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Blessing of new Udupi Diocesan Priests Cemetery at Mount Rosary, Kalliapur

Kallianpur, Nov 2, 2020: Mount Rosary Church, Santhekatte, Kallianpur, set aside and donated a substantial portion of its spacious Graveyard exclusively for the burial of priests, of the Udupi Diocese, the place where the remains of the dead people are buried, otherwise interred, commonly known as cemetery.

The ceremony of blessing of the place was taken place on Monday, 2nd November, 2020, ‘feast of all souls day’, after the 7.30 am Holy Mass. The Bishop of Udupi, Rt. Rev. Dr. Gerald Isaac Lobo, concelebrated the Mass, with Vicar Fr. Dr. Leslie D’Souza and Assistant parish priest Fr.  Steevan Fernandes, for the repose of all the parishioners, who are physically not living with us, believed to be are in heavenly abode or their way and whose mortal remains were buried in this holy place reminds us of the rich legacy of their love, sacrifice and life in Christian faith….

In his well woven homily, Bishop explained the need of praying for the departed brethren, meaning of resurrection of the bodies and the life everlasting in heaven with risen Lord with references of Scriptures.

Under the supervision and special care of parish priest Rev. Dr. Leslie C. D’Souza, his assistants earlier Fr. Clany D’Souza and now Fr. Steevan Fernandes and others, the area earmarked is neatly cleaned, prepared planned burial rows and given a serene and peaceful look to the Cemetery and its surrounding, is rightly a beautiful gift to the Diocese and a token of reverence to the priests served / serving, by the Rosarian’s, Kallianpur.

Statues of Crucifixion of Jesus with Mother Mary, Apostle John and others at the foot erected on an attractive marble platform under an arch shaped shelter attract the visitors from distance.

Soon after the Holy Mass for all departed souls of the parish, a special prayer session was conducted there in the Cemetery, led by Bishop. Parish Priest Fr. Dr Leslie D’Souza welcomed Bishop and all gathered over there and expressed his satisfaction in reserving a holy piece of land, under the holy feats of Mount Rosary, for Priests of the Diocese.  Bishop blessed the area sprinkling holy water with other priests and thanked Parish Priest Fr. Leslie, who is known as a perfectionist who wants everything, to be the best and his team worked tirelessly and honoured the special donors with candle.

While thanking all concerned, Ronnie Saldanha, the secretary of the Pastoral Council, expressed gratitude’s to Bishop for praying for our loved one’s taking eternal rest in this holy place and blessing the Cemetery reserved for priests, remembered the contribution of donors in various ways, like statues, etc, Elias D’Souza and others who have done the civil works, and all the parishioners for their co-operation.

Bishop in his concluding remarks endorsed our Vicar’s message to’ keep the three places viz, place our birth, place of worship and this last destination for our dead bodies in this life, neat and clean as they are holy, and not to be a place of fear but a place of hope and to relax, spend little time to call back the memories of our forefathers….’The unique feature of the Diocese of Udupi, he said, ‘there is no separate graveyard for priests, the people who lived, sacrificed their whole life will be with laity even after their departure from this world’.

Necessary precautions were in place, in view of Covid19 pandemic, like wearing mask, physical distancing, sanitising etc.