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Mangaluru: Hundreds join vehicle rally carrying St John Paul II statue

  •   Sun, Nov 23 2014 05:58:52 PM

Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (MD)

Mangaluru, Nov 23: A vehicle rally carrying the statue of Pope St John Paul II was held here on Sunday November 23 from the Bishop's House, ahead of the inauguration and blessing of St John Paul II Shrine in Bajpe scheduled to be held on Thursday November 27.

Bishop of Mangaluru diocese Dr Aloysius Paul D'Souza blessed the statue of Pope Saint John Paul II. Joachim D'Costa, the convener of the vehicle rally handed over the flag to the bishop and to the parish priest of Bajpe Fr Leo Lobo.

The 6.5 ft bronze statue of Pope Saint John Paul II weighing 900 kg was taken in a procession from the Bishop's House to Bajpe parish. The statue was made in Indonesia and was given by Vatican City to Mangaluru district.

On November 27 the statue will be inaugurated by the Apostolic Nuncio to India Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio.

Prior to the rally, Bishop Dr Aloysius D'Souza blessed the occasion and said, "We are going to install the statue at the place that St John Paul II had visited a long time back. Let St John Paul II be the closest one to all of us."

Members of St Lawrence Church, Bondel along with their parish priest welcomed the statue and sought blessings.

MLC Ivan D'Souza, Rachana vice-president Stany Alvares, M P Noronha, Fr Denis Moras were present. Hundreds of vehicles were part of the rally.

Twenty-nine years ago Pope John Paul II had visited the coastal town. During the Papal visit devotees from all over had gathered in lacs at Bajpe where the Pope addressed them. The Shrine was built to immortalize his visit.
  

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  • roshan, mangalore

    Mon, Nov 24 2014

    Great news that the statue of such great personality is being installed in the place where he landed in our city. But sad news is that our so called strong society was not able to purchase the land where he celebrated the holy mass.

    DisAgree [1] Agree [7] Reply Report Abuse

  • joe Gonsalves, Mangalore

    Mon, Nov 24 2014

    There was excitement when our late Bishop Basil D'Souza announced details of the impending visit of Pope John Paul II to Mangalore in 1986.

    This recently canonized saint touched the hearts of people nearly three decades ago. His visit to The Port City has gone down in history being the first and only visit of a ruling Pontiff to Mangalore. In the weeks leading up to the pontifical visit there was palpable papal fever prevailing in The City.

    Monsignor Alexander D’Souza was designated as convener for the event. Committees were formed and portfolios allotted to different people – including Housing, entrusted to Late Hon. Minster Blasius D’Souza Transport, was handled to Late Hon Minster Paul Rodricks and Mr. Joe Gonsalves was allotted the portfolio responsible for Papal security. All of us spent many hours at The Bishop’s House to work on the modalities for the visit.

    On the appointed day Bishop Basil was accompanied by ecclesiastical dignitaries – Cardinals, Archbishops, and Bishops along with Late Minister Paul Rodrickes and Joe Gonsalves. I have fond memories of shaking hands with The Pope and uttering the carefully prepared phrase VIVA IL PAPA. I received a benign smile in return when he shook hands with me. I have preserved the photograph clicked on the occasion – Late Bishop Basil introducing me to The Saint.

    The Eucharistic celebrations followed at the Podium in front of an audience of 400,000 people.

    DisAgree Agree [5] Reply Report Abuse

  • William Rodrigues, Bajpe, Mangaluru

    Mon, Nov 24 2014

    Congratulations to all those involved in putting up such a beautiful Church (structure),specifically the Parish Priest of Bajpe Parish who has given his full day in and day out.
    God bless you Rev father.

    DisAgree Agree [6] Reply Report Abuse

  • florine, bajpe/mumbai

    Mon, Nov 24 2014

    It was a graceful occasion and nice to see the Bajpites showing their enthusiasm and co-operation irrespective of any religion joining the procession with the beautifully done up statue of St John Pope Paul. May John Pope Paul II bless us all in abundance.

    DisAgree Agree [4] Reply Report Abuse

  • Fr .Praveen D' Souza, Bajpe

    Mon, Nov 24 2014

    What a memorable day. A day that will be remembered by the generation to come, feeling blessed. We love you papa.

    DisAgree [1] Agree [21] Reply Report Abuse

  • Mrs, Dorine Dsouza

    Mon, Nov 24 2014

    we are proud to be a Christian family st John paul II pray for us

    DisAgree [4] Agree [19] Reply Report Abuse

  • Walter Lobo, Bajpe/Boston

    Mon, Nov 24 2014

    John Paul II, the Saint, is the architect of modern world order, where the communism was replaced with communication. He, along with US President Ronald Reagan and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher held calls how to open up the USSR to the world. Michael Gorbachev worked with these three, and finally gave into the new world order where communism was replaced with communication. Indeed, John Paul II, performed the miracle. He opened up the dialogue with all religions. We still do have problems in the world, but not the communism. World without communism is gift John Paul II left for the world to cherish. Having born and raised in Bajpe, and seeing his statue being installed where he stood and blessed the people of Mangalore, it is a great pleasure to honor the Pope as the Saint of Mangalore. Let every religion see the goodness he brought to the world. Some day I wish to visit his statue to remember the days I saw him in Washington DC when he first visited US and blessed US. By his visit to Mangalore, he blessed India. Every religion should take pride in his visit and blessing. No modern leader has done so much for the world peace than Saint Pope John Paul II.

