Magnificent new chapel at St Anne's Friary inaugurated The inauguration and blessing of the newly constructed chapel at St
Anne's friary was held on Tuesday, February 17 in befitting ceremony. Fr
Dolphy Joseph Pais, provincial minister of Capuchins in Karnataka province
inaugurated the chapel. Dr Aloysius Paul D'Souza, the bishop of Mangaluru
blessed the chapel. Renovated St Antony's shrine was blessed by Fr Bertrand
D'Cunha, new mini hall was inaugurated by Fr Dolphy Serrao and Fr Fredrick
D'Souza inaugurated the Marian grotto. Thereafter, the Eucharist celebration
was done by Dr Aloysius Paul D'Souza as the main celebrant in which number
of priests and devotees participated. Fr Dolphy Pais, in his homily said,
"You may ask while God himself lives in every human being, is a place for
worship required? In fact, though one can easily say no, strictly speaking a
place for worship is required. We can only make our lives worthy by being
good, and in order to be good, we need to pray together. God asked Abraham
to build a place for worship for him. All holy people in the old testament
built centres of worship for God. Hence we decided to build this new chapel
to accommodate more devotees. May God bless all the people who helped to
build this magnificent place of worship." Msgr Dennis Moras Prabhu and Fr
Pius D'Souza, carmelite were present during the mass. Fr Ben Britto rendered
some prayers in the form of hymns. Simon Pais conducted the choir. A
thanksgiving and felicitation programme followed after the mass.
Dr Aloysius Paul D'Souza, Fr Dolphy Pais, Fr Cyprian D'Souza, Blossom
Fernandes, Margaret Rebello (granddaughter of George Lobo, the donor of the
original friary land), and Elias Fernandes from Four Winds graced the dias.
The representatives of donors were felicitated by the dignitaries on the
dias. Former superiors of the friary and representatives of various
contractors were also felicitated. A souvenir on the life of Capuchins, a
book by Fr Fredrick D'Souza (pen name Brother Junifer) and 'Gaytha Aathmik
Thalo'an audio compilation of hymns by Fr Dolphy Serrao and Fr Cyprian
D'Souza were unveiled during the programme.Dr Aloysius Paul D'Souza who
delivered the presidential address said, "Capuchins are admired priests in
the world. They are known for their life of poverty, sacrifice and prayers.
I call upon all the seminarians, novices and the faithful to emulate
Capuchins. I also approach Capuchins for various needs through their
superior Fr Cyprian D'Souza. He always says yes. I wish them all the best
and congratulate them on this occasion." Lunch was served to all the
faithfuls. Around 4,000 people witnessed the inauguration. Fr Darel
Fernandes assisted by Sharal D'Souza compered the progarmme.
About St Anne's Friary:
St Anne’s Friary on Jail road, a house of prayer of the Franciscan Capuchin
Friars, has been a landmark in Mangaluru city for the past 85 years. Over
the years it has touched the lives of people from different walks of life.
The old chapel at the friary which had to be replaced with new chapel now,
will become a place of tranquility for thousands of devotees. The place
where the friary stands presently was gifted to the friars by George Lobo, a
retired jailor in memory of his deceased wife, Annie Lobo in 1936. Hence the
friary was named after St Anne. Earlier the Friary used only as a residence
and center for Franciscan gatherings is a giant institution now. The friary
has many initiatives to its credit including Secular Franciscan Order (SFO),
Konkani Natak Sabha, Don Bosco hall, 'Sevak' Konkani monthly magazine and
Assisi Press. St Antony’s Shrine which stands in front of the chapel, St Pio
shrine and Divine Mercy Centre are the places inside St Anne's friary
premises which attract people from all religions every day. Divine Mercy
Centre where more than a thousand devotees gather on every Friday, is called
as a place of miracles.
