Mangalore Diocese News

Mangaluru , Apr 27 : On 27th April 2014, the 2nd Sunday of Easter which is also the Divine Mercy Sunday, the Parishioners gathered at the church grounds at 5 pm for the grand finale of the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations of the Most Holy Redeemer Church, Derebail. The celebration began with the Eucharistic Mass with the Main Celebrant and President, Most Rev. Dr. Aloysius Paul D’souza, Bishop of Mangalore.

The Mass began with the introduction : "Today is the day when the Parish community comes together as one family to praise and thank our Lord for blessing us and protecting us every single day throughout the last 75 years. During the past years, our priests, religious and elders have made many sacrifices to give us the gift of faith and we need to especially pray for them. It is also a day to praise the Lord for showering us with his graces to keep our faith intact and alive. On this occasion, let us pray that God may continue to shower his abundant blessings on our Parish Priest, Assistant Parish Priest, the entire Parish community, Parishioners who are abroad and our Donors".

Rev. Msgr Joel Pais, a Parishioner and presently the Vicar General of Baroda Diocese in his homily said that it was indeed a proud moment for him to be present for the celebration, as it was in this Parish that he grew up and received all the 5 sacraments. It was in this Parish that the seeds of faith were sown and they were instrumental for him to become a priest. He recalled the relentless efforts of late Sylvester Rego because of whom Derebail Parish saw the light of the day. Just like in the day's first reading from the Acts 2: 42-47 where the apostles held the brethren together by partaking food with glad and generous hearts and Praising God, so also he called the gathering to continue the bond of fellowship among one another and strengthen the faith in Christ Jesus. He invited the Parishioners to actively participate and take leadership roles and thus get empowered to make the Parish community vibrant and strong.

More than 40 priests concelebrated in the Eucharistic celebration. It was indeed an auspicious occasion for the Parishioners of Derebail to celebrate the Jubilee on a holy day when Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II were declared as Saints by Pope Francis at a ceremony during Mass in Rome’s St Peter’s Square the same morning.

Source : derebailchurch.com

Platinum Jubilee Felicitation programme

The Platinum Jubilee Felicitation programme started at 6.30 pm. Accompanying the Bishop Aloysius Paul D’souza to the dais, Parish Priest Fr. Peter D’souza welcomed all the dignitaries and Parishioners to the celebration.  The Bishop then presented prizes to the winners of the slogan and logo contest of the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations.

On this occasion, Rev. Fr. Harold Menezes, Rev. Fr. Mark Castelino and Rev. Fr. Godfrey Saldanha who had served as Parish Priests in Derebail Church and were present for the Jubilee celebrations were honored by the Bishop with a shawl, flowers, fruits and the Jubilee memento.  Fr. Mark Castelino and Fr. Godfrey Saldanha shared their thoughts and messages with the gathering on this momentous occasion and prayed that the same unity and bond continue and grow even more for the Centenary celebrations. The Assistant Parish Priests who had served at the Derebail Parish were honored by the Bishop on this occasion and were presented with a memento and those who were present included Fr. Stany Fernandes, Fr. Maxim D’souza and Fr. Naveen Pinto.

Derebail Parish has been known for many vocations in the Priestly and Religious Orders and many Parishioners are currently engaged in contributing their service in different religious organizations all across the country and abroad. Many of them were present to be a part of the celebrations and were honored by the Bishop and were presented a memento.

Right from the time the Jubilee celebrations were inaugurated last Easter, many cultural and spiritual programs involving the entire Parish Community have been organized all through the year. A slide show recapitulating the events of the Jubilee Year was presented to the audience in an artistic manner under the direction of Assistant priest Fr. Edwin Monis. On this occasion, the Jubilee Song was presented before the audience by the Choir Members, the lyrics of which were penned by none other than Vice President and Choirmaster Mr. Anil Patrao and the music was put in place by him along with Mr. Roshan D’souza.

To commemorate the Jubilee celebrations, the message containing the blessings from Pope Francis was read out to the gathering by the Bishop and the scroll was presented to the Parish Priest by him. The Jubilee Souvenir containing the history and all the memorable events associated with the past 75 years of the Parish was then launched by the Bishop and the other dignitaries on the dais. Mr. Victor Correa who is the editor of the Souvenir was also present on the dais. The lucky dip results were declared on this occasion.

Bishop Aloysius Paul D’souza has been the support and guide just like the Good Shepherd.  He has spent his valuable time in the midst during the celebrations and as a mark of love and respect, was honored by the Parish Priest Rev Fr. Peter D’souza. The Bishop conveyed his message and good wishes on this occasion and urged the Parishioners to continue the deep faith and belief in our Lord Jesus. He requested the Parishioners to ensure that faith gets strengthened among our youth and our children. On the occasion of the Jubilee, Rupees one lakh was presented to the Same mission (Tanzania, Africa) to the Bishop by Fr. Peter D’souza.

No event is successful unless all the Parishioners join together and work as one team towards a common goal. Many committees were formed to ensure the Jubilee celebrations were truly meaningful and all of them have worked relentlessly towards the success of the evening programme. Vice President of the Parish Pastoral Council Anil Patrao came forward to thank the entire Parish community for contributing their mite and support for the success of the Jubilee celebrations.  To show gratitude to the beloved Parish Priest Rev Fr. Peter D’souza for his immense contribution to the parish, the parishioners honored him at the hands of the Bishop.

Mr. Victor Correa and Mrs. Felcy Lobo compered the programme.

Fr. Edwin said the grace before meals and the dinner which the Parish Community got together and prepared was served. The arrangements were meticulously done so as to ensure order and quick serving. More than 100 parcels of the dinner were delivered to the sick and aged parishioners at their residence. The band continued to play the music and it was the time for the Parish Community to join together and celebrate the abundant joys, happiness and blessings showered on them on the day. The yearlong Jubilee celebrations thus came to an end on a happy note and it was a joy to see the contentment of all gathered to have been a part of this historic occasion in the history of the Derebail Church.    

Source : derebailchurch.com