Pics: Stanley Bantwal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mysuru
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Mysuru, Jun 14: The annual feast of St Antony church, Dornahalli Mysuru was celebrated with great devotion here on Saturday, June 13.
The Pontifical festive mass was presided over by Dr Thomas A Vazhapilli, Bishop of Mysuru. While preaching the sermon congratulated the devotees for showing their faith and gave an call to reconcile with God and others and to live a new life. And by doing this one can become a saint and this should be our goal he said. Later he made a remark and said it is not the saint who perform the miracle but through Saint God works wonders so we must pray to God through saints and when we receive favors we must thank God, he said.
Fr Desmond Rebello, Fr Xavier, Fr Antony Swami, Fr Anil D’Souza and priests from the diocese of Mysuru and other dioceses were present.
Fr Gilbert D’Silva the Rector of the shrine thanked everyone who made the celebration a memorable one.
During the day from mornig 5 till evening 8 there were Eucharistic celebrations. At the end of the day there was car procession and benediction.
Fr Antony Swami, Fr Paul, Fr B prakash Barnis, Fr Antony roy, Fr sagay Kumar, Fr Manuel, Fr Chinnappa, Fr J Shanthraj, Bro Praveen Kumar, Bro Avinash, Bro Ashwin and local MLA Sara Mahesh worked along with Fr Gilbert D’Silva to mark this feast.
A Brief history of the Shrine of Dornahalli:
Dornahalli is a small village located about 33 km from Mysore City Station on arsikere line and 38 km on Mysore Hassan route. his is supposed to be the most ancient place of pilgrimage of India.
The miraculous Statue of St Antony Of Padua has and authentic history covering a period of 200 years. A humble Hindu peasant while plouging his ragi field he came across a wodden statue and by thinking that it is a doll he gave it to his children to play.
The tradition says that the peasant had an dream and told him that the object is not mere a doll as he thought but a statue of a revered worker and that he would like to have a special shrine in his honor in that place of discoverey and that he and his family would be blessed.
But the ryot turned a deaf ear to this admonition and continued to be played with this doll. In the course he lost bullocks and death took place. The ryot later recognizing his mistake met a priest and he discovered that it the statue of St Antony of Padua about 13 and half high and without hands and urged the ryot to continue the instructions received and thereafter he received blessings and prosper.
Now from all over India people flock and receive favours through the intercessions of St Antony.