Carmel grows: OCDS Study Group in Edmonton,Canada On 10th of November, 2018, 13 candidates were
interviewed at Mount carmel spirituality centre at
Edmonton to begin an OCDS Study Group. Fr. Roshan
D'Souza, the Provincial Delegate for the OCDS was
present at the occasion. Fr. Mario Fernandes has
been appointed as the formator and spiritual
director.
Secular Carmel Community Annual Day at Bajjodi The Secular Carmelite Community of Infant Mary
Parish, Bajjodi celebrated its Annual Day on Nov.
3rd, Saturday with a solemn Mass at 5.30 pm. Rev.
Fr. Rayan Pais was the main celebrant, who in his
Homily gave a beautiful message of Love being the
solution to all the worldly confusion we face and
thus gave a call to Love God, fellow human beings
and ourselves. It does not suffice to just love the
Church but we need to commit ourselves to the church
by actively taking part and offering ourselves fully
in the service of the church through our talents.
Vicar Rev. Fr. Ivan D'souza, Rev Fr. Roshan Pinto
and Rev. Fr. Patrick Lobo co - celebrated the mass.
Mass was followed by a cultural programme in the
Church hall to which Rev. Fr. Rayan Pais was the
Chief guest .
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Seminar on Divine Mercy held SANVORDEM: “ Have feelings of Jesus and be like
Him.” said Fr. Vital Miranda, Dean of Sanguem
Deanery and Parish Priest of Guardian Angel’s
Church, Sanvordem. Fr. Miranda was delivering a
homily during the Eucharistic celebration at the
concluding of a day seminar on Divine Mercy. A day
seminar on Divine Mercy was organised by the Divine
Mercy Centre of the Carmelite Fathers Margao, in
collaboration with the Guardian Angel’s Church,
Sanvordem for the members of the Divine Mercy
Parish/Chapel Groups of Sanguem deanery at Guardian
Angel’s Church, Sanvordem. Fr. Miranda stressed on
the emptiness of Jesus for our Salvation. He
appealed the members of the Divine Mercy to
experience the mercy and be merciful to the others.
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Our Lady of Rosary Venerated @ Pushpashrama
“Praying the Rosary without the meditation on the
mysteries of Christ is similar to a body without a
soul”. – Pope Paul VI. After achieving a feat of praying the rosary in more
than 60 homes in the month of October, the community
of Pushpashrama organised ‘An hour to Rosary’ in the
Infant Jesus Shrine on October 31st. Before the
solemn Rosary, a high mass was celebrated in honour
of our Lady of Rosary at 6:30 PM. Fr. Oswald was the
main celebrant and preached a well prepared homily
highlighting the history, significance and
Christo-centricism of the Holy Rosary.With lamps and
candles burning bright and our Lady adorning herself
amidst these lights, the Rosary was prayed in the
presence of minimal lights. Every mystery was
reflected in depth and the Fatima Prayer was sung in
the presence of the gathered faithful.
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Farewell to Fr Joy Francis
“My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to
complete his work” (Jn 4:34). Jesus who said these words highlighting his mission
still helps us to draw inspiration to preach the
good news to lands near and far. Heeding to this
call, with utmost obedience just like his master
Jesus, Fr. Joy Francis has prepared himself to touch
the earth of Nagpur, Maharashtra and give witness of
Christ to the people there. As he was serving in the
community of Pushpashrama, the community felt apt to
bid him adieu with a grand farewell. He worked
marvels in Pushpashrama by renovating the chapel,
repairing the sound systems, installing TV screens
in the shrine to facilitate easy worship and so on.
His cheerful spirit and helping nature was truly
inspiring and influencing. Therefore thanking him
for his very presence in Pushpashrama and wishing
him success in the new mission land, the community
organised a cultural programme which included a
colourful display of talents of brothers.
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The Joy of Carmel relived in Canada As a climax of the pastoral visitation of
Provincial, Fr. Charles Serrao to the friars in
Canada, the Annual Gathering of Carmelite friars
working in Canada was held at St. Thomas More
Parish, Calgary from October 15th to 18, 2018. Fr.
John Pinto and Fr. Roshan D’Souza hosted the
gathering. This Annual Gathering began with the
Evening Prayer in honour of our Holy Mother St.
Teresa of Avila followed by the Inaugural Mass which
was attended by the OCDS members of Calgary and a
good number of parishioners. Fr. Charles Serrao,
Provincial presided over the Mass and Fr. Joachim
Pereira, the Episcopal Vicar for Religious of the
Diocese of Calgary preached a quite appealing homily
based on the life and teachings of St. Teresa of
Avila. The Jubilarians Fr. Jerome Mascarenhas and
Fr. Ranjan D’Sa were specially remembered in prayer
during the Mass.
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TIAMPO MEMORIAL HALL ALBUM NO. 4 Dear
Friends,
This is Album number 4 of Tiampo Memorial Hall under
construction at Carmel Hill (Canada). The mounting
of wooden walls has begun. The wood that is needed
for the entire hall has already been stacked in the
compound. A lot of space cleared around the hall is
for parking lots approximately for 200 cars. We are
grateful to Fr. Alexander Brangaza (Superior) and
Fr. Melvin Pinto for sacrificing their time both in
managing the programs at Little Flower Monastery and
monitoring the work that is taking place at the
construction site. Please click the link below for
latest photos. Please click here for the photos.
TIAMPO MEMORIAL HALL ALBUM NO. 3 Dear
Friends,
Here are the latest photos of the ongoing
construction of Tiampo Memorial Hall at Carmel Hill,
Canada. We have obtained the basic necessary
permissions from the Fraser Valley District and the
foundation of the Hall is almost complete. We had
the great privilege of having Helen visit the site
on September 10th. Fr. Alexander Braganza and Fr.
Melvin Pinto offered us their wonderful hospitality
in the Monastery. The ground Engineer of Alfred
Horie Constructions, Mr. Dennis Cardin showed us the
site and explained in detail how this hall will be
constructed. The next move of the construction of
the Hall will be raising of the walls. The material
for this second phase has already arrived from
Germany. These photos clicked by Rev. Fr. Alexander
Braganza OCD, Superior, Little Flower Monastery.
Please click here for the photos.
Golden Brothers at Philomena’s College : Pushpashrama Bros. Shine George and Babusha, the alumni of our
college of Pushpashrama made the province proud by
decorating themselves in gold medals in the
subjects, Philosophy and Alternative English
respectively from St. Philomena’s College, Mysore.
They were awarded for scoring the highest marks.
However what distinguished their achievements was
that being correspondent students, they won these
medals among the regular college attending students.
In receiving these medals they not only made our
province proud but have also etched their names in
the chronicles of St. Philomena’s college as being
the first Carmelite brothers to achieve this feat.
Kudos to both of you!
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St. Therese of Child Jesus – Patroness Honored @ PUSHPASHRAMA “Without love, deeds, even the most
brilliant, count as nothing.”
An institute will have no greater pleasure than
celebrating the feast of its patron. Pushpashrama
institute of philosophy and religion celebrated the
solemnity of St. Therese its patroness with great
zest and enthusiasm. Having imbibed the treasured
spirituality of St. Therese to do ordinary things
with extraordinary love, the community proceeded to
celebrate this feast in a low scale. This was done,
keeping in mind our suffering brethren in Kodagu and
Kerala to whose need the usual expenses will be
furnished to. The community celebrated the solemnity
with the faithful on Sunday, 30th September during
the 08: 00 AM mass.
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GOOD
NEWS FROM CANADA!
Fr. John Alex Pinto OCD, has been appointed by
Bishop William McGrattan as the Vicar Forane (Dean)
of the North East Deanery in the Diocese of Calgary,
Alberta, Canada. He has been serving as the Pastor
of St. Thomas More Parish, Calgary for 10 years and
is thus one of the long-standing pastors serving in
the Diocese. While we congratulate him on assuming
this new responsibility, we pray that he be guided
by the Holy Spirit.
FR. PROVINCIAL’S VISIT and LOWER MAINLAND CEREMONIES
WESTERN CANADA OCDS OF THE KARNATAKA-GOA PROVINCE Double Celebration! Double Happiness! The three
Lower Mainland Communities had much reason to
rejoice on September 22, 2018. The rain and fall
weather did not dampen their spirits as they
gathered at St. Edmund’s Church, North Vancouver,
BC. Provincial Father Charles Serrao made his annual
visit to the Canada Region at a most opportune time
to coincide with the Ceremonies of the 2018
candidates. The Eucharistic Celebration was presided
by Fr. Charles Serrao and concelebrated by Regional
Superior Fr. Jerald D’Souza, Provincial Delegate Fr.
Steny Mascarenhas and Assistant Pastor of St.
Edmund’s Parish, Fr. Vincent D’Souza. It was a
bonanza year for the Region with the investiture of
six aspirants, the first profession of nine
candidates and the vows of one candidate.
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INSTITUTE DAY AT DHYANAVANA, MYSURU Dhyanavana Day was celebrated on Sunday, 23rd
September 2018. Dhyanavana is an International
Spirituality Centre where presently 65 sisters are
studying from around 30 Religious Congregations. We
conduct Diploma Course of 9 months and Certificate
Courses of 6 and 3 months to the Religious Women,
along with M.A. in Holistic Spirituality from the
University of Mysore. On Dhyanavana Day celebration,
many Major Superiors and Junior Mistresses
participated along with our neighbouring Priests,
Religious and Friends. In the morning we had a talk
on “Formation” and a Con-Celebrated Holy Eucharist
by Rev. Fr. Pius James, OCD, Vicar Provincial. In
the evening our Dhyanavana sisters put up a very
good cultural program with the message “WE ARE WOMEN
OF FAITH - United in God’s Love, Sisters in Grace”.
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Dear Friends, Jivitamruth series in Daijiworld
24X7 from Episode 219-269, a total of 50
Episodes on Christian Spirituality
will be transmitted live twice a day from the second
week of September till beginning of December. The
hosts of this series are Fr. Rudolf V. D'Souza
(Canada) and Mr. Denis Mascarenhas (Oman - Muscat).
The episodes will be relayed from Monday
till Friday every week from 7 am till 7.30 am and
evening 7 pm till 7.30 pm.
Nativity and Family Feast celebrated at Bajjodi The feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin
Mary, also called the Monti Fest, was celebrated
with devotion at bajjodi on Saturday September 8th.
Blessing of the Corn was held at Lourdes grotto. The
congregation went in a procession to the church
singing devotional hymns, accompanied by a brass
band with Bambina Mary. After the procession the
beautiful age old tradition of children showering
flowers at Mother Mary's statue was performed with
the accompaniment of hymns. Rev. Fr. Lancy Lewis was
the main Celebrant. Parish Priest Fr. Ivan D’souza,
Fr. Patrick Lobo, Fr. Rovel D’souza, Deac. Macson
Dabre concelebrated in the Eucharist. In his homily,
Fr Lancy Lewis expounded the uniqueness of the feast
and stressed on the role of the family in the
church. At the end, Fr. Ivan D’souza honoured the
main sponsors as well as thanked everyone for their
whole hearted support for the success of the feast.
New grains and sugar canes were distributed to the
parishioners.
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PUSHPASHRAMA SOLEMNIZES THE NATIVITY OF OUR HEAVENLY MOTHER “You are the Daughter of Zion, the Ark of the
Covenant and the new Eve. You are the honor; you are
the glory of our people, Virgin Mother Mary”.
The day to which all the Catholics look forward to
finally arrived! After nine days of intense
preparation and offering flowers to Infant Mary, we
on 8th of September celebrated with great joy and
jubilation the nativity of our dear Mother Mary. The
mass was celebrated at 6:45 am with Fr. Lawrence D’
Mello as the main celebrant. The new corn was
blessed and the euphoria of the day was initiated.
Meanwhile, the Fathers and the brothers involved
themselves in various committees of cooking,
decorating and of prayer service to celebrate this
family feast.
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A NEW BLOCK AT ASHA DEEPA, MADANTHYAR The much expected and awaited Asha Deepa formation
house was blessed and inaugurated on 15th of August,
2018. The celebration began with the Holy Eucharist,
presided over by Very Rev. Fr Charles Serrao OCD,
the Provincial Superior of Karnataka-Goa Province
and Rev. Fr Dominic Vas OCD, preached a relevant
homily for the occasion. Over 45concelebrants -
mainly our Carmelite friars - joined the Eucharistic
celebration. It was well attended by the religious
and the lay faithful from the vicinity. The choir
consisting of our theology brothers from Mangalore
enhanced the fervour of the entire liturgical
celebration.
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Inauguration of Pushpanjali Retreat Centre, Gorwa 26th of August, 2018 was a great and memorable day
that will go down in the history of the Carmelites
of the Karnataka-Goa province in general and the
Pushpanjali Community in particular as another dream
project – Retreat Centre - in the State of Gujarat,
was completed. The inaugural mass was held at 10:00
am. presided over by Most Rev. Athanasius
Rethnaswamy, the Bishop of Ahmedabad Diocese, who
also broke the Word of God. The concelebrants were:
Most Rev. Stanislaus Fernandes (Apostolic
Administrator of Baroda Diocese), Fr. Joel Pais
(Vicar General of Baroda Diocese), Fr Charles Serrao
(Provincial of the Karnataka-Goa province), 8 other
Carmelite friars and 3 Diocesan priests.
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St. Teresa of Jesus Community : 2018 Retreat
Little Flower Monastery, Carmel Hill, Deroche, BC. The Community’s retreat took place from 27th July to
29th July 2018 commencing with the celebration of
the Holy Eucharist by Fr. Alexander Braganza OCD,
Retreat Master. He began with the introduction of
the retreat theme “Call to Holiness”. He made
reference to the saints who, in spite of their
weaknesses, show us that the path to holiness is
attainable and we are all called to it. The
atmosphere of peace and quiet together with our
solitude time, interspersed with community prayer,
daily celebration of the Holy Eucharist, talks,
Stations of the Cross, Benediction and Exposition
with conducted meditation provided us with a greater
sense of community whilst enabling us to go deeper
in our encounter with the Living Christ.
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MOUNT CARMEL SCHOOL, BELUR: in full splendour! The inauguration of the new wing of Mount Carmel
School, Belur (first floor and auditorium) was held
on 16th of August, 2018, in the presence of Fr.
Charles Serrao, Provincial Superior. The Chief Guest
for the function was Shri Bhagwan, the president of
neighboring SES (Shantala Education Society) school.
The programme began at 2.30 p.m. with a welcome
dance by the children. Fr. Prakash Tauro, the
Principal, welcomed and introduced all the
dignitaries. There was a small prayer service
invoking God’s assistance, followed by blessing the
new edifice by the sprinkling of Holy Water. Frs.
Provincial and Shri Bhagwan delivered their messages
on the occasion. In between the students displayed
their talents through two beautiful dances.
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THANKSGIVING MASS OF OUR NEW PRIEST - REV. FR. REGAN PAUL D'SOUZA With hearts full of gratitude, Fr. Regan D'Souza,
along with his family and the parishioners, offered
a thanksgiving Mass on Sunday, 26th August 2018 at
his home parish: St. Anthony's Church, Bazar Ghat,
Hyderabad. The Mass was concelebrated by around 25
priests. The Mass began at 10.30 and ended with a
short felicitation programme.
FR. REGAN AT HADAGALLI It was a joyful day on 19th August, 2018, as Fr.
Regan celebrated a Holy Mass along with the
Carmelite community at Hoovinagadagali. Fr. Regan
will be a member of this mission community and the
people were happy to welcome him after his priestly
ordination. The Mass was concelebrated by the
community fathers, and former superior, Fr. Cyprian
Fernandes. The Mass began at 11 am and was followed
by felicitation and lunch.
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A FINANCIAL CONSULTANT BECOMES A CARMELITE PRIEST! Deacon Regan Paul D'Souza was ordained a Priest on
14th of August at Infant Jesus Shrine, Carmel Hill,
Bikarnakatte, by Most Rev. Aloysius Paul D Souza,
Apostolic Administrator of Mangalore, in the
presence of all the faithful. The solemn Mass with
the rite of Ordination began at 4.00 p.m. Deacon
Regan was born to Mr. Reginald and Mrs. Pauline
D’Souza on 19th July 1981 in Bantwal, Mangalore and
was brought up in Hyderabad. He is the eldest of the
six siblings - two sisters and four brothers. He
obtained all his primary, secondary and university
education in Hyderabad itself. Just as the apostle
Matthew was called while at work so also Regan
received the call of Jesus while he was working as a
financial consultant. After 3 years of service with
the poor and suffering he was introduced to the
order of Carmel. He joined the Discalced Carmelite
Order in July 2007 and made his first profession on
28th September 2008. Filled with zeal and enthusiasm
for the missions he reached the shore of Tanzania,
Africa on 9th September 2009 with the sole purpose
of evangelizing and serving the poor.
