As part of the spiritual preparation, nine days of novena prayers will be held from January 5 to 13, during which nine Masses will be celebrated daily. Morning Masses will be held at 6 am, 7.30 am, 9 am and 10.30 am, all in Konkani. The afternoon Mass at 1 pm will be in Konkani, while evening Masses will be held at 4 pm in Malayalam, 5 pm in English and 7.45 pm in Kannada.
Rt Rev Dr Ignatius D’Souza, bishop of Bareilly, will preside over the 10.30 am Mass on January 5, the first day of the novena, with special prayers for those working and studying abroad. Rt Rev Dr Henry D’Souza, bishop of Bellary, will preside over the 10.30 am Mass on January 10, a day dedicated to children and infants.
The procession of Infant Jesus will be held daily after the 6 pm evening Mass. Eucharistic adoration will be conducted every day from 11.30 am to 12.45 pm.
Anna Santarpane, a vegetarian meal, will be served to all devotees at noon on all days of the novena and feast from January 4 to 15. An eye camp will be held on January 7 from 8.30 am to 1 pm, while a blood donation camp will be organised on January 9 and 10 from 8.30 am to 1 pm.
To mark the 300th anniversary of the canonisation and the centenary of the proclamation of St John of the Cross as Doctor of the Church, the shrine will launch a social outreach initiative titled ‘CARMEL IGNITE’. Under this programme, 400 deserving and economically challenged children, irrespective of caste or creed, will be provided educational scholarships. A special exhibition highlighting the significance of the jubilee year dedicated to St John of the Cross will also be organised.
Present at the press meet were Fr Melvin D'Cunha OCD, superior of St Joseph’s Monastery; Fr Stifan Perera OCD, director of Infant Jesus Shrine, Mangaluru; Fr Deep Fernandes, delegate provincial for the OCDS; Valerian Furtado, vice president of Ballok Jesu Kutam; and Wilfred Lasrado, organiser, Infant Jesus Shrine.