Media Release
Mangaluru, Jun 14: Dr Aloysius Paul D’Souza the bishop of Mangaluru offered the Holy Mass along with 33 priests to honour Saint Anthony on his feast day at Milagres Church, on Tuesday, June 13.
In his message the Bishop highlighted and appreciated the charity works by the institutes during the last 119 years. "St Anthony’s Charity Institutes is unique, one of its kind, in the Catholic Church in India, as it is run by a diocese," he said.
At the end of the Holy Mass he unveiled the poster containing the list of programmes planned by the St Anthony Institutes who entered into the 120th year of its existence. The main programmes in the list included medical help to 120 people suffering from major illness, 12 health check up camps, free stay for the poor students from rural areas who pursue their studies in the city, a three month training free of cost on taking care of sick and elderly, co-ordination of care taking agencies in Dakshina Kannada district, and staging of drama on the life of Saint Anthony, among others.
Fr Mathew Vas the parish priest of Guardian Angels Church Angelore preached a homily on 'Saint Anthony - Hope for the needy'. In his homily he said that people from different walks of life irrespective of their caste and creed seek the intercession of Saint Anthony and he never lets down anyone who comes to him in times of need.
The number of people flocking to the Shrine at Milagres, especially on Tuesdays was proof of his unfailing help and powerful intercession.
Earlier, during the day, a Holy Mass was offered at the Shrine for the sick and elderly. A mass in Malayalam was offered by Fr Jestin James from Trissur.
At 11 am, Msgr Denis Moras Prabhu, the vicar general, offered mass for the inmates of the ashram and special invitees. Devotees from Patna, Hyderabad and Maharashtra along with large number of locals participated in the festive mass.
Fr Onil D’Souza the director of the Institues, Fr Francis D’Souza the administrator and Fr Peter Gonsalves the assistant director were present for all the masses and laid hands over the devotees and blessed them.