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A NOVICE AT PUNE CARMEL! The ever fruitful womb of the Mother of Carmel has
brought to life yet another daughter. With great
joy, the Carmel of Pune received the gift of Sr.
Sharon of Jesus, into their Novitiate. Miss Sharon
Luis hails from Caranzalem, Goa. Having being
brought up in a pious family with regular prayer and
participation in the Holy Eucharist, her desire for
God and religious life began at a very young age.
She has been an active member of the Catholic
Charismatic Renewal, Goa Unit and other Parish
Associations. She was introduced to St. Therese of
the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, and the Carmelite
Spirituality through her acquaintance with the
Congregation of The Heralds of the Gospel. The
discernment of her vocation led her to choose the
Contemplative way of life of Carmel. Sharon has
completed her Engineering in Electronics and
Telecommunication. After working in an IT company
for around a year, Miss Sharon joined the Carmel of
God the Father, Pune in June 2017.
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Assumption of BVM & Independence Day @ Pushpashrama As the tricolors unfurled in the land of India,
Pushpashrama too joined hands in spreading the
solidarity and unity, proudly saying we are Indians.
And this celebration was doubled when the solemnity
of the assumption of our Lady added meaning to the
Eucharistic celebration held in our shrine at 7:
00am. ‘With Mary to heaven’, this being the slogan,
the mass was celebrated and preached meaningfully by
Fr. John Lobo. He emphasized that the true meaning
of Christian freedom is understood when we emulate
the life of Mary. After the Eucharistic celebration,
the faithful saluted the national flag which was
hoisted by Fr. Vinod Lobo. A meaningful and thought
provoking message was delivered by Br. Loy Crasta
and thus reinforced in us with great zeal, the
faithfulness to our country. Brothers also sang a
song in honor of our country India and to top it all
followed a short programme by our tiny tots of the
Carmel Play home.
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TIAMPO MEMORIAL HALL WORK PROGRESS ALBUM NO. 2 Dear
Friends,
Here in Canada we have a wonderful hot summer. It's
really great to have the Sun with his full force on
us during this time of the year, especially this
year. The work at Tiampo Memorial Hall at North
Deroche Road is in full swing. With all the initial
hurdles overcome we have a temporary building work
permit thanks to the hard work of our Architect John
Clarke, Darrell Wickstrom and Steve Creighton. The
basic foundation work is almost complete. You can
see the infrastructure being slowly in up word swing
process. Due to summer holidays the work is a bit
slowed down but will certainly pick up as soon as
the summer holidays are over. A lot of underground
work is complete and now we wait for the wooden
structures to arrive from Germany. You can still see
a lot of concrete work that is completed. Huge road
work is in progress and a big parking lot is being
constructed. You can see the huge pile of stones dug
out of the foundation excavation which will be
crushed on site and used for the construction of the
hall. Please click the link below for the visuals of
the work site of Tiampo Memorial Hall.
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2018 ANNUAL MEETING OF WESTERN CANADA OCDS The 9th Annual Meeting of Western Canada OCDS took
place on July 6 – 7, 2018 at Little Flower
Monastery, Carmel Hill, Deroche, B.C. Present were
Rev. Fr. Jerald D’Souza, Regional Superior of
Canada, Rev. Fr. Steny Mascarenhas, Provincial
Delegate, Secretariat Officers, Community Presidents
and Directors of Formation. Representatives of the
Calgary and Vernon communities were recognized for
their great effort and sacrifice made towards their
attendance. Fr. Jerald formally introduced Fr. Steny
Mascarenhas as the new Provincial Delegate and
chaired the meeting to wrap up the proceedings of
the 2017 annual meeting. Reports were given by all
in attendance, followed by queries and solutions on
challenges and major concerns. Utmost importance was
given to review of the local statutes, formation
matters and community building.
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FEAST OF OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL @ ST. EDMUND’S CHURCH, NORTH VANCOUVER, BC The Solemnity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was
celebrated at St. Edmund’s Parish by Bishop Gary
Gordon of the Victoria Diocese and concelebrated by
Fr. Jerald D’Souza, Regional Superior of Canada,
along with our Carmelite Friars and Fr. James Comey.
The Mass was well attended by Secular Carmelites,
religious, parishioners, family and friends. Bishop
Gordon, who was born and raised in Vancouver,
thanked Fr. Jerald for the invitation to celebrate
this great solemnity of our Order. Bishop Gordon
expounded on the Gospel Reading that day (John
19:25-27). Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and John, the
beloved disciple, stood at the foot of the Cross.
Addressing Jesus’ words to John, he said, “Here is
your mother!” And to His mother, he said, “Here is
your son!” “The Gospel speaks so powerfully about
the closeness of God to us. We find a particular way
for God to draw closer to us and for us to draw
closer to God in the image of Mary at the foot of
the cross.
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Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Bicentenary Celebration of Catholic Faith in Southern Africa The Community of Benoni, South Africa celebrated the
feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and 200 years of
the Catholic Church in Sothern Africa on 14 July,
2018. They also remembered 20 years of Carmelite
Friars presence in South Africa. The parish
communities of Our Lady of Loreto, Kempton Park, St
Joseph’s, Acotnville, and Our Lady of Mount Carmel,
Brentwood Park came together for this meaningful
celebrations. The faithful were spiritually prepared
by three days of novena and spiritual renewal
programs animated by Fr John D’Souza, Fr Arvin Tauro
and Fr Boniface D’Souza. On the feast day (14, July)
Mass was presided over by Fr Marthinus Badenhorst,
OP who gave a meaningful homily on Carmelite
Spirituality.
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Pushpashrama venerates Patroness of the Order “Triumph all ye Cherubim, sing with us
sweet Seraphim, Heaven and Earth resound our Hymn,
Salve Salve Salve Regina…!”
The day to which all the Carmelites look forward to
dawned on 16th of July to celebrate the great
solemnity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. But this joy
as to be shared with all be it Carmelites or not,
because Mother Mary is the mother of all. Therefore
the Pushpashrama keeping this in their minds
anticipated the celebration of our Blessed Virgin
Mary of Mount Carmel on Sunday. As the feast is of
the Carmelites, the liturgy was animated and
celebrated by the Carmelites of the entire order
i.e., the priests, brothers, the secular Carmelites
and lest to forget, the offshoots of the vineyard of
Carmel, the other sister congregations of the
Carmelites.
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Mangalore: Feast of Mount Carmel Celebrated at Infant Jesus Shrine The feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, popularly
known as the Feast of the Scapular (Benthin) was
celebrated at the Infant Jesus Shrine, Bikarnakatte
on Sunday, July 15th along with Secular Carmelites
and the faithful. Throughout the day there were four
masses including the Solemn festal Mass at 5.30pm.
During all the masses the Holy Scapular, the symbol
of Our Lady’s protection, was distributed. In
preparation for the feast, there were novena which
began on July 6th, with a reflection each day on the
different Mysteries of Rosary, which reflected the
interior life of Mary. The priests and religious
were invited from Mangalore diocese to share in the
celebration.
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Green Day observed at Bajjodi Bajjodi: ICYM Bajjodi unit organized 'Green Day' on
Sunday, July 15th at 8.00am in the church premises.
The celebration began with a prayer song by youth.
Asst. Priest Fr. Patrick Lobo presided as the Chief
Guest. Parish Priest Fr. Ivan D’Souza, Fr. Patrick
Lobo, Vice President, Mr. Joseph Mascarenhas,
Secretary Mrs. Irene Pinto, Animator Mr. Kiran
Crasta planted a sapling as an expression of love
and concern for nature. Fr. Patrick Lobo in his
inspiring message highlighted the significance of
the day. He urged to join hands for this noble cause
and help in little ways to curb the destruction of
this planet. The youth planted 50 saplings in the
pots. At the end Fr. Ivan D’Souza appreciated and
congratulated the organizers and all the
participants for their active involvement in the
vanamahotsava. This programme was compered by Joel
Fernandes. Pranita welcomed the gathering. The vote
of thanks was given by Princiya.
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OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL FEAST CELEBRATED @ KOTESHWAR The feast of our lady of Mt. Carmel was celebrated
on 14th July 2018 at Katkere, Kotesshwar. The
con-celebrated mass was presided over by Fr. Wilfred
Rodrigues OCD, the Prior of St Joseph's Monastery
and Infant Jesus Shrine Bikarnakatte, Mangaluru.
Newly appointed Dean of Kundapur deanery, Rev. Fr.
Stany Tauro and other diocesan and religious priests
were present for the feast. More than 600 devotees
had gathered for the Eucharistic celebration and
received the scapular - the holy dress of Our Lady.
Fr. Rayan Pais thanked every one for the success of
the feast.
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Facelift of Pushpashrama Chapel ‘How lovely is your dwelling place O Lord! What
peace and joy to feel so close to you…!’
Prayer, being the primary focus of Carmelites, the
Pushpashrama community keeping this thought in their
mind set forth to renovate the monastery choir to
make it more conducive for meditation and prayer.
The work which was embarked on by the previous
rector Fr. Alfred Menezes was completed this year,
thanks to the eagerness and hard work of Fr. Joy
Francis along with the active collaboration of the
community Fathers and brothers. The chapel, which
presently shines with bright lights, beautiful
wooden framework and granite flooring, truly
attracts a person to the Divine, like a bee to a
flower. The wooden framework also hides the
meaningful message of the chalice of Christ and the
unity of the Holy Trinity. The images of Our Lady of
Mount Carmel along with the Patroness of
Pushpashrama, St. Therese are situated at the sides
of the altar reminding us of our Carmelite call.
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Guardian Angels Parishioners gave a solemn send
off to Rev. Fr. Rudolf V. D'Souza On
July 7th Guardian Angels Parishioners gave a solemn
send off to Rev. Fr. Rudolf V. D'Souza OCD, after
completing 8 years 11 months at the parish. Rev.
Frs. Jerald D'Souza, John Alex Pinto, Fr. Alex
Braganza, Fr. Melvin Pinto, Fr. Rajesh Madtha and
Fr. Vincent D'Souza were present for the occasion.
Solemn mass was celebrated at 4 pm and Fr. Rudolf
preached during mass and thanked the parishioners
for their support, friendship, love and warmth of
fellowship. At the end of the Holy Eucharistic
celebration the souvenir book of Guardian Angels
Parish titled PEARL OF SPIRITUALITY was solemnly
released by Helen Chua Tiampo and all parishioners
were gifted with this book on Saturday and during
all the masses on Sunday July 8th. This book
contains a complete profile of the parish from its
foundation till date. Special focus on the various
upgrades that were accomplished during the time of
Fr. Rudolf being Pastor have been exhaustively
reported. In addition to this a complete report of
all the projects realized in Canada and in India has
been elaborately given with the appropriate
photographs. Fr. Rudolf as he was very active in his
preaching and writing, a section is dedicated to his
mass media apostolate including an entire section on
the kindle books recently uploaded on amazon. The
last part of the book is dedicated to various parish
activities, groups and apostolate with relevant
photo albums. The book contains 222 pages and is
well documented.
Please click the link below for more details on the
book titled:
PEARL OF SPIRITUALITY
Fr. Vincent D'Souza hits 50 mark in Canada On July 4, 2018 was a remarkable day in the life of
Fr. Vincent D’Souza. He hit the 50 Mark of his
wonderful gift of life on this earth. Fr. Vincent at
present is working as the assistant pastor in St.
Edmund's Parish North Vancouver which is in the
province of British Columbia, Canada. Since couple
of months the people of St. Edmund's parish eagerly
prepared to celebrate this mile stone in the life of
their assistant Pastor Fr. Vincent. On July 4th Fr.
Vincent Celebrated the 9 am Mass with the
parishioners. Fr. Jerald Dsouza who is the pastor of
the parish as well as the Regional Superior
highlighted in his homily the simplicity and
sacrificing nature of Fr. Vincent and wished him
many more years in the service of the people of God.
At the end of the Mass the whole congregation wished
him by singing Happy Birthday and the flower bouquet
was presented by Fr. John Alex Pinto pastor of the
St. Thomas More Parish Calgary.
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Visit of the Provincial Superior to Benoni, South Africa
and blessing of the foundation stone for the
proposed Retreat Centre July 1st 2018 was a very special day for the
Carmelites working in South Africa. As Provincial
officially ended the Pastoral Visitation to South
Africa, all five priests working in the land came
together to celebrate the Eucharist and bless the
foundation stone for Retreat Centre at Benoni. The
Superior of Benoni Community, Fr Arvin Tauro
welcomed Provincial Rev. Fr Charles Serrao, the Cape
Town friars Fr Marie Joseph and Fr Antony Stephen,
and his two community members Fr John Cyrus D'Souza
OCD and Fr Boniface D' Souza OCD, who came together
to celebrate this occasion. Fr Arwin welcomed and
thanked the architect and other benefactors who were
present and all the members of the community who
have worked enthusiastically and tirelessly for the
parish.
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A NEW ACADEMIC YEAR AT DHYANAVANA, MYSURU The 22nd Diploma Holistic Spirituality Course was
inaugurated by Most Rev. Dr. Thomas Vazhapilly,
Bishop Emeritus of Mysore, with the inaugural Holy
Eucharist on 1 July 2018. Fifty five Sisters are
registered for the course as residential
participants; besides 12 sisters attend a few
selected courses as day scholars. For the Inaugural
Mass around 25 priests and more than 125 religious
were present. Dhyanavana is open to the sisters for
short courses and retreats also.
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New Deacons-To serve and not to be served The
Karnataka - Goa Province congratulates Dn. Macson
Dabre and Dn. Julius Gonsalves on being ordained
Deacons on the 14th of June, 2018 by Most Rev.
Gerald Isaac Lobo, Bishop of Udupi. The Eucharistic
celebration began at 3:00 pm, where about 150
Priests concelebrated including 10 Carmelites. The
Bishop during his homily highlighted on the role of
the Deacons in the Church and he urged them to have
the mind of Christ who came into this world not to
serve but to be served. Thereafter a short
felicitation program was held at the St. Joseph’s
Monastery, Carmel Hill, Mangaluru.
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Solemn Profession @ Infant Jesus Shrine, Bikarnakatte, Mangalore The Carmelites of Karnataka-Goa Province
congratulates six Brothers (Brs. Anoop Fernandes,
Ivan Sequeira, Roshan Monteiro, Sunil D’Souza,
Joseph D’Souza, and Wilson Tauro) who committed
themselves to the Lord, through their Solemn
Profession. Rev. Fr. Charles Serrao OCD (Provincial)
presided over the Holy Eucharist at 3:30 pm along
with the Carmelite Fathers from different
communities. After the mass there was a short
felicitation programme lead by Rev. Fr. Alwyn
Sequeira in the Infant Jesus Shrine, Bikarnakatte,
Mangalore. Family members especially parents of the
Solemnly Professed Brothers were honoured on this
auspicious day.
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Fr. Ivan D’Souza takes charge as Parish Priest of Infant Mary's Church, Bajjodi Bajjodi, Jun 16: Fr Ivan D’Souza was installed as
the parish priest of Infant Mary's Church, Bajjodi
on Saturday, June 16. Fr. Shabas Crasta, the present
parish priest, Mr. Joseph Mascarenhas,
vice-president and Mrs. Irene Pinto, Secretary of
parish council welcomed Fr. Ivan D’souza & Fr.
Patrick Lobo with flower bouquets. Fr. Victor
Machado, Dean of City Deanery, conducted the
ceremony. After taking charge as the parish priest,
Fr. Ivan said, “It is my pleasure to serve in this
vibrant parish. This parish stands high due to the
hard and dedicated work of Fr. Melwin D’Cunha & Fr.
Shabas Crasta. They are role models for me in this
new task. I will promise you that I will do my best
for the parish with your support and prayers.” Fr.
Wilfred Rodrigues (Superior of St. Joseph's
Monastery, Bikarnakatte), Fr. Joseph Cyril, Deac.
Macson Dabre and a large number of parishioners were
present.
