Bangalore Archdiocese plans 3 pro-people projects for its diamond jubilee
 
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
 
Bangalore, Sep 20: The Bangalore Archdiocese, which is celebrating its diamond jubilee and having a concelebrated solemn thanksgiving mass with His Excellency Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio, Apostolic Nuncio to India, along with Archbishop Dr Bernard Moras and other Bishops and clergy on Sunday, September 22, has planned three major pro-people projects to commemorate the event.

Though the establishment of a Divine Retreat Centre at Annammana Betta in the city outskirts in Uttarahalli, which has the history of erection of a Holy Cross 125 years back and is popular among people different faiths as a pilgrim centre, is the most prominent spiritual project, Archbishop Moras said the Archdiocese proposed to establish a mega medical corpus fund to assist the poorer sections with financial assistance for the treatment of most serious diseases like cancer, heart and kidney ailments involving exhorbitant costs and setting up of a social service oriented health institution.

While the Archdiocese was already in possession of the land at Annammana Betta, where 14 stations of the Way of the Cross depicting the last journey of Jesus Christ and the suffering at Calvary would be put up after obtaining the necessary clearances from the government, the Archbishop said the details of the other two health-related projects were being worked out.

''We propose to create the medical corpus fund with initial capital of Rs 2 crore, which would be raised to Rs 5 crore and even more, for providing financial assistance for medical treatment of the chronic diseases,” he said the Archdiocese was keen to set up the social service oriented health institute to help the poorest sections, who found it difficult to secure medical treatment and affordable cost even though there were a large number of medical colleges, private and government hospitals, including corporate hospitals in the State.

The Archbishop, who addressed a news conference along with Msgr S Jayanathan and Msgr C Francis, Vicar Generals of the Archdiocese, on Friday, said the thanksgiving celebration being held at the St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral on September 22 at 10 am with Vatican’s Envoy to India Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio as the main celebrant at the solemn mass, was the culmination of the week-long spiritual renewal programme organized by the Archdiocese from September 15 to 21 at the same venue.
 

Special Prayers for Peace In Syria, World
 
The diamond jubilee celebrations coincide with the world-wide observation of the Year of Faith by the Catholic Church, the Archbishop said pointing out that the Archdiocese held a special prayer service on September 7 at the St Mary’s Basilica at Shivajinagar and also special prayers in the Basilica and in all churches in the Archdiocese on September 8 in response to the call of Pope Francis to pray for peace in view of the war clouds hovering over Syria and the Middle East.

Echoing the sentiments expressed by the Pope, who said, ''Never again war. We want a peaceful world. We want to be men and women of peace,”  the Archbishop said peace was of utmost importance and necessary not only in India but all over the world.

''War, turmoil and violence begins in the heart and then spreads. We need peace so all could live in peace,” the Archbishop said recounting the words of the prayer, ''Make me a channel of your peace,”  penned by St Francis of Assisi.
 

Birth, Origin of Archdiocese
 
Tracing the birth and history of the Bangalore Archdiocese, which comprises of six revenue districts of Bangalore urban, Bangalore rural, Chikballapur, Kolar, Ramanagara and Tumkur spread over an area of 27,123 sq.kms with a total population of 1.61 crore and Catholic faithful of 4.25 lakh, the Archbishop said it was originally part of the Mysore Mission, which was separated from Pondicherry in 1845 and entrusted to the priests of the Paris Foreign Mission Society, known as MEP fathers.

The Mysore Mission was erected into a Vicariate Apostolic in 1850 and entrusted to Msgr Charbonnaux, MEP, who was the then Coadjutor Bishop of Pondicherry, and the Vicariate was elevated to the rank of a Diocese in 1886 with headquarters in Bangalore. The Diocese was bifurcated and the Bangalore Diocese was erected on February 13, 1940 and made an Archdiocese on September 19, 1953.

The Archbishop said the Bangalore Archdiocese comprised of as many as 130 parishes and 90 sub-centres served by 200 diocesan and religious priests with a large number of religious sisters serving in different educational and social service institutions.

The Archdiocese has grown enormously over the past 73 years in its reach and service in spiritual, educational, healthcare and social service fields. One of the major initiative of the Archdiocese was the initiative to educate over 5,000 children through the Asha Charitable Trust by spending roughly Rs 1.5 crore annually either in the form of one-time or regular grants and also assistance through the Bangalore Multi-purpose Social Service Society (BMSSS) to self-help groups, women development activities and HIV Aids afflicted people, the Archbishop explained.