Mangalore: 11 Deacons Ordained Priests by Bishop Dr Aloysius

Pics: Ramesh Pandith
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (VM)

Mangalore, Dec 28: Eleven deacons from Jesuit congregation were ordained priests by Dr Aloysius Paul D’Souza, Bishop of Mangalore diocese at Loyola Hall, St Aloysius PU College here on Thursday December 27.

The deacons were ordained during the Eucharistic Mass offered by the bishop who was the main celebrant.

The ordination ceremony was in the presence of near and dear ones of the newly-ordained priests, along with the presence of hundreds of devotees. More than 300 priests were present on the ocassion.

The newly ordained priests are Fr Alphonse Fernandes, Fr Francis Fernandes, Fr Jerald D’Souza, Fr Jerry Melwin Dias, Fr Kiran Coath, Fr Maxim Dias, Fr Alwyn Rodrigues, Fr Michael Fernandes, Fr Vinod Fernandes, Fr Harry Martis, Fr Santhosh Vas.

Bishop Dr Aloysius in his homily said that the god has chosen the 11 priests to carry on his mission in church, that is to preach people the word of god. He asked them to uplift the downtrodden and thus help them achieve good status in society.

He further added that the duty of a priest is to preach people and transform their life in a positive way. "This is your mission as a priest. God will always shower his blessings and guidance for this good work of yours," he said.

After the Eucharist celebration, a short felicitation programme was organized by the diocese.

Fr Francis Serrao, provincial of Jesuits in Karnataka; Fr Joseph Rodrigues, superior of St Aloysius Institutions; Fr Rony Prabhu, Fr Sweebert D’Silva, principal of SAC, Fr Francis D Almeida, Fr Denzil D’Souza, Fr William Menezes, Fr Francis Rodrigues, Fr J B Saldanha, Fr Jochim Fernandes, Fr Stany Miranda, Fr Mark Castelino, Fr Cajetan Pinto, Fr Ravi Santhosh Kamath among others were present.