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Secular Carmelite Member Laveena defends her
Doctoral Thesis MANGALURU:
Laveena D'Mello, who has made her definitive
promises in the Secular Carmelite Order, defended her Doctoral
Thesis in Sociology on the title, "A Sociological
Study of HIV Positive Women in Dakshina Kannada" on
June 11, 2018 and obtained Doctorate from the
University of Mangalore. Laveena DMello, becomes the
first member of the OCDS to obtain PhD. She was
felicitated at the Infant Jesus Shrine, Bikarnakatte
- Mangalore on June 14. Profile of Dr. Laveen
D'Mello, OCDS (Dr.) Laveena D’Mello, Assistant
Professor, Srinivas University, Mangalore,
Karnataka, India, is a Passionate Social Work
professional, Trainer, Faculty and a Researcher with
Master’s degree in Social Work, M.Phil in Sociology,
and submitted Doctor of Philosophy Thesis in June
2017 at Mangalore University.
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A solemn ‘YES’ at Pune Carmel! Sr. Pooja of the Holy Trinity made her Solemn
Profession on the 23rd of May 2018. Having nurtured
a vocation to the contemplative life since the age
of around 8, Sr. Pooja has now consecrated herself
totally to the service of our Lord and His Church.
The Eucharistic Celebration was presided over by
Most Rev. Thomas Dabre, Bishop of Poona. The
Carmelite Friars, Frs. Prasanna and Joe D’Souza from
the Talegaon community and Fr. Joy Francis from
Pushpashram community, Mysore were present. The
Jesuit fathers from the neighboring De Nobili
College and the priests from Sr. Pooja’s home parish
of Ajra also graced the occasion. Her family members
along with the friends and Benefactors of the
community joined in the celebrations.
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CHICALIM CARMEL: ANOTHER FLOWER BLOOMS! Sr Santana of the Sacred Heart, made her Solemn
Profession on 8th of June, 2018, the Solemnity of
the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She had first joined the
Franciscan Missionaries of Christ the King (FMCK) in
the year 2000. After 14 years, hearing the Lord's
call for a more Contemplative and hidden life, she
entered Carmel in 2014. Her family members and the a
few companions from the FMCK congregation
participated in the solemn liturgical celebration.
Fr. Joe Tauro OCD, former Provincial of the
Karnataka-Goa Province presided over the Eucharist.
Carmelite Friars from the communities in Goa and a
few others from elsewhere concelebrated. The
Episcopal Vicar for Religious, Parish Priest of
Chicalim and the Parish Priest of Pomburpa (home
parish of Sr Santana) also graced the occasion. We wish Sr Santana all happiness in the garden of
Carmel.
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Pushpashrama - LECTIO BREVIS 2018-19 ‘Inheritance of wisdom is the inheritance of
honor’
Pushpashrama Institute of Philosophy and Religion
being one of the springs that quenches the thirst of
those who seek wisdom, organized the Lectio Brevis
2018-19 on the first of June. The Holy mass was held
at 9:00 am to grace this event. Fr. Pius James D’
Souza, the Vice Provincial of the KG Province
celebrated the holy mass along with the company of
several Carmelite priests from the neighboring
communities. Fr. Pius preached a very meaningful
homily and counseled the students to love and follow
Lady Wisdom ‘Sophia’ and not Lady Folly. Brothers
with their smooth voices filled the Shrine with
wonderful church music. Photographs of respective
batches along with the Community fathers were taken.
The official stage function followed the Holy mass,
wherein Dr. Ivan D’Souza, a diocesan priest from
Mangalore was the keynote speaker.
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CONSTRUCTION WORK PROGRESS OF TIAMPO MEMORIAL
HALL AT CARMEL HILL ALBUM NO. 2 Dear
Friends,
The work at Carmel Hill has begun with full force
with the construction of Tiampo Memorial Hall
progressing rapidly. The recent developments are the
ground is cleared and the stones are crushed and
removed. Infrastructure for the Hall construction is
getting ready. The underground water and sewer
equipment has been already installed like septic
tank, pumps etc. Now the work will continue to erect
concrete pillars and then the basic structure will
be seen. For more details please click the link
below.
Scholarship for the children of differently abled (blind) Dhyana Jyothi Trust, a Carmelite NGO, distributed
scholarships to the children of differently abled
parents under the banner 'Carmel Vision for Future'.
Fifteen children of visually impaired parents were
given scholarships in Bengaluru on Thursday May 31.
Addressing the audience Fr Stifan Perera OCD, the
director of the Trust and Dhanavana Publications
Bengaluru said, “Education to the children
especially to the parents of blind is a Carmelite
venture. Though the parents are blind, they have a
great desire to brighten the lives of their
children. Carmelite priests have taken up this
unique initiative with the help of the donors and
benefactors.” Nelly Pichardo, the coordinator of
‘Carmel Vision for Future’ said, “Parents are not
only blind, they are also poor. Hence, they cannot
afford to educate their children. On the contrary,
children are highly talented and fare very well in
their studies. Hence, we feel it is our
responsibility to give them a helping hand.” Some of
the parents are totally blind while some are
partially blind. While it is difficult to earn their
daily bread itself, they find it very hard to
educate their children. Dhyna Jyothi Trust, is a
charitable trust by the Carmelite priests. Alongside
taking up charitable works, the Trusts takes up
printing religious and social literature.
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Joyous Moment in the Life of 7 angels of our Parish Bajjodi: Seven angels of our parish welcomed the
Saviour Lord Jesus Christ for the first time into
their hearts with utmost love and devotion on the
13th of May in the presence of the parish clergy,
parents and well-wishers. They had been waiting
eagerly for this memorable day to become one with
Jesus. The Eucharistic celebration was led by Fr.
Pius James D’souza and concelebrated by Parish
Priest Fr. Shabas Crasta, Asst. Priest Fr.Ivan
D’souza, Fr. Ligoury Crasta and Kevin. Fr. Pius
D’souza preached an inspiring homily to the
children. The melodious Church choir facilitated the
congregation to take active part in the liturgy. The
joy of welcoming Jesus into their lives and renewing
their baptismal promises was evident in the cherubic
smiles of the children. Towards the end of the Mass,
Rev. Fr. Shabas Crasta thanked the teacher Sr.
Lydwin for catechising the first communicants prior
to the celebration. All the children who received
the First Holy Communion were given the Scapular,
Rosary and New Testament on the occasion. We
congratulate the angels of our parish for
successfully achieving another religious milestone
in their journey of faith.
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Benoni Carmelites in a celebration of 200 years of catholic faith in Southern Africa This year we are celebrating the 200 years of
Catholic faith in Southern Africa. Though the
history of Catholic church in Southern Africa begins
with the arrival of Bartholomew Diaz, officially it
is accepted from June 7, 1818 when Pope Pius VII
appointed the Benedictine Dom Edward Bede Slater as
the first Vicar Apostolic of the Cape. In the
Archdiocese of Johannesburg the 200 years of its
celebration was held on 21st of April, where all the
Carmelite priests of Benoni(South Africa) attended.
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DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY celebration at Margao. 56 DIVINE MERCY PARISH /CHAPEL GROUPS FORMED BY
CARMELITES
Margao: Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrão will preside
over the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration of the
Divine Mercy Sunday 2018 at the Carmelite Monastery,
Margao on 8th April 2018 at 5.00p.m. There will be
Eucharistic adoration at 4.oo p.m. Animators/
Representatives of the Divine Mercy Groups will be
participating in this celebration. Mementos will be
presented to each group at the hands of the
Archbishop. Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrão asked the
Carmelites in Goa to promote Divine Mercy devotion
in the Archdiocese. Responding to the invitation and
the permission (CP/2967/2017) given by the
Archbishop, 56 Divine Mercy Groups of the
Parish/Chapels were formed in the Parishes/Chapels
in the Archdiocese of Goa by the Carmelite Friars.
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Celebration of the simple profession of Frank Sharma The
First Profession of Bro. Frank Sharma was held
solemnly at St. Edmond's Church on April 7th at 11
am in the presence of more than 250 faithful. The
solemn celebration began with the introduction to
liturgy by Rev. Fr. Melvin Pinto and the beautiful
singing of St. Edmond's Church choir. Rev. Fr.
Jerald D'Souza the Regional Superior presided over
the ceremony and Fr. Rudolf V. D'Souza preached a
homily during the mass. After the homily Bro. Sharma
pronounced his first vows and the Regional Superior
accepted the vows and handed over to him the
Constitutions of the Discalced Carmelites. After the
Solemn celebration of the Holy Eucharist Bro. Sharma
thanked each and everyone present, including the
Novice Master of California Province Fr. Robert
Barceló and a few members who accompanied him.
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Archbishop urges Faithful to experience God’s Mercy MARGAO: Taking the help of a heroic witness of
Blessed Rani Maria, a Martyr of the Catholic Church,
Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrão urged the faithful
gathered to experience and witness to the mercy of
God as individuals and families. Archbishop was
delivering a homily at the Divine Mercy Sunday
Eucharistic celebration held at the Carmelite
Monastery Margao on Sunday evening. Fr. Joaquim
Loiola Pereira (Secretary to Archbishop), Fr. Carmo
Martins (Parish Priest, Our Lady of Grace Church,
Margao), Fr. Archibald Gonsalves (Superior,
Carmelite Monastery, Margao), Fr. Sylvestre D'souza
(Secretary to OCD Provincial, and other priests
concelebrated the Eucharistic celebration.
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Good
Friday Procession Unites Christians in Agassiz /
Harrison.
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Easter Celebration at Bajjodi Bajjodi, March 31st: The Easter Celebration here at
Infant Mary Church, Bajjodi commenced at 7 pm with
the blessing of the new fire by Fr. Ivan D’souza..
The Easter Candle was lit and carried to the Altar
calling on people to walk in the light of Risen
Christ. The congregation lit candles signifying the
victory of light over darkness and there by
enlightenment. Fr. Joseph Cyril D’souza sang the
Exultes - the Easter Hymn. Fr. Joachim Rodrigues was
the main Celebrant. Seven readings from the Sacred
Scriptures gave a glimpse of the salvation story of
Israel and mankind in general. As the Gloria
resounded in the air the image of Risen Jesus got
unveiled. Fr.Joachim Rodrigues preached the homily.
Parishioners participated enthusiastically in the
solemn ceremony and celebration. Later water was
blessed and baptismal vows were renewed. The liturgy
was well-organized. The parish choir embellished the
liturgy with excellent musical accompaniment.
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Pushpashrama Rejoices at the Resurrection of the Lord ‘Life has vanquished death, darkness is chased by
light, Rejoice then, O people, for from sin’s
blindness you have been given pure sight’
As the world was plunged in darkness, a little light
shimmered in the iron vessel. The fire soon broke
into a mighty flame, which bathed the wood in heat.
Then remained those glistening charcoals, which with
the sweet contact with the fragrance, produced the
heavenly aroma of the smell untold. If you are
wondering what this might be, to cut the long story,
this is the description of the scene that took place
in the portico of Pushpashrama on the Easter night.
The flame of the blessed fire lit the paschal candle
which was carried by Fr. Lawrence D’ Mello to the
altar. As he walked in the aisle, the words “This is
the Light of Christ”, resounded in the church, thus
initiating the Easter vigil mass. Fr. Augustine with
his melodious voice pitched the exultet.
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Good Friday recalled @ Pushpashrama “High on two logs hangs a figure in isolation, whose
shadow saves all the people of sin’s desperation.”
The Friday of the holy week marks the most important
day of our faith. It is a reminiscence of the
greatest sacrifice ever offered, the magnitude and
intensity of which is impossible for the human minds
to grasp. Therefore to illustrate the passion of our
Lord in his road to Calvary, the Community of
Pushpashrama organized the presentation of the Way
of the Cross at 8: 30 AM through an act in which
every station of the cross was deeply reflected and
pondered on. The realistic portrayal of Jesus, his
suffering and the various difficulties and people he
met on the way were depicted and presented by the
brothers with the active collaboration of the
people. A huge number of people turned up for this
event and the act culminated in Jesus being taken to
the sepulcher, the total duration of which was
approximately one and a half hour.
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MAUNDY THURSDAY AT PUSHPASHRAMA “Your love for one another should prove to the world
that you are my disciples”
The day of the establishment of the three of the
greatest principles ever laid by God is the day of
Maundy Thursday. Priesthood, Service and Eucharist
the very tenets that build Christianity were
commemorated at our shrine of Infant Jesus in the
presence of the huge galore of people. The
initiation to the Triduum of the holiest event of
our faith was celebrated with a solemn mass at 6: 30
PM. The mass was presided by the rector of
Pushpashrama and preached meaningfully by Fr. Joy
Francis. The significant event of washing of the
feet was carried out very meaningfully and after the
communion rite was over, the holy sacrament was
taken to the repose altar.
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21ST ACADEMIC YEAR AT DHYANAVANA, MYSURU, BROUGHT TO A CLOSE The 21st Convocation of Dhyanavana International
Institute of Spirituality was held on Monday, March
26, 2018. Most Rev. Dr. Francis Serrao, Bishop of
Shimoga, was the Chief Guest of the function and
awarded Diplomas and certificates to 85 students. V.
Rev. Fr. Charles Serrao OCD, Provincial, presided
over the function and released the Dhyanavana Annual
magazine. Advocate Mahadev Deshak delivered the
convocation address on "A Christian Response to the
communal Forces of Today". The whole function was
attended by around 200 Clergy, Religious and
Friends.
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THE PALM SUNDAY AT PUSHPASHRAMA
“The King of Glory comes, the nation rejoices. Open
the gates before him lift up their voices.” These Words were reverberated on March 25, 2018 in
the entire Christendom as the Church prepared itself
to step into the holiest week of Christianity
initiated by The Palm Sunday. The Shrine of Infant
Jesus also participated into this practice by
organizing the mass at 8:00 AM. The blessing of the
Palms and the Invitatory Rite were held at
Dhyanavana, our neighboring house in the presence of
a large group of faithful, lay and religious alike.
All the faithful marched devoutly, commemorating the
glorious event of the entry of Jesus to the city of
Jerusalem. Soon after this, followed the holy
Eucharistic celebration presided by Fr. Vinod Lobo
which was concelebrated by the Community priests
along with guest priests, Fr. Rovel D’Souza OCD and
Fr. Gilbert Aranha. Fr Pradeep Pinto through his
inspiring homily enabled the faithful to ponder on
the passion of our Lord.
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Tiampo Memorial Hall
construction at Carmel Hill - Canada Dear
Friends,
Here I send you photos of the construction of the
Tiampo Memorial Hall at Carmel Hill - Canada. We
will be regularly updating you the progress of the
work. The ground has been cleared of stones and
rubble as on in the first week of March 2018. This
work has been massive as practically the adjacent
mountainous area had to be brought to the level of
the existing Little Flower Monastery. We are yet to
get permit from the District as some conditions are
to be fulfilled. We are grateful to all the work
force for this tremendous job. A very special thanks
to Helen.
Dear
Fathers, Brothers and Sisters,
Rev. Fr Gregory D’Souza OCD has published his 10th
book: Climbing the Mountain of the Lord. It is a
commentary on two works of St John of the Cross -
Romances and Ascent of Mount Carmel . In the
introduction the author says he has “tried to make
St John’s thought a little easier to understand and
appealing to the reader.” In addition he has “added
tables and diagrams to provide a summary of his
thought and grasp it at a glance.” And in view of
practical living of his doctrine he has also “tried
to place it in the context of contemporary thoughts
and life situation.”
All those who have had the opportunity to read it
have highly appreciated this book. You may contact
Dhyanavana Publications for your copy soon. Do also
introduce it to others.
We acknowledge this attempt of Fr. Gregory to make
St John of the Cross better known and understood.
This is a fruit of his extensive study and many
years of teaching experience. May God bless and
reward his sincere efforts.
Dear Fathers,
Brothers and Sisters,
We are glad to announce that Fr. Sudeep Christy has
obtained Masters in Arranging and Orchestration from
Berklee, College of Music, Boston USA. Besides he
has been conferred an Honorary Degree of Doctor of
Letters (D. Litt.) from the University of South
America. The Karnataka-Goa Province is proud of the
achievements of Fr. Sudeep. He is the first in our
Province to be so qualified in the field of music.
Our hearty congratulations on this success. It is a
fruit of his hard work and dedication.
We wish him all the best for his future music
ministry.
