Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (MM/GA)

Mangalore, Apr 21: This is the platinum jubilee year to St Anne’s Church of Thottam near here. The jubilee of the church will be held on Tuesday April 24.

History says that Thottam was once a part of Kallianpur-Milagres.  When Fr Aloysius Fernandes was the vicar of Kallianpur-Milagres, Minguel Vaz of Thottam built a chapel at Thottam, endowed it with landed property and the Vaz family later handed it over to the diocese (1904-1910).

 It was served regularly from Kallianpur-Milagres from 1904 to 1910.  In 1910 Fr William Pinto was stationed there.  Fr Denis Jerome D’Souza of Kallianpur-Milagres built the church at Thottam.  In 1921 three neighbouring villages were placed under the direct control of the resident-priest at Thottam, with parochial jurisdiction over them.  Fr Elias Castelino was also the first parish priest.  

It is believed that Puttaiah Poojary donated 2½ acres of land in 1927, on which Fr Elias Castelino built a chapel in 1928.  A total of 48 cents of land was reserved for the cemetery.  During the time of Fr Valerian G F Rego, John Fernandes and Simon Peter Fernandes donated the belfry.

The present church was inaugurated on December 17, 1988 during the time of Fr Louis Cutinha.  The presbytery was inaugurated during the time of Fr Jerome Monteiro on May 30, 2000.

At present Fr Louis D'Sa is the parish priest of Thottam. 

Bishop Aloysius Paul D’Souza of Mangalore will preside over the ceremony. He will be the main celebrant for the Solemn Eucharistic celebrations to be held at 10 am.

Later a stage programme too has been organized.  Platinum jubilee souvenir ‘Tottamcho Taalo’ will be released on the occasion. The priests and religious sisters who are from this parish and serving in different places will be honoured.

Fr Denis Moras Prabhu, chancellor of the Mangalore diocese, Fr Valerian D’Souza, Episcopal Vicar, Udupi, Fr Marcel Saldanha, Vicar Var, Kallianpur Varado will be the chief guests of the function.