Mangalore: Bishop Dr Aloysius inaugurates new building of Kulur Church
Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (BG)
Mangalore, Feb 3: The new building of St Antony Church at Kulur here was inaugurated by bishop of Mangalore Dr Aloysius Paul D’Souza on Monday February 3. Bishop of Bellary Dr Henry D’ Souza blessed the occasion.
The new church building includes a grotto, a belfry, and a parochial house. A solemn Eucharistic celebration was also held on the occasion, where the bishop was the main celebrant.
A felicitation programme then followed. Contractor Richard Rodrigues Kelrai, engineer Lawrence Cutinho Bondel and many others who were actively involved in the construction of the building were felicitated on the occasion by the bishop, in the presence of Bellary bishop, Kulur church parish priest Fr Herald C D’Souza, Harsha Moily, son of union minister Veerappa Moily, state health minister U T Khadar, Mangalore North MLA Mohiuddin Bava and others.
Blessing the occasion, bishop Dr Aloysius Paul D’Souza said, "Church is a sacred place where we keep in contact with lord almighty. We are all children of god. We need the church to offer our prayers and divine offerings to the lord."
He further said, "In the earlier days, people used to strive hard and save from their daily bread to build a church, but now, as there are lots of philanthropists amidst us, the task has become easier. The members of this church have collected a huge amount of Rs 4 crore from the people around (no foreign investment) and built this beautiful church. The effort is highly commendable."
Addressing the gathering, Bellary bishop Dr Henry D’Souza said, "A genuine leader is the one who has dreams in his mind, mercy in his eyes, charm on his face, truth on his tongue, love in his heart, and service in his hands and feet. Such a person can transform the society."
He added, "The future of our society is in the hands of our youth and our children, hence it is necessary to take care and control them and lead them in the right path. We must join hands and be united, and thereby build a Catholic religious kingdom."
Vincent D'Souza, Linette D'Souza, Cleaver D'Souza, Dolphy Ferrao and others were present on the occasion.
Kulur parish, which comes under the ambit of Mangalore diocese and is dedicated to St Antony, was established in 1863, becoming the first parish to be built after the formation of the diocese of Mangalore.
St Antony Church is constructed on a small hill located on the banks of river Phalguni. When NH 66 was being widened, a landslide destroyed part of the church, making a new building necessary.
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