Dear Fathers, Brothers and Sisters,
We are very happy to send you the good news that the
talks of Rev. Fr. Rudolf V. D’Souza OCD (Canada)
will be broadcast on daijiworld24X7 TV from Tuesday
night March 20th onwards twice a day. They are 20
talks and discussions on Christian Life (Jivitamruth
- from Episode 122-142 - duration 25 minutes to 30
minutes) during the Holy Week and until after Easter
Solemnity. Those who would like to follow them, can
also watch daijiworld24X7 youtube videos (jivitamruth).
Please the click the link below for more details:
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The golden friar: Fr. Cyril Menezes 11th of February,2018 will remain a memorable day
for the Karnataka-Goa Province of Discalced
Carmelites, as Fr. Cyril Menezes completed 50 years
in the garden of Carmel. There was a solemn
Eucharistic celebration at the Infant Jesus presided
over by Fr. Cyril, along with Carmelite friars from
all around the province and a few diocesan priests.
In his homily, Fr. Alfred Menezes explained the
significance of the jubilee in the life of the
religious. The meaningful liturgy and the
soul-uplifting choir was animated by the theology
brothers. A short felicitation programme was
organized in the courtyard of the monastery. After a
prayer song by the theology brothers, the cake was
cut. Fr. Archibald Gonsalves raised the toast and
highligted some unique facets of the life of the
jubilarian, who was then honoured by the Provincial
and his councillors with a Mysore peta, shawl and
fruits. Fr. Anthony Kanapilly the batchmate of Fr.
Cyril, who belongs to the Manjummel province and was
present on the occasion was also felicitated.
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A NEW DEACON FOR THE KG PROVINCE! Today (30th of January, 2018), Br. Regan Paul
D'Souza was ordained a Deacon by Most Rev. Aloysius
Paul D'Souza, the Bishop of Mangalore, in the Chapel
of the Bishop's House. His close relatives and our
Carmelite friars witnessed the event. The
Karnataka-Province congratulates Deacon Regan and
wishes him a fruitful Diaconal ministry.
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Spiritual and Cultural Celebrations Mark Parish Annual Day at Bajjodi The Annual Parish feast was celebrated at Infant
Mary Church, Bajjodi with great pomp and fervor on
Sunday 28th Jan. 2018. Felicitation to the sponsors
and procession began at 9.30am. The Solemn
Eucharistic celebration was held at 10am. The Parish
priest Fr Shabas Crasta distributed the candles to
the benefactors and sponsors of the feast. Rev. Fr.
Peter Noronha was the main celebrant. 14 priests
took part in the Eucharistic celebrations.. Fr.
Peter Noronha preached a sermon on the theme ‘Mary
the courageous woman’. Infant Mary Church and
parishioners cannot imagine parish day celebration
without the cultural program to make it eventful and
memorable. The Cultural programe began with a prayer
dance by youth followed by stage programe. Vice
President, Joseph Mascarenhas extended the official
welcome to all the dignitaries followed by Secretary
Irene Pinto reading the Parish Annual Report of
happenings/activities. Chief guest Fr. Pius James
D’souza, Episcopal Vicar, gave us the message that
we need to have belongingness that this is our
Parish. Rev. Fr. Wilfred Rodrigues, Superior of St.
Joseph’s Monastery, Corporator, Mrs. Meena Pinto,
Cultural committee coordinator, were present on the
stage. Winners of various competitions were awarded
on the occasion. Parish Priest Fr. Shabas Crasta in
his message said that we need to give priority to
Spiritual activities he also thanked the
parishioners for their constant support.
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Feast of Infant Jesus, Madanthyar Infant Jesus annual feast at Asha Deepa, Madanthyar,
was celebrated with great solemnity on 26th January
2018. The concelebrated high mass – with 27 priests
–commenced at 5:30 PM. It was well attended by over
500 devotees from in and around Madanthyar and the
neighbouring parishes like Badyar and Belhangady.
Rev. Dr. Fr. Wilfred Rodrigues Ocd, the superior of
St. Joseph's Monastery,Carmel Hil, Mangalore
presided over the Eucharist and preached a relevant
homily on the them: “Internal freedom for a fruitful
life.” He spoke on how we can attain total freedom
and become fruitful by change of heart and mind. The
devotees left the campus with real joy and spiritual
enhancement. After the celebration refreshment was
shared with all the devotees, while priests and
religious were served monastic festal dinner to
enhance fraternity and well being.
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A Seminar on Discernment…
THE ART OF PSYCHO-SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT IN RELIGIOUS
LIFE On January 21, 2018, Dhyanavana, International
Institute of Spirituality, in association with CRI
Mysore Diocese, organized a full day seminar on
Discernment…The Art of Psycho-Spiritual Discernment
in Religious Life, in Pushpashrama Auditorium,
Mysore. At 9:00 a.m. the seminar started with
registration and at around 9:15 am the programme
began. The Seminar commenced by invoking God’s
blessings. Rev. Sr. Juanita CSST Provincial,
Inaugurated the Seminar. The CRI Provincials were
the Chief Guests and Rev. Fr. Dominic Vas OCD -
Director of Dhyanavana welcomed the gathering and
briefed the audience about the purpose of the
seminar. The lighting of the lamp was done by all
the dignitaries of the Seminar. The Seminar was a
grand success for which many priests, religious and
brothers from near and far attended the seminar
accounting to around 400 in number.
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HASSAN CARMEL TURNS SILVER! We thank God for all the blessings he has showered
on the community of OCD Nuns at Hassan Carmel.
Initially the inauguration of the Carmel was fixed
for 8th of December, 1992, but because of the
Ayodhya problem, it had to be shifted to 14th of
December. Fr. Gregory D'Souza OCD (then Provincial)
and Fr. Joe Tauro (then First Prov. Councillor)
braved the hostile and tensed situation prevailing
around and made it in time for the Eucharistic
celebration. Now 25 years later, the thanksgiving
Mass was celebrated on 14th of December, 2017,
presided over by Most Rev. Thomasappa Anthony Swamy,
the Bishop of Chickmagalur. There were 22 priests
who concelebrated. At the beginning the following
lighted the Jubilee lamp: The Bishop, Fr Charles
Serrao (Provincial), Fr. Ronald Cardoza (Parish
Priest of Hassan), Fr. Dominic Savio SDB (Superior
of the Salesians, who are their regular chaplains),
Fr. James Gonsalves SJ (Confessor), Sr. Jacintha OCD
(representing the Mother Carmel of Mangalore), Sr.
Cynthia (Sisters of Charity, representing the
religious) and Mrs. Zita Sham (representing the
benefactors and friends).
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Infant Jesus honored by the Devotees @ Pushpashrama On January 7, 2018, the annual feast of the Infant
Jesus was celebrated at Pushpashrama, Mysore. Before
the sun rose in the beautiful landscape and the
historical city of Mysore, the radiant light of
Infant Jesus had already started illumining it from
the beautiful shrine at Pushpashrama. The shrine
clad with beautiful flowers of different hues and
wonderful illuminations, the church appeared even
more elegant as the faithful had already gathered
for the holy mass at 6:45 a.m. The mass celebrated
in Syrian rite was presided over by Fr. Jomi
Mekkunel CMI, with which the kick started for the
festivity of the day. Another mass soon followed
this at 8:15 a.m. which was celebrated by the Vicar
Provincial of the Discalced Carmelites of the K.G.
Province, Fr. Pius James D’Souza OCD. The Mass was
accompanied by the string ensemble and choir led by
Mr. Sudeep Christie and Sir Felix which truly
solemnized it.
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Infant Jesus Feast: Third Day of the Triduum at Pushpashrama Poverty of Jesus! This being the theme for the last
day of the Triduum in honour of Infant Jesus, the
day dawned with a Eucharistic celebration offered by
Fr. Oswald Crasta OCD. As the feast was fast
approaching a lot of preparation took place in and
around the campus with the Pushpashrama Fathers and
Brothers putting on their best foot forward to make
the celebration a wonderful one. In the evening,
Tamil mass was celebrated by Fr. Antony M, the
liturgy of which was enriched by the symphony of the
Tamil Association choir. This was followed by
Kannada mass which was devoutly presided over by Fr.
Dominic Vas OCD. As there was a special prayer
service for children, tiny tots with happy hearts
gathered around the holy altar. The Carmelite
priests stormed heavens by their prayers for these
children, who witnessed the love of Jesus in their
hearts. The Gayathri Puram Parish also helped the
liturgy by their melodious choir. Soon after the
mass, the devotees partook in the food served due to
the generous hearts of the benefactors.
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Infant Jesus Feast: Second Day of the Triduum at Pushpashrama On the second day of the Triduum in honour of Infant
Jesus, the atmosphere around the Infant Jesus shrine
was of high sanctity and holiness as more and more
people flocked to the shrine. The theme being
‘Poverty of Mary’, the devotees were blessed to
witness a Eucharistic celebration at the break of
the day which was presided over by Fr Vinod Lobo OCD.
However the flock intensified for the Tamil and
Kannada mass celebrated by Frs. Amal Raj from Guru
Mandir and Alphonse Britto OCD and the church was
filled to its capacity. The seraphic choir by the
Pushpashrama brothers, Tamil Association and B. M.
Shree Nagar parish made the liturgy more meaningful.
After the spiritual nourishment, the devotees were
also physically nourished as they relished the tasty
‘Annasantarpane’.
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PRIESTLY JOY AT WATARE! The small village of Watare in the parish of Londa,
was jubilant on 30th of December, 2017, as it
prepared for the Priestly Ordination of two
brothers, Deac. Peter Pereira OCD and Deac.
Sebastian Pereira SJ. The ordaining prelate, Most
Rev. Peter Machado said that in Christmas Season we
celebrate the birth of Jesus and on this day twins
are born into the priesthood! Further he noted, how
along the highway there are many boards warning
people of the presence of wild animals in the area.
Now we had to put up a new one near Watare: Priests
and Sisters are here!
There were over 50 priests who concelebrated at the
Mass, prominent among whom were the two provincials:
Fr. Charles Serrao OCD of the Carmelites and Fr.
Roland Coelho SJ of the Jesuits.
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Childrens' Day at Mpandangindo The
Feast of the Holy Innocents on 28th Dec, as usual we
celebrated the Children’s Day. The mass was at 8 am,
was presided by Fr. Raymond Santhanaz and
concelebrated by Fr. Roshan Pinto. Unfortunately it
rained heavily and most of the children failed to
come. There were around 300 children, if not for
rain they would have been more than 500. All the
Out-Station managed to represent at least a few of
them. Children themselves conducted the liturgy.
Since we are in Golden Jubilee Year and Children
will be having different competitions during the
whole year, we did not have any games as such after
the mass. But we divided the children into different
groups and the catechists gave them some relevant
talks according their groups. Around 11 am they were
given soft drink and edibles and allowed them to go
home soon.
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Infant Jesus Feast: FIRST DAY OF THE TRIDUUM @ Pushpashrama The flag unfurled high in the sky on January 4, 2017
Thursday as the day marked the beginning of the
Triduum of the feast of the Infant Jesus. With the
theme, “Meet the poor, follow Christ”, Fr. Valentine
set the ball rolling by hoisting the flag after
invoking the graces of the Infant Jesus. People then
marched devoutly to participate in the Tamil mass
celebrated by him. Soon after this, followed the
masses in Kannada and English which were presided
over by Frs. Joseph Pinto and Nitesh Rodrigues
respectively. As the theme for the feast was based
on loving the poor, the liturgy on the first day was
intricately woven on the Poverty of Disciples. The
Tamil association Choir, the Rajiv Nagar Parish
choir and the Pushpashrama brothers lent out their
voices to add more flavor to the liturgy. Devotees,
who had flocked in large numbers from and around
Mysore, were also served food after all the three
masses.
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Begin a new with Gratitude – 2018 : Pushpashrama December 31, 2017 – a day of thanking the Lord for
the manifold blessings that He has showered upon
each and every one of us. On this beautiful day the
Pushpashrama Fathers and brothers along with the
faithful of the vicinity conducted a thanksgiving
adoration at 10-00 p.m. for the year 2017 followed
by the Holy Eucharist at 10-45 p.m. Rev. Fr Vincent,
Principal of St Philomena’s college presided over
the Eucharistic celebration along with other seven
priests. Fr Oswald Crasta preached an inspiring
homily highlighting the virtues and qualities of
Mary to be practiced in the New Year 2018. The
brothers of Pushpashrama through their angelic choir
enabled the faithful to raise their hearts and minds
to God in thanksgiving. After the Eucharistic
celebration, as the people were wishing each other,
coffee and cakes were served to enhance the joy of
New Year 2018. On the New Year day – the Solemnity
of Mary the Mother of God, the holy mass commenced
at 8-00 a.m. celebrated by Fr Pradeep Pinto. Fr Joy
Francis preached the homily highlighting the
significance of the title Theotokos and invited the
faithful to keep up the resolutions that we make at
the beginning of the New Year 2018. May this New
Year 2018 become the strong foundation to experience
the presence of Jesus and live our life according to
the will of God.
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Christmas Joy shared with Neighbours at Pushpashrama December 25, 2017 on the day of Christmas, the
Pushpashrama community along with the neighbors who
are belonging to different religions celebrated the
Christmas and shared the message of peace and
harmony with each other at Pushpashrama auditorium.
The celebration commenced at 4-30 p.m. invoking the
assistance of Jesus through the prayer song sung by
our Pushpashrama brothers. Miss Kirana Nayak, one of
the immediate neighbors of Pushpashrama compered the
programme. Fr Pradeep Pinto, the chief guest
delivered the Christmas message quoting
Bhagavad-Gita, Quran and Bible, gave a clarion call
to all, to live in peace and harmony. The cultural
programme consisted of colorful dances and Christmas
carols by our neighboring children, youth and
adults. The brothers of Pushpashrama through their
rocking dance and Christmas carols entertained the
congregation. Thus the Christmas celebration became
a strong foundation to celebrate the unity and
harmony with our brothers and sisters of
Pushpashrama vicinity.
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Christmas celebration at Pushpashrama Christmas is a glorious day to rejoice and to
celebrate; it is the birthday of our Saviour Jesus
Christ who became flesh and dwelt among us. This day
was solemnized at the Infant Jesus Shrine,
Pushpashrama on December 24, 2017. The brothers of
Pushpashrama through their melodious voice sang the
Christmas carols at 9-30 p.m. followed by the solemn
Eucharistic celebration at 10-00 p.m. presided over
by Fr Joy Francis and concelebrated by the community
friars. The Christmas liturgy was meticulously
organized by the philosophy students of Pushpashrama.
Fr Joy in his homily enlightened the faithful as
regards the contradictions that are found in the
modern world which are contrary to the spiritual
world of Jesus. He gave a clarion call to all the
faithful to follow the simplicity, humility and
poverty of Jesus in our personal and family lives.
After the mass as the people wished each other with
the greetings of Christmas, cake and coffee were
being served for all the faithful. Thus the vigil
mass at Pushpashrama created an atmosphere of prayer
through the spiritual celebration and the beautiful
lights which added colours to the Infant Jesus
Shrine.
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Christmas celebrated with joy and devotion at Bajjodi Dec.24th: Christmas is a time for sharing and
friendship. It was celebrated with devotion and
gusto at Infant Mary Church Bajjodi. The festal
Eucharistic celebration was held at 7.30pm and
parishioners gathered at the church for the Holy
Mass in Konkani which was concelebrated by Parish
Priest Fr. Shabas Crasta. Asst. Priest Fr. Ivan
D’souza was the main celebrant. Parish Priest Fr.
Shabas Crasta in his homily, exhorted the faithful
to follow in the path of Jesus Christ and said that,
"The present situation in the world is very bad.
Hatred has spread among people. We must do only good
deeds, only then can we live a happy life. What is
the point in life if we do not follow what God wants
from us? He loves everyone. It does not mean we
should become selfish. Let us make this world a
selfless one by following Jesus."
