Media Release - Sr Grace Maria BS

New Delhi, Jul 18: The 170th Community of Bethany, and the 31st Community of Northern Province was blessed and Inaugurated by Archbishop Vincent M Concessao, the Archbishop of Delhi, at Burari, Delhi, on 14 July 2012. The simple but historic ceremony started with the cutting of the ribbon, thus inaugurating the Convent by Sr Maria Leena, the Provincial Superior of the Northern Province of Bethany. 

The Bishop blessed the altar and he, Fr Victor D’ Souza, the Vicar General of Delhi Archdiocese, Fr Johnson,the Director of Jeevan Jyoti Centre, Burari, Fr Eugene, the Parish Priest of  Rosary Church, Fr Dinesh IMS, the Provincial Superior of IMS, Delhi Province, Fr Kumar from Faridabad   and  Fr Prabhu Das  IMS  lighted the Diya and Concelebrated the Holy Eucharist.

Sisters from various Congregations and Bethany Sisters from the neighbouring communities joined in prayer, thanking God for the presence of Bethany in Burari.

The Bishop exhorted the Sisters to give Jesus as a gift to all those who come to this Bethany Home. “We need to show the people through our activities that the Risen Lord is present with us,” he said.  On this occasion, the Foundation Stone for Bethany Convent School  at Burari, was also laid by the Archbishop. During the Felicitation Programme, the pioneers of the new community- Sr Veena D’ Souza, the Superior, Sr Yvonne Mary and Sr Leena Coutinho were introduced  to the group by Sr Maria Leena and  were  greeted by all present.

The Congregation of the Sisters of the Little Flower of Bethany, commonly known as Bethany Sisters, have their Generalate at Mangalore, Karnataka. The Founder, Mgr RFC Mascarenhas is declared a Servant of God. The Provincialate of the Northern Province is at Karnal, Haryana.