Mangaluru, Aug 13: On the occasion of 150 years celebration of Holy Cross Church, Kulshekar, “Yuva Cordel” – a half day Youth Programme was organised on August 6 for the youth of the parish. As many as 113 youth participated actively in the programme.
Chris Crasta from MFC spoke on ‘Drug Abuse and Youth’ while Noam gave his testimony on how he is a changed man and away from any kind of addiction today. Vandana D’Souza, lecturer at Roshni Nilaya, shared her knowledge on ‘Mental Health and Spirituality.’ The final talk for the day was by Corrine Rasquinha, founder, White Doves, who enthralled the youth with her singing and her captivating personal journey in the shadow of God. She invited youth to be pro-active and to make a difference to their own lives and then to others.
Mangaluru, Jul 23: After the 9.30 am Mass on Sunday, an impactful silent protest was organised by the parish pastoral council with the support of ICYM, YCS and the parishoners. The protest was aimed at expressing our solidarity with our suffering Tribal brethren in the Northeastern State of Manipur, who have been enduring inhuman atrocities in the region.
With a strong display of unity and compassion, the parishoners held placards conveying their messages of displeasure, concern and urgency. They primarily demanded that the Central and Manipur State Governments expedite the peace process and normalise the situation and assist the Tribals to live in peace without further delay. The silent protest and the large crowd, garnered significant attention from the general public and the media, raising awareness about the plight of the Manipur tribals. The protest emphasized the urgency and importance of addressing the grievances promptly and taking effective measures to ensure their safety, security, and well-being. The event sent a resounding message of unity, empathy, and social responsibility, calling upon the authorities to take immediate and concrete actions to alleviate the suffering of the tribal communities in Manipur.
Mangaluru, Apr 8: Thousands of devotees witnessed the recreation of scene where the body of Jesus is taken down from the Cross at Holy Cross Church, Cordel on Friday, April 7.
After a 50 year-long gap, the recreational custom was performed by the parishioners. After lowering the body from the Cross, it was laid in a cradle and a small procession was taken out. Fr Cliford Fernandes, parish priest, Fr Jovin Sequeira and Fr Ivan Corderio led the prayer.
“When I was in 8th standard, the recreation of the scene where the body of Jesus is being taken down from the Cross, was held in our Cordel parish. After that, it was stopped for various reasons. Now I am happy to see the custom again in my old age. It is very difficult to move the Cross which weighs around 80 kg and the cradle which is made of heavy wood. Nowadays, the custom is followed in many parishes and this year in our parish too,” says Roman, a senior citizen.
This year, Cordel parish marks the 150th year of laying foundation stone to the parish church by the founder, the holy priest, Fr Alexander Dubois, popularly known as Fradsaib.
Holy Cross Church Cordel Kulshekar Celebrates Feast of Nativity
Mangaluru: September 8, 2024 The parishioners of Holy Cross Church Cordel celebrated the Feast of Nativity with great enthusiasm and devotion. The festivities began with a procession of the Bambina of Infant Mary from the open-air ground, where parishioners carried newly grown paddy and children carried flowers.
Fr Clifford Fernandes, along with Assistant Parish Priests Fr Vijay Monteiro and Fr Paul Sebastian D’Souza, celebrated the festive mass. In his homily, Fr Vijay Monteiro highlighted the significance of the Feast of Nativity, commemorating the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and emphasized the importance of respecting and caring for parents in their old age.
After the mass, sheaves of newly grown paddy and sugarcane were distributed among the parishioners, marking a joyful conclusion to the celebrations.
After the mass, sheaves of newly grown paddy and sugarcane were distributed among the parishioners, marking a joyful conclusion to the celebrations.
Cordel – Mangaluru, Aug 29 : A clean surrounding is a reflection of one’s self image. With this in mind, the Indian Catholic Youth Movement (ICYM) Cordel Unit, in collaboration with YCS Cordel, Ladies Association, Environment Commission, Youth Commission, and Social Commission, organized the “Clean Cordel, Green Cordel” event on 25th August 2024 at Holy Cross Church Cordel. The aim of the event was to instill a sense of cleanliness among the youth and to promote a green environment.
The event commenced with an appropriate prayer song led by YCS Cordel Unit. Rev. Fr. Vijay Monteiro – Asst. Parish Priest was the Chief Guest, who spoke on the need for a clean and a green environment and how a clean surrounding affects our daily lives in a positive manner.
Rev. Fr. Clifford Fernandes – Parish Priest unveiled the poster wherein all the participants printed their thumbprints on pre-printed branches. The Theme of the event, “Green Dreams and Clean Streets : Cordel’s Path to a Thriving Future,” was inspirational in doing our duty towards nature by keeping the surroundings clean. The entire church premises was cleaned and made free of paper, plastic, metal, etc.
Ms. Ancilla Rodrigues compered the event. Mr. Dolphy D’Souza – Co-Ordinator of 21 Commissions welcomed the gathering. Rev. Fr. Paul D’Souza – Asst. Parish Priest and the Asst. Director of ICYM, Cordel Unit, Mrs. Ruth Castelino – Vice-President and Mr. Anil D’Sa – Secretary, Mr Vikas Rodrigues – ICYM President and Delma Dsilva – ICYM secretary graced the occasion. More than 80 people assisted in cleaning the Campus.