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CHRISTMAS JOY SHARED IN ITALY! The Carmelites of the Italian Region gathered in
Parrocchia di San Maria a Ripa on the 28th of
December, 2017 for the Chrismas celebration. All the
priests except Fr Edwin Deniz, Fr Rodlof Pinto and
Fr Peter Rebello were present for the gathering
totalling 11. Our celebration began with a grand
dinner in one of the benefactors’ house. We sang the
Christmas Carols as we savoured the Italian
delicacies. On the 29th of December we had a
fraternal concelebrated mass in the Parish Church
along with the parishoners. Fr Manoj Braganza the
Superior and Parish Priest spread the carpet of red
roses to all the priests as he introduced all the
priests to the parishoners. Fr Deepak Tauro OCD,
Rector of the Scala Community presided over the
Eucharist and preached a meaningful homily. After
the Holy Mass we prayed the Lauds with the people
which was an enriching experience.
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CHRISTMAS GET-TOGETHER AT SADBHAVANA, BENGALURU All the friars from the four communities in the
capital city Bengaluru, came together to share the
joy of Christmas on 26th of December, 2017. The
birthday of Fr. Canute D’Souza the faithful and
diligent bursar for 19 years was also celebrated.
Enjoy a few pictures taken on the occasion!
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FIRST PROFESSION AT PUNE CARMEL the profession of Sr. Benedicta of the Holy Face (
earlier, Roschelle Martis) took place on the 17th of
December, 2017 at Pune Carmel. Her parents who came
down from Kuwait, also attended the mass. Since it
was a Sunday, the chapel was full of religious from
the neighbouring houses, especially the Jesuit
brothers. The Confessor of the community from the
neighbouring De Nobili College was very happy to
attend and said he that so far he had seen such a
ceremony only in movies. Sr Benedicta had completed
her Ph.D. in aerospace engineering before entering
Carmel. We wish her all the best and pray that God
guide her in her journey ahead.
CHRISTMAS DAY MASS AT MPANDANGINDO Christmas day mass was celebrated at 8 am by Fr.
Raymond Santhanaz at St. Martin of Tour Parish,
Mpandangindo, Songea while Fr. Roshan Pinto the
Parish Priest of Superior went to the Out Stations
of Kituro at 8 am and at Liweta at 11 am accompanied
by Br. Prosper Kaizer.
CHRISTMAS FELLOWSHIP AT MPANDANGINDO It was historical first at Mpandangindo, Songea.
There was a Christmas Fellowship celebration with
other Christian denominations and Religions on 26th
of December, at St. Martin of Tours Parish. The
Muslims invitees could not attend; but all those who
gathered were so happy and expressed their
appreciation for those who planned it. It was a very
successful gathering and they wished to have it in
the future too without failure. The gathering
concluded with a fellowship meal.
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CHRISTMAS AT MPANDANGINDO The Christmas Vigil was celebrated at St. Martin of
Tour Parish at Mpandangindo, Songea at 7 pm. Fr.
Roshan Pinto the Parish Priest and the Superior was
the main celebrant assisted by Fr. Raymond Santhanaz.
Br. Prosper Kaizer, a Carmelite Philosophy student
from Kola, Morogoro who came to help us during the
Christmas season preached a beautiful homily. Though
at the beginning the church looked to be empty but
later good number of people were present.
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CHRISTMAS WITH THE DIFFERENTLY ABLED Dhyana Jyothi Trust, a charitable trust run by the
Carmelite Fathers and Bangalore Konkani Catholic
Charismatic Renewal along with Good Sam Foundation
celebrated Christmas with the differently-abled on
Sunday December 17 in Bengaluru. The celebration
began with a praise and worship led by the blind
themselves. Later Fr. Stifan Perera, OCD Director of
Dhyana Jyothi Turst in his Christmas message said,
“Christ is born especially with the poor and the
marginalized to show how God loves whom the society
rejects. The true meaning of Christmas consists in
loving the poor and the needy.” He also thanked all
those who had showed their generosity to give
Christmas joy to these differently-abled. Mr. David
of Good Sam Foundation thanked. Mrs. Nelly Pichardo
coordinated the whole program and volunteers under
the able leadership of Godwin Castelino served the
food to the participants. After the meal, shirts to
men, Sarees to women, sweets and school bags to
children and grocery items for week were distributed
to each of the families present. We thank all our
well-wishers and invoke God’s blessings on them.
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Carmel Play Home Kids celebrate Christmas December 21, 2017 – The Carmel Play Home kids along
with the parents, fathers and brothers celebrated
the Christmas programme at Pushpashrama auditorium.
It was a day of jubilation and cheerfulness as the
play home kids had the maiden opportunity to
manifest their hidden angelic talents in the
presence of their dear parents and friends. The
celebration commenced at 11-00 a.m. Br Clifford
Rodrigues compered the programme; Br Prithesh and
team invoked the assistance of God through the
prayer song. The play home kids welcomed the
gathering through the symbolic welcome dance. Fr
Pradeep Pinto, the chief guest gave the Christmas
message and gave a clarion call to live in peace and
harmony with one another. The play home kids through
their colourful dances captivated the mind and
hearts of the audience.
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THE SECULAR CARMEL IN SOUTH AFRICA GROWS! On 14 December 2017, two Secular Carmelites, Joan
Ashby and Ligia Da Silva, made their Definitive
Promises at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Benoni,
South Africa. Fr Mari Joseph was the main celebrant
at the Eucharist. All our Carmelite Priests working
in South Africa participated in the celebration. Fr
Boniface D'Souza preached the homily and explained
the importance of vocation and the necessity for
commitment to the Church’s mission. The Celebration
was witnessed by a large number of faithful
including Carmelite Nuns from Benoni. Before the
Eucharistic Celebration, Bridget Hodge, the
President of OCDS community, explained to the
congregation the nature of the Secular Carmelites
vocation. Finally, Fr Arvin Tauro congratulated Joan
and Ligia and encouraged lay faithful to join the
Secular Order. The Celebration was rounded off with
a delicious finger supper.
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MEETING OF THE SPIRITUAL ASSISTANTS (OCDS) The spiritual assistants of the OCDS in our Province
came together for two days in order to plan about
the growth of the Secular Carmel at the Carmelite
Provincialate, Sadbhavana, Bengaluru, from 5th to
6th of December, 2017. Since there were some friars
who have just taken up the assignment for the first
time, there were input sessions on the first day,
given by Fr. Rovel D’Souza (Provincial Delegate of
the OCDS) and Fr. Silvestre D’Souza (Provincial
Secretary), on the OCDS Constitutions, Province
Statutes and Provincial Formation programme. There
were discussions on various aspects of the Secular
Carmel and their organization. Some practical
decisions were also taken, which will be implemented
in the course of time. We thank all those who made
it possible to participate and contribute to the
success of the gathering.
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Pushpashrama Brothers excel in Christmas carols The Philosophy Students of Pushpashrama manifested
their musical talents during the carol singing
competitions organized by the Catholic Association
of Mysore on December 3, 2017 and Carmel Catholic
Association on December 10, 2017. On December 3, the
Brothers participated in three categories and won
three prizes namely English – third place, Konkani
and Kannada second place. On December 10, the
brothers participated in two categories and won two
prizes namely English third place and Kannada first
place. The brothers moved heaven and earth during
these days through their untiring and constant
practice. We congratulate and acknowledge the hard
efforts of our brothers in upholding the name of
Pushpashrama, Philosophy College in the carol
competition.
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FIRST HOLY COMMUNION, Kempton Park, S. Africa
It was a joy to witness 44 children who received
Holy Communion for the first time on Saturday, 25th
of November 2017, at a special Mass at Our Lady of
Loreto Parish, Kempton Park, South Africa. We
acknowledge the role of the parish priest, Fr.
Boniface D'Souza and the Catechists who prepared
them for this big day in their lives!
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SUPERIORS OF THE KG PROVINCE UNITE! It was a joy to welcome all the Superiors of all our
communities in India to Sadbhavana, for a meeting
that lasted two days from 21-22 November, 2017. It
consisted in the sharing the life and activities of
each community and discussions on the agenda. The
celebrations of the Province day enhanced the joy
and brotherhood among the friars. There was a solemn
Eucharistic celebration on the 21st of November,
beautifully animated by Fr. Alphonse Britto. As it
was the memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, Fr. Lancy Lewis preached on the history
and significance of the feast to our Carmelite life.
In the cultural evening that followed, Fr.
Provincial was felicitated. On behalf of all, Fr.
Lawrence D’Mello raised the toast and highlighted
some of his outstanding qualities, especially in
administration, which is recognized not only in the
Order (with the General still requesting him to
conduct visitations) but also by many other
Congregations seeking his help.
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Frivita and Nivita bag NBJ Yuva Pratibha Puraskar and Jeet Milan ‘The person of the year’
MANGALURU, November 21, 2017 : Frivita D’Souza and
Nivita Cardoza, young budding youth are chosen for
the ‘NBJ – Amulya Akash Yuva Pratibha Puraskar-2017’
in sports and art category respectively and
environmentalist Jeet Milan Roche for the
‘Godwin-Sushma Rasquinha Person of the Year -2017’
instituted by Naman Ballok Jesu, Konkanni monthly.
The award ‘Yuva Pratibha Puraskar’ carries Rs.
20,000 in cash and the ‘Person of the Year Award’ Rs
30,000 in cash, certificate, memento and shawl. All
the three awards will be presented in Carmel Hill –
Mangaluru on December 3.
Workshop on Team Work held at CARMEL DAN St. Estevam: CARMEL DAN, a centre for Holistic
growth of the Carmelite Fathers, St. Estevam
organised a day workshop on Together Everyone
Achieve More for the teachers and staff of St.
Bartholomew’s High School, Chorão at the Centre at
St. Estevam. Carmelite Br. Malvino Alfonso, was the
resource person. He dealt with the practical issues
in working together as a TEAM and stressed on the
effective ways of team work. Speaking on the
Classroom Management, he highlighted some effective
means to deal with students. Discussing the various
techniques of handling the child, Br. Alfonso
appealed the participants to know the background of
a child and focussed on the issues related to child
abuse. Br. Malvino Alfonso welcome the gathering
while Ms. Avelina Dancho, Headmistress, St.
Bartholomew’s High School proposed a vote of thanks.
Ms. Jenny Fernandes , teacher of the School shared
her experience of the day.
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FIRST PROFESSION OF NOVICES AND VESTITION OF THE POSTULANTS Viva Carmelo! The ancient Order of Carmel was
enriched by the entry of yet another 6 members as
these received the Carmelite Habit at Tapovana on
14th November, 2017 and pronounced their religious
vows. Fr. Provincial who presided over the Solemn
Eucharist preached a well-prepared and moving
homily. “The path of holiness found in Carmel is
sure and authentic and its spirituality, dense. This
is testified by the number of cases awaiting today
the honor of Canonization before the Vatican,” he
said, as he commended the courageous decision of the
six youngsters who were pledging their lives to
Jesus with their mystical theme, ‘to be little
victims of His love’. In the absence of his
Provincial, Fr. Jayasheelan, the Novice Master of
Tamilnadu Province represented his province as one
of the candidates comes from there.
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CHILDRENS' DAY AT BELUR The Carmelite fathers of Carmel Home along with the
teachers of Mount Carmel School, Belur celebrated
‘Children's Day’ on Tuesday 14th November 2017. The
teachers performed a beautiful program. The
Principal Fr. Prakash Tauro thanked all those who
have helped and supported towards the growth of the
children and the organization of the celebrations.
INAUGURATION OF THE GOLDEN JUBILEE YEAR of ST MARTIN OF TOURS PARISH, MPANDANGINDO Finally the day dawned after a long awaiting. So
much was spoken, so much was thought of and a great
amount of preparation had followed to organize the
inauguration of the Golden Jubilee of the Parish of
St. Martin of Tours, Mpandangindo, in the
Archdiocese of Songea. On November 1st after the
Solemn Eucharist celebration of the Feast of All the
Saints, at 8 am, the Blessed Sacrament was exposed
for adoration for 24 hours in preparation for the
novena to begin of St. Martin of Tours. Rev. Fr.
Lucius Mahundi, the Parish Priest of Kitura of the
diocese of Mbinga who came to preach for the novena
was the main celebrant for the feast of All the
Saints. After the mass Fr. Roshan Pinto the Parish
Priest exposed the Blessed Sacrament for the 24
hours of adoration. Every half an hour the Small
Christian Communities, the Out Stations, Pious
Associations along with Priests and Nuns took the
turn to adore the Blessed Sacrament till 8 am next
day.
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City Deanery Altar Servers Camp held at Cordel
“Bloom-2017” City Deanery Altar Servers Camp held on 6th November
at Cordel Hall. Around 350 Altar Servers took part
from 11 parishes of the Deanery. City Deanery Dean
Rev. Fr. Victor Machado Inaugurated the Camp at 9am.
Fr. Ivan D’souza & Fr. Vinod Lobo were the Camp
Coordinators. The inaugural Prayer service was
followed by a formal inaugural. Altar servers were
divided in to two groups 4th to 6th and 7th to 10th.
A talk on Family Values, Holy Eucharist, Bible quiz,
Magic, games and action songs were the highlights of
the Meet. Fr. Ronald Serrao and Fr. Rupesh Madtha
were the resource persons for the meet. Fr. Rupesh
Madtha spoke on the dos’ and don’ts for the altar
servers. Fr.Ronald Serrao spoke on the importance of
Eucharist and the things that we use during the
Mass. Fr. Paul D’souza performed the Magic Show. The
quiz was organized by Fr. Ivan D’souza. Children
were enthralled during a quiz on various subjects
including identifying biblical characters from
pictures and things involved in altar service.
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Colourful Sports Day held at Padua School grounds Bajjjodi: The annual sports meet of Infant
Mary Parish was organized on Sunday, November 5th
2017 at Padua School grounds. First there was March
past by the ward members. 10 ward members marched to
the tune of the band. They were all dressed in
colourful uniforms adding uniqueness and vibrancy to
the ground. Then the stage programe began with
prayer song by the Altar Servers. Parish Priest
Fr.Shabas Crasta welcomed everyone. Fr. Alwyn Serrao,
Principal Padua High School, was the chief guest.
Fr. Alwyn Serrao hoisted the flag and declared the
sports meet open. He also inaugurated the fest by
lighting of the sports torch which was taken around
by 4 leaders. Athelets ran along with the sports
torch which was brought to the grounds and handed
over to the guest of honor.
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KEMPTON PARK PARISH, SOUTH AFRICA TURNS GOLD! The Golden Jubilee celebration of Our Lady of Loreto
Parish Kempton Park, South Africa was held on 13th
of October, 2017. Most Rev. Dunkan Tsoke, the
Auxiliary Bishop of Johannesburg was the main
celebrant. Rev Fr Pius James the first Provincial
Councillor of the Karnataka-Goa Province preached
and broke the Word Of God. Later, both of them
participated in the blessing of the new Grotto of
Our Lady of Fatima.
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Carmelites open their new centre at St. Estevam OLD GOA: CARMEL DAN, a centre for holistic growth,
of the Carmelite Friars was blessed by Fr. Eusico
Pereira, Parish Priest of Santo Estevao Church, St.
Estevam at Cupa, St. Estevam. Fr. Archibald
Gonsalves, Superior of the Carmelite Monastery
inaugurated the house and highlighted the purpose of
the Centre. Br. Malvino Alfonso welcomed the
gathering. Caetano Rodrigues and Donatina Fernandes,
donors of the house and others were felicitated at
the hands of Fr. Ronald D’souza, Provincial
Councillor, Karnataka-Goa Province of the
Carmelites. Fr. Pereira in his address,
congratulated the Carmelite Friars and appreciated
their efforts to serve the people. This centre of
the Carmelite Friars which is a sister-concern of
the Carmelite Monastery, Margao will cater the
spiritual, emotional and psychological needs of the
people. It will organise different programmes for
the well-being of the different groups like parents,
teachers, youth, teens, leaders for the associations
etc. Carmelites are doing similar ministry in Mapusa
at the Emmaus and at Divine Springs at Xellim.
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ANNUAL FEAST AT BELUR The fathers of Carmel Home along with the
parishioners of Belur, celebrated the annual feast
of St. Michael on Wednesday 11th October 2017. The
main celebrant was Fr. Dominic Vas. There were 20
concelebrants which included our own Carmelite
friars and neighbouring diocesan priests. Around 300
people were present for the feast. At the end of the
Solemn Mass, Fr. Joseph Pinto, the Parish Priest
thanked all those who had supported and extended
their help to organize the feast.
