Udupi: Belle Parishioners Celebrate Centenary of Foundation of Parish
By Dr. Eugene DSouza, Moodubelle
Pictures by Anil Alva

Udupi, Nov 1: The parishioners of St Lawrence Church, Belle celebrated the Centenary of the foundation of their parish on Monday, November 1 with a solemn Thanksgiving Mass and observation of the Parish Day during which a number of eminent persons were felicitated and a community lunch was organized.

It was exactly a hundred years ago, on November 2, 1910 that by a decree of the then bishop of Mangalore, Paul Perini that the parish of Belle dedicated to St Lawrence was created as an independent parish carved out from the original Shirva parish.

The Thanksgiving Mass started with a grand procession of the altar servers, members of the parish pastoral council, all men dressed in dhoti, white shirt and shawl and women in similar coloured saris, members of the liturgical committee and all those past vice-presidents and secretaries of the parish pastoral council, those parishioners to be honoured and felicitated from the residence of the priests through the main entrance of the church towards the altar. Each of them carried a lighted candle and placed it on the specially kept candle stand in front of the main altar, totaling hundred candles, each representing a year of the past hundred years of the existence of the parish.

The chief celebrant of the Thanksgiving Mass, Dr Valerian D’Souza, former parish priest and the builder of the magnificent new church building five years ago, along with other celebrants - Fr Joswey Fernandes, Fr Arun Mendonca, Fr Lancy Saldanha, Fr Maxim Pinto, Fr Dancy Martis and Fr George D’Souza, director of the Kodialbail Press and the vice-president and secretary of the parish pastoral council, Henry Fernandes and Meera Lobo ceremonially lighted the lamp to mark the centenary celebration of the foundation of the parish.

There was overwhelming participation by the parishioners in the Thanksgiving Mass. The church was packed to capacity. The entire congregation actively participated in singing hymns and reciting prayers. The parish choir led by Fr Paul Sequeira with melodious singing raised the spirit of the congregation to new height.

Fr Dancy Martis OFM (Cap), a native of Moodubelle, in his homily highlighted the message of the Gospel of the day emphasizing on the Sermon on the Mount. He further said that as the parish celebrates the centenary of the foundation of the parish through the Thanksgiving Mass and observation of the Parish Day, we should introspect the condition of our own families. He pointed out the problems faced by modern families due to materialistic pursuits and lack of love, affection and concern for the members. He emphasized the fact that the family that prays and eats together remains united.

Following the Thanksgiving Mass a brief stage function was organised during which all those couples who have completed 60 years and more of their married lives, former and present-vice presidents and secretaries of the parish pastoral council, all the Gurkars who had served their wards for more than ten years, those who had helped in the organisation of the parish day including caterers and finally the priests of the parish were felicitated.

In his message to the parishioners Dr Valerian D’Souza narrated the conditions under which Fr Casmir Fernandes had built the church and the parish and said that after one hundred years another Fr Fernandes-Fr Joswey Fernandes is the parish priest on the occasion of the centenary celebration. He gave credit to all the past parish priests for developing the parish. Dr Valerian D’Souza said that priests may come and go but it is the parishioners who have been chiefly responsible for the progress of the parish and saluted them. While complimenting the parishioners on the occasion of the centenary celebration, Dr Valerian wished them and their children well, and hoped that there would be unity and cooperation in the future as well.
 
Fr Joswey Fernandes in his message highlighted the motto of the centenary ‘Let us build the parish unitedly’ and appreciated the unity and cooperation of the parishioners which was manifested on the previous day through voluntary service for the preparation for the Parish Day. He complimented the sponsors and caterers for their excellent cooperation and work.
 
Meera Lobo, secretary of the parish pastoral council proposed the vote of thanks. The entire programme was excellently compeered by Peter Raphael Aranha, headmaster of Church Aided Higher School. Following the stage programme at 1.15 pm, all parishioners participated in the community lunch. First, the children and elderly persons were served food, followed by others.