Media Release

Bengaluru, Sep 18: Archbishop Bernard Moras, completed 12 years as archbishop of Bangalore and celebrated his 12th anniversary and beginning 13th year Archiepiscopacy on Saturday, September 17.

He began the celebration with a thanksgiving mass with retired senior priests of Archbishop at Clergy home, a home for old and retired priests of Archdiocese. In the evening, a grand thanksgiving Eucharist was celebrated at St Germain’s High school with meritorious students, those who scored high marks in the Archdiocese. As a gesture of encouragement and appreciation to the students he offered mass for them and distributed the prizes and certificate.

The felicitation of meritorious students of archdiocese of Bangalore is the brainchild of the Archbishop, who is passionate about education. During his tenure since 2004 when he was installed as the Archbishop of Bangalore on this day, September 17, 2004 exactly 12 years back, innumerable schools were started in and around Bangalore. And his simple motto was “Spread Literacy, Dispel Darkness.” The students from differently abled were also felicitated this time, and it is first of its kind done in Archdiocese after introducing the special commission for differently abled children. 

The idea of felicitating the students of Archdiocese was started in the year 2008 with 40 students scoring more than 80% marks in the X std exams from SSLC/CBSE/ICSE.

Every year students from std X,std XII & PUC scoring more than 80% are recognized with a certificate and a cash award. In the year 2015,507 students were felicitated and since 2008 the numbers kept increasing from 40 in 2008, 90 in 2009, 120 in 2010, 175 in 2011, 214 in 2012, 350 in 2013, 400 in 2014, This academic year 2015-2016, around 600 students have been felicitated.

At the concluding of the program Archbishop personally appreciated the parents of the students with short prayer and flowers.