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Solemnity of St. Teresa of Avila celebrated at Sadbhavana. The solemnity of St. Teresa of Avila (Doctor of the
church, Reformer of the Carmelite Order, Patroness
of the Karnataka – Goa Province and the Patroness of
Sadbhavana community) was celebrated at Sadbhavana
on Sunday, 15th of October 2017 at 6:30 p.m. The
solemn Eucharistic celebration was presided over by
V. Rev Fr. A. S. Anthony Swamy (Chancellor and PRO
of the Archdiocese of Bangalore), who also preached
a homily emphasizing the doctrine of the Saint. Rev
Fr. Paul D’Souza OCD honoured the main celebrant
with a shall and bouquet. Rev Fr. Charles Serrao OCD
(Provincial) thanked one and all for their esteemed
presence. A fellowship meal followed.
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This website was launched in 2006 during the silver
jubilee celebrations of the Karnataka-Goa Province of
the Discalced Carmelite Order.
The ancient Carmelites founded in the thirteenth century
were reformed in the sixteenth by two great doctors of
the church, Saints Teresa and John of the Cross. These
spiritual geniuses, while re-enforcing the contemplative
dimension of the Carmelites, inserted a decidedly
apostolic thrust into their spirituality, with special
emphasis on the missions.
During the seventeenth century, we find Carmelite
missionaries in several pockets along the west coast of
the Indian sub-continent : Surat, Diu, Goa, Verapoly. In
the eighteenth, Carmelites were appointed vicars
apostolic of "the Great Mogul" and Verapoly. They are
invited to attend to the pastoral needs of the Catholics
in Mumbai. In the nineteenth century, the sees of
Mangalore and Quilon were entrusted to the sons of St.
Teresa.
Finally, in the twentieth century, the Discalced
Carmelites opened their doors to Indian natives, who
would henceforth draw more freely from the rich
spiritual treasures of Sts. Teresa, John of the Cross,
and other Carmelite interreters of the Good News of
Jesus.
As Indian vocations multiplied, more and more
foundations were made, and grouped into "provinces".
Today among more than thirty provinces world-wide, there
are five Indian provinces . One of these is the
Karnataka-Goa province.
The aim of this web-site is, primarily to acquaint
readers with Carmelite history and tradition; to share
the spiritual insights of the great Carmelite saints and
also give glimpses of the life within the province to
all our associates. Articles of topical interest have
also been included.
Dear Friends,
Here I send you the link to my KINDLE BOOKS LIBRARY.
You are welcome download books and read them and
recommend them to your friends who are interested in
Carmelite Spirituality. These books are cheap and
affordable and some of them can be read free of
charge if you are a member in Amazon online Kindle
books. These books uploaded on AMAZON kindle version
can be accessed through smart phones, IPad,
Computers and other electronic devices globally in
all the 5 continents. This is actually the new trend
in publishing books as the hard copy of the books is
practically becoming obsolete especially in Europe
and Americas. Hence, this is a new venture in
publishing books.
click here to read
HOMILIES IN ENGLISH (VIDEO):
The following homilies have been preached by Rev. Fr.
Rudolf V. D'Souza OCD, Parish Priest at Guardian Angels
Church, Vancouver Canada.The first three homilies are of
his Lenten mission reflections in the parish.
The remaining are Sunday homilies which will be
regularly uploaded. All our friends and well-wishers are
most welcome to benefit from these reflections.
Click here to listen :
REFLECTIONS IN KONKANI (Audio)
You are welcome to benefit spiritually from the
reflections of our Carmelite Friar - Rev. (Dr) Rudolf
V. D’Souza, OCD
Retreat preached on the theme “The Kingdom of God is
at hand” at Abu Dhabi, from 26 November to 2 December,
2009.
Day 1: The Kingdom of God
Day 2: The Beatitudes
Day 3: The Seven Sacraments
Day 4: the Ten Commandments
Day 5: Holy Mother, the Church and Mother mary
Day 6A: Family
Day 6B: Love
Click here to Listen
Retreat preached at Ruwi – Muscat (Oman) from 20 to 24 January 2008
THEME: JESUS CAME TO GIVE LIFE, LIFE IN ABUNDANCE (JOHN
10:10)
1. ABUNDANT LIFE - GOD
2. FORGIVENESS
3. LOVE
4. SUFFERINGS
5. 7 WORDS FROM THE CROSS AND RESURRECTION
Click here to Listen
After achieving a feat of praying the rosary in more
than 60 homes in the month of October, the community
of Pushpashrama organised ‘An hour to Rosary’ in the
Infant Jesus Shrine on October 31st. Before the
solemn Rosary, a high mass was celebrated in honour
of our Lady of Rosary at 6:30 PM. Fr. Oswald was the
main celebrant and preached a well prepared homily
highlighting the history, significance and
Christo-centricism of the Holy Rosary.With lamps and
candles burning bright and our Lady adorning herself
amidst these lights, the Rosary was prayed in the
presence of minimal lights. Every mystery was
reflected in depth and the Fatima Prayer was sung in
the presence of the gathered faithful. 
Jesus who said these words highlighting his mission
still helps us to draw inspiration to preach the
good news to lands near and far. Heeding to this
call, with utmost obedience just like his master
Jesus, Fr. Joy Francis has prepared himself to touch
the earth of Nagpur, Maharashtra and give witness of
Christ to the people there. As he was serving in the
community of Pushpashrama, the community felt apt to
bid him adieu with a grand farewell. He worked
marvels in Pushpashrama by renovating the chapel,
repairing the sound systems, installing TV screens
in the shrine to facilitate easy worship and so on.
His cheerful spirit and helping nature was truly
inspiring and influencing. Therefore thanking him
for his very presence in Pushpashrama and wishing
him success in the new mission land, the community
organised a cultural programme which included a
colourful display of talents of brothers. 
As a climax of the pastoral visitation of
Provincial, Fr. Charles Serrao to the friars in
Canada, the Annual Gathering of Carmelite friars
working in Canada was held at St. Thomas More
Parish, Calgary from October 15th to 18, 2018. Fr.
John Pinto and Fr. Roshan D’Souza hosted the
gathering. This Annual Gathering began with the
Evening Prayer in honour of our Holy Mother St.
Teresa of Avila followed by the Inaugural Mass which
was attended by the OCDS members of Calgary and a
good number of parishioners. Fr. Charles Serrao,
Provincial presided over the Mass and Fr. Joachim
Pereira, the Episcopal Vicar for Religious of the
Diocese of Calgary preached a quite appealing homily
based on the life and teachings of St. Teresa of
Avila. The Jubilarians Fr. Jerome Mascarenhas and
Fr. Ranjan D’Sa were specially remembered in prayer
during the Mass. 
Dear
Friends,
Dear
Friends,
Bros. Shine George and Babusha, the alumni of our
college of Pushpashrama made the province proud by
decorating themselves in gold medals in the
subjects, Philosophy and Alternative English
respectively from St. Philomena’s College, Mysore.
They were awarded for scoring the highest marks.
However what distinguished their achievements was
that being correspondent students, they won these
medals among the regular college attending students.
In receiving these medals they not only made our
province proud but have also etched their names in
the chronicles of St. Philomena’s college as being
the first Carmelite brothers to achieve this feat.
Kudos to both of you! 
“Without love, deeds, even the most
brilliant, count as nothing.”
GOOD
NEWS FROM CANADA!
Double Celebration! Double Happiness! The three
Lower Mainland Communities had much reason to
rejoice on September 22, 2018. The rain and fall
weather did not dampen their spirits as they
gathered at St. Edmund’s Church, North Vancouver,
BC. Provincial Father Charles Serrao made his annual
visit to the Canada Region at a most opportune time
to coincide with the Ceremonies of the 2018
candidates. The Eucharistic Celebration was presided
by Fr. Charles Serrao and concelebrated by Regional
Superior Fr. Jerald D’Souza, Provincial Delegate Fr.
Steny Mascarenhas and Assistant Pastor of St.
Edmund’s Parish, Fr. Vincent D’Souza. It was a
bonanza year for the Region with the investiture of
six aspirants, the first profession of nine
candidates and the vows of one candidate. 
Dhyanavana Day was celebrated on Sunday, 23rd
September 2018. Dhyanavana is an International
Spirituality Centre where presently 65 sisters are
studying from around 30 Religious Congregations. We
conduct Diploma Course of 9 months and Certificate
Courses of 6 and 3 months to the Religious Women,
along with M.A. in Holistic Spirituality from the
University of Mysore. On Dhyanavana Day celebration,
many Major Superiors and Junior Mistresses
participated along with our neighbouring Priests,
Religious and Friends. In the morning we had a talk
on “Formation” and a Con-Celebrated Holy Eucharist
by Rev. Fr. Pius James, OCD, Vicar Provincial. In
the evening our Dhyanavana sisters put up a very
good cultural program with the message “WE ARE WOMEN
OF FAITH - United in God’s Love, Sisters in Grace”. 
The feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin
Mary, also called the Monti Fest, was celebrated
with devotion at bajjodi on Saturday September 8th.
Blessing of the Corn was held at Lourdes grotto. The
congregation went in a procession to the church
singing devotional hymns, accompanied by a brass
band with Bambina Mary. After the procession the
beautiful age old tradition of children showering
flowers at Mother Mary's statue was performed with
the accompaniment of hymns. Rev. Fr. Lancy Lewis was
the main Celebrant. Parish Priest Fr. Ivan D’souza,
Fr. Patrick Lobo, Fr. Rovel D’souza, Deac. Macson
Dabre concelebrated in the Eucharist. In his homily,
Fr Lancy Lewis expounded the uniqueness of the feast
and stressed on the role of the family in the
church. At the end, Fr. Ivan D’souza honoured the
main sponsors as well as thanked everyone for their
whole hearted support for the success of the feast.
New grains and sugar canes were distributed to the
parishioners.
“You are the Daughter of Zion, the Ark of the
Covenant and the new Eve. You are the honor; you are
the glory of our people, Virgin Mother Mary”..jpeg)
The much expected and awaited Asha Deepa formation
house was blessed and inaugurated on 15th of August,
2018. The celebration began with the Holy Eucharist,
presided over by Very Rev. Fr Charles Serrao OCD,
the Provincial Superior of Karnataka-Goa Province
and Rev. Fr Dominic Vas OCD, preached a relevant
homily for the occasion. Over 45concelebrants -
mainly our Carmelite friars - joined the Eucharistic
celebration. It was well attended by the religious
and the lay faithful from the vicinity. The choir
consisting of our theology brothers from Mangalore
enhanced the fervour of the entire liturgical
celebration.
26th of August, 2018 was a great and memorable day
that will go down in the history of the Carmelites
of the Karnataka-Goa province in general and the
Pushpanjali Community in particular as another dream
project – Retreat Centre - in the State of Gujarat,
was completed. The inaugural mass was held at 10:00
am. presided over by Most Rev. Athanasius
Rethnaswamy, the Bishop of Ahmedabad Diocese, who
also broke the Word of God. The concelebrants were:
Most Rev. Stanislaus Fernandes (Apostolic
Administrator of Baroda Diocese), Fr. Joel Pais
(Vicar General of Baroda Diocese), Fr Charles Serrao
(Provincial of the Karnataka-Goa province), 8 other
Carmelite friars and 3 Diocesan priests. 
The Community’s retreat took place from 27th July to
29th July 2018 commencing with the celebration of
the Holy Eucharist by Fr. Alexander Braganza OCD,
Retreat Master. He began with the introduction of
the retreat theme “Call to Holiness”. He made
reference to the saints who, in spite of their
weaknesses, show us that the path to holiness is
attainable and we are all called to it. The
atmosphere of peace and quiet together with our
solitude time, interspersed with community prayer,
daily celebration of the Holy Eucharist, talks,
Stations of the Cross, Benediction and Exposition
with conducted meditation provided us with a greater
sense of community whilst enabling us to go deeper
in our encounter with the Living Christ. .jpeg)
The inauguration of the new wing of Mount Carmel
School, Belur (first floor and auditorium) was held
on 16th of August, 2018, in the presence of Fr.
Charles Serrao, Provincial Superior. The Chief Guest
for the function was Shri Bhagwan, the president of
neighboring SES (Shantala Education Society) school.
The programme began at 2.30 p.m. with a welcome
dance by the children. Fr. Prakash Tauro, the
Principal, welcomed and introduced all the
dignitaries. There was a small prayer service
invoking God’s assistance, followed by blessing the
new edifice by the sprinkling of Holy Water. Frs.
Provincial and Shri Bhagwan delivered their messages
on the occasion. In between the students displayed
their talents through two beautiful dances.
Dear
Friends,
The Community of Benoni, South Africa celebrated the
feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and 200 years of
the Catholic Church in Sothern Africa on 14 July,
2018. They also remembered 20 years of Carmelite
Friars presence in South Africa. The parish
communities of Our Lady of Loreto, Kempton Park, St
Joseph’s, Acotnville, and Our Lady of Mount Carmel,
Brentwood Park came together for this meaningful
celebrations. The faithful were spiritually prepared
by three days of novena and spiritual renewal
programs animated by Fr John D’Souza, Fr Arvin Tauro
and Fr Boniface D’Souza. On the feast day (14, July)
Mass was presided over by Fr Marthinus Badenhorst,
OP who gave a meaningful homily on Carmelite
Spirituality. 
“Triumph all ye Cherubim, sing with us
sweet Seraphim, Heaven and Earth resound our Hymn,
Salve Salve Salve Regina…!”
The feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, popularly
known as the Feast of the Scapular (Benthin) was
celebrated at the Infant Jesus Shrine, Bikarnakatte
on Sunday, July 15th along with Secular Carmelites
and the faithful. Throughout the day there were four
masses including the Solemn festal Mass at 5.30pm.
During all the masses the Holy Scapular, the symbol
of Our Lady’s protection, was distributed. In
preparation for the feast, there were novena which
began on July 6th, with a reflection each day on the
different Mysteries of Rosary, which reflected the
interior life of Mary. The priests and religious
were invited from Mangalore diocese to share in the
celebration.
Bajjodi: ICYM Bajjodi unit organized 'Green Day' on
Sunday, July 15th at 8.00am in the church premises.
The celebration began with a prayer song by youth.
Asst. Priest Fr. Patrick Lobo presided as the Chief
Guest. Parish Priest Fr. Ivan D’Souza, Fr. Patrick
Lobo, Vice President, Mr. Joseph Mascarenhas,
Secretary Mrs. Irene Pinto, Animator Mr. Kiran
Crasta planted a sapling as an expression of love
and concern for nature. Fr. Patrick Lobo in his
inspiring message highlighted the significance of
the day. He urged to join hands for this noble cause
and help in little ways to curb the destruction of
this planet. The youth planted 50 saplings in the
pots. At the end Fr. Ivan D’Souza appreciated and
congratulated the organizers and all the
participants for their active involvement in the
vanamahotsava. This programme was compered by Joel
Fernandes. Pranita welcomed the gathering. The vote
of thanks was given by Princiya.
The feast of our lady of Mt. Carmel was celebrated
on 14th July 2018 at Katkere, Kotesshwar. The
con-celebrated mass was presided over by Fr. Wilfred
Rodrigues OCD, the Prior of St Joseph's Monastery
and Infant Jesus Shrine Bikarnakatte, Mangaluru.
Newly appointed Dean of Kundapur deanery, Rev. Fr.
Stany Tauro and other diocesan and religious priests
were present for the feast. More than 600 devotees
had gathered for the Eucharistic celebration and
received the scapular - the holy dress of Our Lady.
Fr. Rayan Pais thanked every one for the success of
the feast.
‘How lovely is your dwelling place O Lord! What
peace and joy to feel so close to you…!’
On
July 7th Guardian Angels Parishioners gave a solemn
send off to Rev. Fr. Rudolf V. D'Souza OCD, after
completing 8 years 11 months at the parish. Rev.
Frs. Jerald D'Souza, John Alex Pinto, Fr. Alex
Braganza, Fr. Melvin Pinto, Fr. Rajesh Madtha and
Fr. Vincent D'Souza were present for the occasion.
Solemn mass was celebrated at 4 pm and Fr. Rudolf
preached during mass and thanked the parishioners
for their support, friendship, love and warmth of
fellowship. At the end of the Holy Eucharistic
celebration the souvenir book of Guardian Angels
Parish titled PEARL OF SPIRITUALITY was solemnly
released by Helen Chua Tiampo and all parishioners
were gifted with this book on Saturday and during
all the masses on Sunday July 8th. This book
contains a complete profile of the parish from its
foundation till date. Special focus on the various
upgrades that were accomplished during the time of
Fr. Rudolf being Pastor have been exhaustively
reported. In addition to this a complete report of
all the projects realized in Canada and in India has
been elaborately given with the appropriate
photographs. Fr. Rudolf as he was very active in his
preaching and writing, a section is dedicated to his
mass media apostolate including an entire section on
the kindle books recently uploaded on amazon. The
last part of the book is dedicated to various parish
activities, groups and apostolate with relevant
photo albums. The book contains 222 pages and is
well documented. 
