Daijiworld Media Network – Moodbidri (VA)
Moodbidri, Apr 3: For the first time in the history a Konkani historical play, ‘Apostle of Confession: St John Marie Vianney’ will be staged at Taccode Church Ground here, on Easter Sunday April 4.
The play has been written and directed by Dr Mark Castelino. He is the only priest who has staged mega Konkani religious plays for past three years during Lent. The actors having more than 40 years of experience have been chosen to act in the play. As many as 60 actors will perform in the play.
Pope Benedict XVI has declared the present year as the Year of Priests and has invited the world to celebrate it in a fitting way. The celebration marks the 150th death anniversary of St John Marie Vianney who is the patron of Parish Priests.
About John Marie Vianney
John Marie Vianney was born on May 8, 1786 in a village called Dardilly, belonging to the diocese of Lyons in France. No one expected that the boy from a poor village would be a saint one day. As a result of French Revolution, the village school in Dardilly was closed by the government. John Vianney had to discontinue his studies and had to recourse to his aunt Margaret for further schooling and hence he lost a few years. When he joined the seminary some of his professors were junior to him in age. John somehow completed his seminary education and the superiors noticed that he was a sincere student and devoted to mother Mary.
He was ordained in 1815 and after three years of pastoral experience as assistant Parish Priest he was sent to the parish of Ars, a village chapel. It was not even a parish and hence he was made administrator of the chapel. Most of the parishioners were addicted to alcohol and cabaret and were interfering in the social life of other people and hardly 70 people were attending Sunday Mass.
Yet Fr Vianney did not lose hope and began to work out a pastoral plan for his village chapel. In 1821 the chapel was raised to the rank of a Parish and Fr John Vianney was officially appointed Parish Priest of Ars Parish. The effect of his pastoral plan brought success to his priestly ministry but at the same time many narrow-minded people went to the extent of removing him from the Parish. But the hand of God was with him and he faced all opposing people boldly.
By the year 1830 pilgrims began to visit Ars. Fr John was already known for his ministry at the confession in 1836 and he had to spend about 16-18 hours in the confessional to hear the confessions. The priest who was denied the faculty to hear confessions has become the Apostle of Confession within fifteen years of his priestly ordination. The word Apostle comes from the Greek language means ‘one who is sent out’. Serving the people is equal to serving God was the motto of his ministerial priesthood. He served Ars for 41 years passed away on August 4, 1859.