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Udupi : Bishop Gerald Isaac Lobo, administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to 62 candidates of St. Lawrence Parish, Moodubelle during the solemn mass celebrating the feast of Pentecost on Sunday, 4 June 2017 at 7.30 am.

Prior to the mass, the Bishop along with the priests and Confirmation candidates came in procession to the main altar.

Soon after the reading of the Gospel, Fr. Clement Mascarenhas, Parish Priest of Moodubelle vouched before the Bishop about the eligibility, of the candidates to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation affirming that the candidates have received the necessary training in catechism and formation of faith.

Bishop Gerald Lobo centered his  homily on the importance of the family quoting from the letter of Pope Francis titled “Amoris Laetitia” (The Joy of Love). In his homily, the Bishop said that human beings cannot live in isolation. They have to live in society of which family is the basic unit. God himself laid the foundation of the family when he created, first Adam and then Eve and blessing them to multiply and fill the world.  God the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit represent the Divine Family. To have an ideal family, there should be love, bond of unity, cooperation and support.

Bishop Gerald Lobo made a reference to the canonization of Louis Martin and Marie Azelie Guerin by Pope Francis on 18 October 2015 that marked the first time a married couple were declared saints. They were chosen to highlight the key role parents play in the spiritual and human upbringing of their children.

Pope Francis  praised the couple for practicing "Christian service in the family, creating day by day an environment of faith and love which nurtured the vocations of their daughters."

They had nine children, four of whom died in childbirth. The five surviving girls all became nuns, and one was St. Therese of Lisieux, who died of tuberculosis in 1897 at the age of 24.

Popularly known as "The Little Flower," the nun of the Carmelite order achieved a worldwide following with the publication after her death of The Story of a Soul, a collection of her thoughts on faith and simplicity.

Bishop Gerald Lobo said that Pope Francis has given four guidelines for building an ideal Christian family: 1. Recognizing the presence of God in the family, 2. Accepting Christ as the centre of the family, 3. Making family a temple of prayer and 4. Family should be the witness to faith.

Expressing the concern about the upbringing of the children, the Bishop said that it is the duty of the parents to keep a watch on their children and correct them whenever they go astray or else a day will come when they will regret for neglecting their primary duty when their children adopt wrong path and ruin their future. The Bishop also reminded the basic three words that Pope Francis wanted the parents to teach their children, namely, ‘Please’, ‘Thank you’ and ‘Sorry’.

Soon after the homily, Bishop Gerald Lobo administered the holy Sacrament of Confirmation to 62 Candidates. Victor D’Souza and Mrs. Cony D’Souza acted as God-parents to the candidates receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation.

Towards the end of the solemn mass, Fr. Clement Mascarenhas thanked the Bishop for his pastoral visit saying that the three days of his visit are the days of grace for the parish.

Bishop Gerald Lobo addressing the parishioners stressed upon the need for them to participate in various activities in the society and political sphere. He asked them to make use of the facilities that are being offered by the government in improving their economic and social status.

The Bishop, assisted by Fr. Lawrence D’Cunha, the Assistant Parish Priest distributed Certificates to the candidates who had received the Sacrament of Confirmation.

Following the solemn blessing, the Bishop, Fr. Clement and Fr. Lawrence joined the Confirmation candidates for group picture.

It is a coincidence that the candidates received the Sacrament of Confirmation during the celebration of the Feast of the Pentecost, considered to be the feast of the Holy Spirit.