The event concluded with a vote of thanks and refreshments were served to all the participants
Mangaluru: ICYM Cordel unit launches new logo to celebrate 75 years of youth empowerment
Mangaluru, July 30: The Cordel Parish community gathered on Sunday, July 28, to witness a significant milestone in the history of their Church – the launch of the logo for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. This event, organised by the Indian Catholic Youth Movement (ICYM) Cordel unit, marked the beginning of a series of commemorative programmes and activities, leading to the grand celebration of ICYM Cordel unit’s 75th anniversary.
The newly designed logo was unveiled by Fr Prakash Lobo (Capuchin) in the presence of the parish priest Fr Clifford Fernandes, assistant parish priests Fr Paul Sebastian D’Souza and Fr Vijay Monterio along with Fr Prakash Lobo (Capuchin), Ruth Castelino and Anil D’Sa – Parish Pastoral Council vice-president and secretary respectively.
Dolphy D’Souza – co-ordinator of 21 commissions, ICYM Cordel unit president Vikas Rodrigues, ICYM members and parishioners witnessed the unveiling of the Platinum Jubilee logo. The logo, symbolising the rich heritage and the journey of ICYM Cordel unit, over the past 75 years, was revealed amid applause and cheer from the gathered crowd.
The design intricately captures the essence of the ICYM contribution in the growth of the Parish, its spiritual journey and the unity of the ICYM Cordel unit.
With the launch of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations logo, as a symbol of their shared history and aspirations, the ICYM Cordel unit and the parish looks forward to a year of meaningful celebrations, culminating in the grand jubilee event in February 2025.
Mangaluru, Jul 22: Holy Cross Church in Kulshekar witnessed a significant event on July 21st morning as 48 children were formally inducted as altar servers during the 9:30 AM Mass. This ceremony marked a pivotal milestone for the parish, highlighting the spiritual growth and commitment of the young participants to serve at the altar.
The Mass, presided over by Fr Clifford Fernandes, featured a poignant homily that resonated with the newly inducted servers and the congregation, emphasizing themes of service and dedication. Fr Clifford Fernandes and Fr Vijay Monteiro jointly conducted the induction ceremony, offering spiritual guidance and encouragement to the young altar servers.
The proceedings were skillfully coordinated by Sr Reena, Gladys, and Matilda, ensuring that the event was both memorable and spiritually enriching for all attendees.
Assistant parish priest Fr Paul Sebastian, parish leaders including Ruth Castelino, vice president of the parish council, and Anil D’Sa, the secretary, were among the dignitaries present. Dolphy D’Souza, secretary of the 21 association, also graced the occasion with his presence, underscoring the community’s support for the new altar servers.
The ceremony culminated in a group photograph, capturing the jubilant spirit of the occasion and the readiness of the new altar servers to embark on their journey of service to the parish.
Mangaluru: NRI Christmas Day celebrated at Cordel Holy Cross Church
Mangaluru, Dec 26: A one-of-its-kind, Christmas Day was celebrated at Holy Cross Church, Cordel. On the occasion of post centenary golden Jubilee of the Church, various programmes were organised for the parishioners.
On December 24, NRI Christmas was celebrated with the NRIs of Holy Cross Church who are spread across the globe. There were more than 150 NRIs from various countries like USA, Qatar, Oman, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Israel, Iran, Thailand, Australia, Gabon, Canada, Czech Republic, etc. A beautiful procession was carried out with NRI families before the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. The NRIs were honoured and felicitated with blessed candles. It was a special celebration in honour of all our parishioners who are working abroad and the joy of being one big parish family was much evident in the proceedings of the celebration.
Fr Paul Sebastian D’Souza – assistant parish priest was the main celebrant. Fr Clifford Fernandes preached the sermon and he stressed on the special occasion of the birth of Jesus. He called on the parishioners to be kind and considerate and be aware of where one comes from and history. He called upon the people gathered to be humane towards each other. “God wants dwells amongst us and in the Old Testament God spoke to Prophets through light, sound, wind, dreams, etc. God has his own plans and he fulfils his plan when the right time comes. From time to time, God sends various people to speak to humankind and we need to recognise the presence of God in them. Where there is peace, harmony, love, etc. there we can the glory of God. What does God expects from us? He expects us to be caring, sharing, helping the needy and he calls us to walk on the righteous path,” he said.
The Holy Eucharist was concelebrated by Fr Ivan Peter Cordeiro – assistant parish priest, Fr Walter Mendonca, Fr Richard Fernandes, Fr Ronald Rodrigues – guest priests and deacon Norman Mathias and Br Joel Monteiro were present along with Ruth Castelino – vice president of the parish council, Anil D’Sa – secretary of the parish council, finance committee members and the members of the parish council were present. More than 6000 faithful attended the Eucharistic celebration. The special attraction is the 22-ft tall Christmas tree that attracted a lot of crowds and served as a photography and selfie spot. The ICYM members prepared a beautiful crib depicting a meaningful message. The sweetness of the festive season was shared by distributing cake to all present at the celebration.