On July 4, 2018 was a remarkable day in the life of
Fr. Vincent D’Souza. He hit the 50 Mark of his
wonderful gift of life on this earth. Fr. Vincent at
present is working as the assistant pastor in St.
Edmund's Parish North Vancouver which is in the
province of British Columbia, Canada. Since couple
of months the people of St. Edmund's parish eagerly
prepared to celebrate this mile stone in the life of
their assistant Pastor Fr. Vincent. On July 4th Fr.
Vincent Celebrated the 9 am Mass with the
parishioners. Fr. Jerald Dsouza who is the pastor of
the parish as well as the Regional Superior
highlighted in his homily the simplicity and
sacrificing nature of Fr. Vincent and wished him
many more years in the service of the people of God.
At the end of the Mass the whole congregation wished
him by singing Happy Birthday and the flower bouquet
was presented by Fr. John Alex Pinto pastor of the
St. Thomas More Parish Calgary.
July 1st 2018 was a very special day for the
Carmelites working in South Africa. As Provincial
officially ended the Pastoral Visitation to South
Africa, all five priests working in the land came
together to celebrate the Eucharist and bless the
foundation stone for Retreat Centre at Benoni. The
Superior of Benoni Community, Fr Arvin Tauro
welcomed Provincial Rev. Fr Charles Serrao, the Cape
Town friars Fr Marie Joseph and Fr Antony Stephen,
and his two community members Fr John Cyrus D'Souza
OCD and Fr Boniface D' Souza OCD, who came together
to celebrate this occasion. Fr Arwin welcomed and
thanked the architect and other benefactors who were
present and all the members of the community who
have worked enthusiastically and tirelessly for the
parish. 
The 22nd Diploma Holistic Spirituality Course was
inaugurated by Most Rev. Dr. Thomas Vazhapilly,
Bishop Emeritus of Mysore, with the inaugural Holy
Eucharist on 1 July 2018. Fifty five Sisters are
registered for the course as residential
participants; besides 12 sisters attend a few
selected courses as day scholars. For the Inaugural
Mass around 25 priests and more than 125 religious
were present. Dhyanavana is open to the sisters for
short courses and retreats also.
The
Karnataka - Goa Province congratulates Dn. Macson
Dabre and Dn. Julius Gonsalves on being ordained
Deacons on the 14th of June, 2018 by Most Rev.
Gerald Isaac Lobo, Bishop of Udupi. The Eucharistic
celebration began at 3:00 pm, where about 150
Priests concelebrated including 10 Carmelites. The
Bishop during his homily highlighted on the role of
the Deacons in the Church and he urged them to have
the mind of Christ who came into this world not to
serve but to be served. Thereafter a short
felicitation program was held at the St. Joseph’s
Monastery, Carmel Hill, Mangaluru. 
The Carmelites of Karnataka-Goa Province
congratulates six Brothers (Brs. Anoop Fernandes,
Ivan Sequeira, Roshan Monteiro, Sunil D’Souza,
Joseph D’Souza, and Wilson Tauro) who committed
themselves to the Lord, through their Solemn
Profession. Rev. Fr. Charles Serrao OCD (Provincial)
presided over the Holy Eucharist at 3:30 pm along
with the Carmelite Fathers from different
communities. After the mass there was a short
felicitation programme lead by Rev. Fr. Alwyn
Sequeira in the Infant Jesus Shrine, Bikarnakatte,
Mangalore. Family members especially parents of the
Solemnly Professed Brothers were honoured on this
auspicious day. 
Bajjodi, Jun 16: Fr Ivan D’Souza was installed as
the parish priest of Infant Mary's Church, Bajjodi
on Saturday, June 16. Fr. Shabas Crasta, the present
parish priest, Mr. Joseph Mascarenhas,
vice-president and Mrs. Irene Pinto, Secretary of
parish council welcomed Fr. Ivan D’souza & Fr.
Patrick Lobo with flower bouquets. Fr. Victor
Machado, Dean of City Deanery, conducted the
ceremony. After taking charge as the parish priest,
Fr. Ivan said, “It is my pleasure to serve in this
vibrant parish. This parish stands high due to the
hard and dedicated work of Fr. Melwin D’Cunha & Fr.
Shabas Crasta. They are role models for me in this
new task. I will promise you that I will do my best
for the parish with your support and prayers.” Fr.
Wilfred Rodrigues (Superior of St. Joseph's
Monastery, Bikarnakatte), Fr. Joseph Cyril, Deac.
Macson Dabre and a large number of parishioners were
present.
MANGALURU:
Laveena D'Mello, who has made her definitive
promises in the Secular Carmelite Order, defended her Doctoral
Thesis in Sociology on the title, "A Sociological
Study of HIV Positive Women in Dakshina Kannada" on
June 11, 2018 and obtained Doctorate from the
University of Mangalore. Laveena DMello, becomes the
first member of the OCDS to obtain PhD. She was
felicitated at the Infant Jesus Shrine, Bikarnakatte
- Mangalore on June 14. Profile of Dr. Laveen
D'Mello, OCDS (Dr.) Laveena D’Mello, Assistant
Professor, Srinivas University, Mangalore,
Karnataka, India, is a Passionate Social Work
professional, Trainer, Faculty and a Researcher with
Master’s degree in Social Work, M.Phil in Sociology,
and submitted Doctor of Philosophy Thesis in June
2017 at Mangalore University. 
Sr. Pooja of the Holy Trinity made her Solemn
Profession on the 23rd of May 2018. Having nurtured
a vocation to the contemplative life since the age
of around 8, Sr. Pooja has now consecrated herself
totally to the service of our Lord and His Church.
The Eucharistic Celebration was presided over by
Most Rev. Thomas Dabre, Bishop of Poona. The
Carmelite Friars, Frs. Prasanna and Joe D’Souza from
the Talegaon community and Fr. Joy Francis from
Pushpashram community, Mysore were present. The
Jesuit fathers from the neighboring De Nobili
College and the priests from Sr. Pooja’s home parish
of Ajra also graced the occasion. Her family members
along with the friends and Benefactors of the
community joined in the celebrations.
Sr Santana of the Sacred Heart, made her Solemn
Profession on 8th of June, 2018, the Solemnity of
the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She had first joined the
Franciscan Missionaries of Christ the King (FMCK) in
the year 2000. After 14 years, hearing the Lord's
call for a more Contemplative and hidden life, she
entered Carmel in 2014. Her family members and the a
few companions from the FMCK congregation
participated in the solemn liturgical celebration.
Fr. Joe Tauro OCD, former Provincial of the
Karnataka-Goa Province presided over the Eucharist.
Carmelite Friars from the communities in Goa and a
few others from elsewhere concelebrated. The
Episcopal Vicar for Religious, Parish Priest of
Chicalim and the Parish Priest of Pomburpa (home
parish of Sr Santana) also graced the occasion.
‘Inheritance of wisdom is the inheritance of
honor’
Dear
Friends,
Dhyana Jyothi Trust, a Carmelite NGO, distributed
scholarships to the children of differently abled
parents under the banner 'Carmel Vision for Future'.
Fifteen children of visually impaired parents were
given scholarships in Bengaluru on Thursday May 31.
Addressing the audience Fr Stifan Perera OCD, the
director of the Trust and Dhanavana Publications
Bengaluru said, “Education to the children
especially to the parents of blind is a Carmelite
venture. Though the parents are blind, they have a
great desire to brighten the lives of their
children. Carmelite priests have taken up this
unique initiative with the help of the donors and
benefactors.” Nelly Pichardo, the coordinator of
‘Carmel Vision for Future’ said, “Parents are not
only blind, they are also poor. Hence, they cannot
afford to educate their children. On the contrary,
children are highly talented and fare very well in
their studies. Hence, we feel it is our
responsibility to give them a helping hand.” Some of
the parents are totally blind while some are
partially blind. While it is difficult to earn their
daily bread itself, they find it very hard to
educate their children. Dhyna Jyothi Trust, is a
charitable trust by the Carmelite priests. Alongside
taking up charitable works, the Trusts takes up
printing religious and social literature.
Bajjodi: Seven angels of our parish welcomed the
Saviour Lord Jesus Christ for the first time into
their hearts with utmost love and devotion on the
13th of May in the presence of the parish clergy,
parents and well-wishers. They had been waiting
eagerly for this memorable day to become one with
Jesus. The Eucharistic celebration was led by Fr.
Pius James D’souza and concelebrated by Parish
Priest Fr. Shabas Crasta, Asst. Priest Fr.Ivan
D’souza, Fr. Ligoury Crasta and Kevin. Fr. Pius
D’souza preached an inspiring homily to the
children. The melodious Church choir facilitated the
congregation to take active part in the liturgy. The
joy of welcoming Jesus into their lives and renewing
their baptismal promises was evident in the cherubic
smiles of the children. Towards the end of the Mass,
Rev. Fr. Shabas Crasta thanked the teacher Sr.
Lydwin for catechising the first communicants prior
to the celebration. All the children who received
the First Holy Communion were given the Scapular,
Rosary and New Testament on the occasion. We
congratulate the angels of our parish for
successfully achieving another religious milestone
in their journey of faith.
This year we are celebrating the 200 years of
Catholic faith in Southern Africa. Though the
history of Catholic church in Southern Africa begins
with the arrival of Bartholomew Diaz, officially it
is accepted from June 7, 1818 when Pope Pius VII
appointed the Benedictine Dom Edward Bede Slater as
the first Vicar Apostolic of the Cape. In the
Archdiocese of Johannesburg the 200 years of its
celebration was held on 21st of April, where all the
Carmelite priests of Benoni(South Africa) attended. 
56 DIVINE MERCY PARISH /CHAPEL GROUPS FORMED BY
CARMELITES
The
First Profession of Bro. Frank Sharma was held
solemnly at St. Edmond's Church on April 7th at 11
am in the presence of more than 250 faithful. The
solemn celebration began with the introduction to
liturgy by Rev. Fr. Melvin Pinto and the beautiful
singing of St. Edmond's Church choir. Rev. Fr.
Jerald D'Souza the Regional Superior presided over
the ceremony and Fr. Rudolf V. D'Souza preached a
homily during the mass. After the homily Bro. Sharma
pronounced his first vows and the Regional Superior
accepted the vows and handed over to him the
Constitutions of the Discalced Carmelites. After the
Solemn celebration of the Holy Eucharist Bro. Sharma
thanked each and everyone present, including the
Novice Master of California Province Fr. Robert
Barceló and a few members who accompanied him.
MARGAO: Taking the help of a heroic witness of
Blessed Rani Maria, a Martyr of the Catholic Church,
Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrão urged the faithful
gathered to experience and witness to the mercy of
God as individuals and families. Archbishop was
delivering a homily at the Divine Mercy Sunday
Eucharistic celebration held at the Carmelite
Monastery Margao on Sunday evening. Fr. Joaquim
Loiola Pereira (Secretary to Archbishop), Fr. Carmo
Martins (Parish Priest, Our Lady of Grace Church,
Margao), Fr. Archibald Gonsalves (Superior,
Carmelite Monastery, Margao), Fr. Sylvestre D'souza
(Secretary to OCD Provincial, and other priests
concelebrated the Eucharistic celebration.
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Bajjodi, March 31st: The Easter Celebration here at
Infant Mary Church, Bajjodi commenced at 7 pm with
the blessing of the new fire by Fr. Ivan D’souza..
The Easter Candle was lit and carried to the Altar
calling on people to walk in the light of Risen
Christ. The congregation lit candles signifying the
victory of light over darkness and there by
enlightenment. Fr. Joseph Cyril D’souza sang the
Exultes - the Easter Hymn. Fr. Joachim Rodrigues was
the main Celebrant. Seven readings from the Sacred
Scriptures gave a glimpse of the salvation story of
Israel and mankind in general. As the Gloria
resounded in the air the image of Risen Jesus got
unveiled. Fr.Joachim Rodrigues preached the homily.
Parishioners participated enthusiastically in the
solemn ceremony and celebration. Later water was
blessed and baptismal vows were renewed. The liturgy
was well-organized. The parish choir embellished the
liturgy with excellent musical accompaniment. 
‘Life has vanquished death, darkness is chased by
light, Rejoice then, O people, for from sin’s
blindness you have been given pure sight’
“High on two logs hangs a figure in isolation, whose
shadow saves all the people of sin’s desperation.”
“Your love for one another should prove to the world
that you are my disciples”
The 21st Convocation of Dhyanavana International
Institute of Spirituality was held on Monday, March
26, 2018. Most Rev. Dr. Francis Serrao, Bishop of
Shimoga, was the Chief Guest of the function and
awarded Diplomas and certificates to 85 students. V.
Rev. Fr. Charles Serrao OCD, Provincial, presided
over the function and released the Dhyanavana Annual
magazine. Advocate Mahadev Deshak delivered the
convocation address on "A Christian Response to the
communal Forces of Today". The whole function was
attended by around 200 Clergy, Religious and
Friends. 
These Words were reverberated on March 25, 2018 in
the entire Christendom as the Church prepared itself
to step into the holiest week of Christianity
initiated by The Palm Sunday. The Shrine of Infant
Jesus also participated into this practice by
organizing the mass at 8:00 AM. The blessing of the
Palms and the Invitatory Rite were held at
Dhyanavana, our neighboring house in the presence of
a large group of faithful, lay and religious alike.
All the faithful marched devoutly, commemorating the
glorious event of the entry of Jesus to the city of
Jerusalem. Soon after this, followed the holy
Eucharistic celebration presided by Fr. Vinod Lobo
which was concelebrated by the Community priests
along with guest priests, Fr. Rovel D’Souza OCD and
Fr. Gilbert Aranha. Fr Pradeep Pinto through his
inspiring homily enabled the faithful to ponder on
the passion of our Lord.
Dear
Friends,
Dear
Fathers, Brothers and Sisters,%20(2).jpg)
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11th of February,2018 will remain a memorable day
for the Karnataka-Goa Province of Discalced
Carmelites, as Fr. Cyril Menezes completed 50 years
in the garden of Carmel. There was a solemn
Eucharistic celebration at the Infant Jesus presided
over by Fr. Cyril, along with Carmelite friars from
all around the province and a few diocesan priests.
In his homily, Fr. Alfred Menezes explained the
significance of the jubilee in the life of the
religious. The meaningful liturgy and the
soul-uplifting choir was animated by the theology
brothers. A short felicitation programme was
organized in the courtyard of the monastery. After a
prayer song by the theology brothers, the cake was
cut. Fr. Archibald Gonsalves raised the toast and
highligted some unique facets of the life of the
jubilarian, who was then honoured by the Provincial
and his councillors with a Mysore peta, shawl and
fruits. Fr. Anthony Kanapilly the batchmate of Fr.
Cyril, who belongs to the Manjummel province and was
present on the occasion was also felicitated. 
Today (30th of January, 2018), Br. Regan Paul
D'Souza was ordained a Deacon by Most Rev. Aloysius
Paul D'Souza, the Bishop of Mangalore, in the Chapel
of the Bishop's House. His close relatives and our
Carmelite friars witnessed the event. The
Karnataka-Province congratulates Deacon Regan and
wishes him a fruitful Diaconal ministry.
The Annual Parish feast was celebrated at Infant
Mary Church, Bajjodi with great pomp and fervor on
Sunday 28th Jan. 2018. Felicitation to the sponsors
and procession began at 9.30am. The Solemn
Eucharistic celebration was held at 10am. The Parish
priest Fr Shabas Crasta distributed the candles to
the benefactors and sponsors of the feast. Rev. Fr.
Peter Noronha was the main celebrant. 14 priests
took part in the Eucharistic celebrations.. Fr.