    DisAgree [2] Agree [28] Reply Report Abuse

  • Joe Dettelis, Buffalo, New York / Lady Lake, Florida

    Tue, Nov 25 2014

    Amen! Even as an American Catholic I was unaware until recently of many of the great actions and risks St. JPII took supporting and insuring accurate free communication and dialog to end gov't oppression of the rights of the person by systems of communism and unschooled self interest. To bring freedom to many poor and oppressed.

    DisAgree Agree [1] Reply Report Abuse

  • Jossie Mascarenhas, Bajpe

    Mon, Nov 24 2014

    Yes, we were part of this long but beautiful procession. Wish there were more images.

    DisAgree Agree [17] Reply Report Abuse

  • roshan, abu dhabi

    Sun, Nov 23 2014

    Great news to mangalureans. St. John Paul please pray for us

    DisAgree [2] Agree [16] Reply Report Abuse

  • Jude, Brussels/mangalore

    Sun, Nov 23 2014

    Gorgeous! !!!!
    Pope john paul was very close to youth!!
    With his holy shrine may MANGALORE be Truly THE ROME OF EAST!!
    PRAY FOR US ST. JOHN PAUL

    DisAgree [1] Agree [14] Reply Report Abuse

  • Max and Jessie Rasquinha, Mangalore, Houston/Dallas, Texas

    Sun, Nov 23 2014

    We wish to wholeheartedly endorse the comments of Mr.Kurt Washchnig in his msg with regard to St. John Paul II and the legacy that he has left in this world. St. John Paul's historic visit to India will remain as a legendary evident, and we have now a monument of worship near Bajpe that is created to commemorate his gracious visit to India more than 25 years ago.

    Pope's visit to India is to be considered in a total different context as compared to His visit to Mexico, Chille or Brazil where majority of people are Catholics.

    India is a secular nation where majority of people are Hindus and then Moslems. Catholics are just a minority yet India was gifted to have 2 Popes visiting the country and extend their goodwill and friendship to the Government and people of Secular India.

    St. John Paul II was a strong supporter of Mother Theresa and all her noble work in India. Pope St. John Paul, we understand, watched Mother Theresa's funeral live on the TV by remaining awake throughout the lengthy ceremony.

    India is an exemplary nation where secularism prevails so vibrant when so many other parts of the world are in utter turmoil.

    The newly constructed Church at Bajpe is therefore a worthy monument that secular India should proudly uphold. This new place of worship should come up with some special prayer rituals or novenas on a weekly or fortnightly basis and a few miracles taking place will bring new awakening amongst the people of India.

    We are excited from a distance with this new monument named after St. Pope John Paul. May this place of worship bring continued peace and harmony in India, specially Mangalore where we have strong roots of love and affection that no words can explain.

    DisAgree [3] Agree [19] Reply Report Abuse

  • ad, mangloor

    Sun, Nov 23 2014

    Celebrating the celebrant, indeed now all-time visible remembrance.

    DisAgree [2] Agree [9] Reply Report Abuse

  • Kurt Waschnig, Oldenburg, Germany

    Sun, Nov 23 2014

    After reading this article I am thinking of this great pope. According to international media ´John Paul II will be remembered as one of the outstanding popes of modern times a pope who left a tremendous mark on the world as well as on his church. His supreme achievement may have been to show the world that power need not come from the barrel of the gun, the coffers of a corporation, or even from the ballot box: it can come from sheer faith, and moral commitment. And by his influence on world events, John Paul II demonstrated that the Church is a church of history and can still change the world. John Paul II was a great moral figure and a powerful, if inflexible, intellectual during his time probably the world's most influential religious and moral teacher. Above all he was an evangelist he went out into the world and preached the gospel of Christ, undiluted by contemporary political thinking. He challenged his audience, as one writer put it, to moral heroism, and showed the world that religion was not a spent force.
    For John Paul II it was his duty to preach the truth, based on the gospel and two millennia of the teachings and experience of the Church. And while critics and journalists frequently condemned, and many ordinary Catholics simply ignored some of his teachings, they all agreed that here was a man who radiated faith, a prayerful man, a mystical man, a good man. John Paul's papacy was driven by a wish to restore uniformity of belief and strong authority to the Church and to make it once again a rock on which its followers could depend. John Paul II was a fierce defender of what he perceived as Christian humanism in the face of the forces of communism, capitalism and totalitarian atheism. Yes, 29 years ago Pope John Paul II had visited Mangalore and still his visit has impact on the diocese of Mangalore.´

    Best regards

    Kurt Waschnig, Oldenburg/Germany
    email: oldenburg1952@yahoo.de

    DisAgree [7] Agree [58] Reply Report Abuse

  • Vasant Raj, Mangalore / Abudhabi

    Sun, Nov 23 2014

    Congrates for a beautiful Statue...

    DisAgree [6] Agree [77] Reply Report Abuse

  • Praveen, Kulshekar

    Mon, Nov 24 2014

    St. John Paul pray for us we Mangaloreans, specially for the peace among communities

    DisAgree [4] Agree [38] Reply Report Abuse


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