Peter Noronha preached a sermon on the theme ‘Mary
the courageous woman’. Infant Mary Church and
parishioners cannot imagine parish day celebration
without the cultural program to make it eventful and
memorable. The Cultural programe began with a prayer
dance by youth followed by stage programe. Vice
President, Joseph Mascarenhas extended the official
welcome to all the dignitaries followed by Secretary
Irene Pinto reading the Parish Annual Report of
happenings/activities. Chief guest Fr. Pius James
D’souza, Episcopal Vicar, gave us the message that
we need to have belongingness that this is our
Parish. Rev. Fr. Wilfred Rodrigues, Superior of St.
Joseph’s Monastery, Corporator, Mrs. Meena Pinto,
Cultural committee coordinator, were present on the
stage. Winners of various competitions were awarded
on the occasion. Parish Priest Fr. Shabas Crasta in
his message said that we need to give priority to
Spiritual activities he also thanked the
parishioners for their constant support.
Infant Jesus annual feast at Asha Deepa, Madanthyar,
was celebrated with great solemnity on 26th January
2018. The concelebrated high mass – with 27 priests
–commenced at 5:30 PM. It was well attended by over
500 devotees from in and around Madanthyar and the
neighbouring parishes like Badyar and Belhangady.
Rev. Dr. Fr. Wilfred Rodrigues Ocd, the superior of
St. Joseph's Monastery,Carmel Hil, Mangalore
presided over the Eucharist and preached a relevant
homily on the them: “Internal freedom for a fruitful
life.” He spoke on how we can attain total freedom
and become fruitful by change of heart and mind. The
devotees left the campus with real joy and spiritual
enhancement. After the celebration refreshment was
shared with all the devotees, while priests and
religious were served monastic festal dinner to
enhance fraternity and well being.
On January 21, 2018, Dhyanavana, International
Institute of Spirituality, in association with CRI
Mysore Diocese, organized a full day seminar on
Discernment…The Art of Psycho-Spiritual Discernment
in Religious Life, in Pushpashrama Auditorium,
Mysore. At 9:00 a.m. the seminar started with
registration and at around 9:15 am the programme
began. The Seminar commenced by invoking God’s
blessings. Rev. Sr. Juanita CSST Provincial,
Inaugurated the Seminar. The CRI Provincials were
the Chief Guests and Rev. Fr. Dominic Vas OCD -
Director of Dhyanavana welcomed the gathering and
briefed the audience about the purpose of the
seminar. The lighting of the lamp was done by all
the dignitaries of the Seminar. The Seminar was a
grand success for which many priests, religious and
brothers from near and far attended the seminar
accounting to around 400 in number.
We thank God for all the blessings he has showered
on the community of OCD Nuns at Hassan Carmel.
Initially the inauguration of the Carmel was fixed
for 8th of December, 1992, but because of the
Ayodhya problem, it had to be shifted to 14th of
December. Fr. Gregory D'Souza OCD (then Provincial)
and Fr. Joe Tauro (then First Prov. Councillor)
braved the hostile and tensed situation prevailing
around and made it in time for the Eucharistic
celebration. Now 25 years later, the thanksgiving
Mass was celebrated on 14th of December, 2017,
presided over by Most Rev. Thomasappa Anthony Swamy,
the Bishop of Chickmagalur. There were 22 priests
who concelebrated. At the beginning the following
lighted the Jubilee lamp: The Bishop, Fr Charles
Serrao (Provincial), Fr. Ronald Cardoza (Parish
Priest of Hassan), Fr. Dominic Savio SDB (Superior
of the Salesians, who are their regular chaplains),
Fr. James Gonsalves SJ (Confessor), Sr. Jacintha OCD
(representing the Mother Carmel of Mangalore), Sr.
Cynthia (Sisters of Charity, representing the
religious) and Mrs. Zita Sham (representing the
benefactors and friends).
On January 7, 2018, the annual feast of the Infant
Jesus was celebrated at Pushpashrama, Mysore. Before
the sun rose in the beautiful landscape and the
historical city of Mysore, the radiant light of
Infant Jesus had already started illumining it from
the beautiful shrine at Pushpashrama. The shrine
clad with beautiful flowers of different hues and
wonderful illuminations, the church appeared even
more elegant as the faithful had already gathered
for the holy mass at 6:45 a.m. The mass celebrated
in Syrian rite was presided over by Fr. Jomi
Mekkunel CMI, with which the kick started for the
festivity of the day. Another mass soon followed
this at 8:15 a.m. which was celebrated by the Vicar
Provincial of the Discalced Carmelites of the K.G.
Province, Fr. Pius James D’Souza OCD. The Mass was
accompanied by the string ensemble and choir led by
Mr. Sudeep Christie and Sir Felix which truly
solemnized it. 
Poverty of Jesus! This being the theme for the last
day of the Triduum in honour of Infant Jesus, the
day dawned with a Eucharistic celebration offered by
Fr. Oswald Crasta OCD. As the feast was fast
approaching a lot of preparation took place in and
around the campus with the Pushpashrama Fathers and
Brothers putting on their best foot forward to make
the celebration a wonderful one. In the evening,
Tamil mass was celebrated by Fr. Antony M, the
liturgy of which was enriched by the symphony of the
Tamil Association choir. This was followed by
Kannada mass which was devoutly presided over by Fr.
Dominic Vas OCD. As there was a special prayer
service for children, tiny tots with happy hearts
gathered around the holy altar. The Carmelite
priests stormed heavens by their prayers for these
children, who witnessed the love of Jesus in their
hearts. The Gayathri Puram Parish also helped the
liturgy by their melodious choir. Soon after the
mass, the devotees partook in the food served due to
the generous hearts of the benefactors.
On the second day of the Triduum in honour of Infant
Jesus, the atmosphere around the Infant Jesus shrine
was of high sanctity and holiness as more and more
people flocked to the shrine. The theme being
‘Poverty of Mary’, the devotees were blessed to
witness a Eucharistic celebration at the break of
the day which was presided over by Fr Vinod Lobo OCD.
However the flock intensified for the Tamil and
Kannada mass celebrated by Frs. Amal Raj from Guru
Mandir and Alphonse Britto OCD and the church was
filled to its capacity. The seraphic choir by the
Pushpashrama brothers, Tamil Association and B. M.
Shree Nagar parish made the liturgy more meaningful.
After the spiritual nourishment, the devotees were
also physically nourished as they relished the tasty
‘Annasantarpane’. 
The small village of Watare in the parish of Londa,
was jubilant on 30th of December, 2017, as it
prepared for the Priestly Ordination of two
brothers, Deac. Peter Pereira OCD and Deac.
Sebastian Pereira SJ. The ordaining prelate, Most
Rev. Peter Machado said that in Christmas Season we
celebrate the birth of Jesus and on this day twins
are born into the priesthood! Further he noted, how
along the highway there are many boards warning
people of the presence of wild animals in the area.
Now we had to put up a new one near Watare: Priests
and Sisters are here!
The
Feast of the Holy Innocents on 28th Dec, as usual we
celebrated the Children’s Day. The mass was at 8 am,
was presided by Fr. Raymond Santhanaz and
concelebrated by Fr. Roshan Pinto. Unfortunately it
rained heavily and most of the children failed to
come. There were around 300 children, if not for
rain they would have been more than 500. All the
Out-Station managed to represent at least a few of
them. Children themselves conducted the liturgy.
Since we are in Golden Jubilee Year and Children
will be having different competitions during the
whole year, we did not have any games as such after
the mass. But we divided the children into different
groups and the catechists gave them some relevant
talks according their groups. Around 11 am they were
given soft drink and edibles and allowed them to go
home soon.
The flag unfurled high in the sky on January 4, 2017
Thursday as the day marked the beginning of the
Triduum of the feast of the Infant Jesus. With the
theme, “Meet the poor, follow Christ”, Fr. Valentine
set the ball rolling by hoisting the flag after
invoking the graces of the Infant Jesus. People then
marched devoutly to participate in the Tamil mass
celebrated by him. Soon after this, followed the
masses in Kannada and English which were presided
over by Frs. Joseph Pinto and Nitesh Rodrigues
respectively. As the theme for the feast was based
on loving the poor, the liturgy on the first day was
intricately woven on the Poverty of Disciples. The
Tamil association Choir, the Rajiv Nagar Parish
choir and the Pushpashrama brothers lent out their
voices to add more flavor to the liturgy. Devotees,
who had flocked in large numbers from and around
Mysore, were also served food after all the three
masses.
December 31, 2017 – a day of thanking the Lord for
the manifold blessings that He has showered upon
each and every one of us. On this beautiful day the
Pushpashrama Fathers and brothers along with the
faithful of the vicinity conducted a thanksgiving
adoration at 10-00 p.m. for the year 2017 followed
by the Holy Eucharist at 10-45 p.m. Rev. Fr Vincent,
Principal of St Philomena’s college presided over
the Eucharistic celebration along with other seven
priests. Fr Oswald Crasta preached an inspiring
homily highlighting the virtues and qualities of
Mary to be practiced in the New Year 2018. The
brothers of Pushpashrama through their angelic choir
enabled the faithful to raise their hearts and minds
to God in thanksgiving. After the Eucharistic
celebration, as the people were wishing each other,
coffee and cakes were served to enhance the joy of
New Year 2018. On the New Year day – the Solemnity
of Mary the Mother of God, the holy mass commenced
at 8-00 a.m. celebrated by Fr Pradeep Pinto. Fr Joy
Francis preached the homily highlighting the
significance of the title Theotokos and invited the
faithful to keep up the resolutions that we make at
the beginning of the New Year 2018. May this New
Year 2018 become the strong foundation to experience
the presence of Jesus and live our life according to
the will of God. 
December 25, 2017 on the day of Christmas, the
Pushpashrama community along with the neighbors who
are belonging to different religions celebrated the
Christmas and shared the message of peace and
harmony with each other at Pushpashrama auditorium.
The celebration commenced at 4-30 p.m. invoking the
assistance of Jesus through the prayer song sung by
our Pushpashrama brothers. Miss Kirana Nayak, one of
the immediate neighbors of Pushpashrama compered the
programme. Fr Pradeep Pinto, the chief guest
delivered the Christmas message quoting
Bhagavad-Gita, Quran and Bible, gave a clarion call
to all, to live in peace and harmony. The cultural
programme consisted of colorful dances and Christmas
carols by our neighboring children, youth and
adults. The brothers of Pushpashrama through their
rocking dance and Christmas carols entertained the
congregation. Thus the Christmas celebration became
a strong foundation to celebrate the unity and
harmony with our brothers and sisters of
Pushpashrama vicinity. 
Christmas is a glorious day to rejoice and to
celebrate; it is the birthday of our Saviour Jesus
Christ who became flesh and dwelt among us. This day
was solemnized at the Infant Jesus Shrine,
Pushpashrama on December 24, 2017. The brothers of
Pushpashrama through their melodious voice sang the
Christmas carols at 9-30 p.m. followed by the solemn
Eucharistic celebration at 10-00 p.m. presided over
by Fr Joy Francis and concelebrated by the community
friars. The Christmas liturgy was meticulously
organized by the philosophy students of Pushpashrama.
Fr Joy in his homily enlightened the faithful as
regards the contradictions that are found in the
modern world which are contrary to the spiritual
world of Jesus. He gave a clarion call to all the
faithful to follow the simplicity, humility and
poverty of Jesus in our personal and family lives.
After the mass as the people wished each other with
the greetings of Christmas, cake and coffee were
being served for all the faithful. Thus the vigil
mass at Pushpashrama created an atmosphere of prayer
through the spiritual celebration and the beautiful
lights which added colours to the Infant Jesus
Shrine.
Dec.24th: Christmas is a time for sharing and
friendship. It was celebrated with devotion and
gusto at Infant Mary Church Bajjodi. The festal
Eucharistic celebration was held at 7.30pm and
parishioners gathered at the church for the Holy
Mass in Konkani which was concelebrated by Parish
Priest Fr. Shabas Crasta. Asst. Priest Fr. Ivan
D’souza was the main celebrant. Parish Priest Fr.
Shabas Crasta in his homily, exhorted the faithful
to follow in the path of Jesus Christ and said that,
"The present situation in the world is very bad.
Hatred has spread among people. We must do only good
deeds, only then can we live a happy life. What is
the point in life if we do not follow what God wants
from us? He loves everyone. It does not mean we
should become selfish. Let us make this world a
selfless one by following Jesus."
The Carmelites of the Italian Region gathered in
Parrocchia di San Maria a Ripa on the 28th of
December, 2017 for the Chrismas celebration. All the
priests except Fr Edwin Deniz, Fr Rodlof Pinto and
Fr Peter Rebello were present for the gathering
totalling 11. Our celebration began with a grand
dinner in one of the benefactors’ house. We sang the
Christmas Carols as we savoured the Italian
delicacies. On the 29th of December we had a
fraternal concelebrated mass in the Parish Church
along with the parishoners. Fr Manoj Braganza the
Superior and Parish Priest spread the carpet of red
roses to all the priests as he introduced all the
priests to the parishoners. Fr Deepak Tauro OCD,
Rector of the Scala Community presided over the
Eucharist and preached a meaningful homily. After
the Holy Mass we prayed the Lauds with the people
which was an enriching experience. 
All the friars from the four communities in the
capital city Bengaluru, came together to share the
joy of Christmas on 26th of December, 2017. The
birthday of Fr. Canute D’Souza the faithful and
diligent bursar for 19 years was also celebrated.
Enjoy a few pictures taken on the occasion!
the profession of Sr. Benedicta of the Holy Face (
earlier, Roschelle Martis) took place on the 17th of
December, 2017 at Pune Carmel. Her parents who came
down from Kuwait, also attended the mass. Since it
was a Sunday, the chapel was full of religious from
the neighbouring houses, especially the Jesuit
brothers. The Confessor of the community from the
neighbouring De Nobili College was very happy to
attend and said he that so far he had seen such a
ceremony only in movies. Sr Benedicta had completed
her Ph.D. in aerospace engineering before entering
Carmel. We wish her all the best and pray that God
guide her in her journey ahead.
Christmas day mass was celebrated at 8 am by Fr.
Raymond Santhanaz at St. Martin of Tour Parish,
Mpandangindo, Songea while Fr. Roshan Pinto the
Parish Priest of Superior went to the Out Stations
of Kituro at 8 am and at Liweta at 11 am accompanied
by Br. Prosper Kaizer.
It was historical first at Mpandangindo, Songea.
There was a Christmas Fellowship celebration with
other Christian denominations and Religions on 26th
of December, at St. Martin of Tours Parish. The
Muslims invitees could not attend; but all those who
gathered were so happy and expressed their
appreciation for those who planned it. It was a very
successful gathering and they wished to have it in
the future too without failure. The gathering
concluded with a fellowship meal. 
The Christmas Vigil was celebrated at St. Martin of
Tour Parish at Mpandangindo, Songea at 7 pm. Fr.
Roshan Pinto the Parish Priest and the Superior was
the main celebrant assisted by Fr. Raymond Santhanaz.
Br. Prosper Kaizer, a Carmelite Philosophy student
from Kola, Morogoro who came to help us during the
Christmas season preached a beautiful homily. Though
at the beginning the church looked to be empty but
later good number of people were present. 
Dhyana Jyothi Trust, a charitable trust run by the
Carmelite Fathers and Bangalore Konkani Catholic
Charismatic Renewal along with Good Sam Foundation
celebrated Christmas with the differently-abled on
Sunday December 17 in Bengaluru. The celebration
began with a praise and worship led by the blind
themselves. Later Fr. Stifan Perera, OCD Director of
Dhyana Jyothi Turst in his Christmas message said,
“Christ is born especially with the poor and the
marginalized to show how God loves whom the society
rejects. The true meaning of Christmas consists in
loving the poor and the needy.” He also thanked all
those who had showed their generosity to give
Christmas joy to these differently-abled. Mr. David
of Good Sam Foundation thanked. Mrs. Nelly Pichardo
coordinated the whole program and volunteers under
the able leadership of Godwin Castelino served the
food to the participants. After the meal, shirts to
men, Sarees to women, sweets and school bags to
children and grocery items for week were distributed
to each of the families present. We thank all our
well-wishers and invoke God’s blessings on them.
December 21, 2017 – The Carmel Play Home kids along
with the parents, fathers and brothers celebrated
the Christmas programme at Pushpashrama auditorium.
It was a day of jubilation and cheerfulness as the
play home kids had the maiden opportunity to
manifest their hidden angelic talents in the
presence of their dear parents and friends. The
celebration commenced at 11-00 a.m. Br Clifford
Rodrigues compered the programme; Br Prithesh and
team invoked the assistance of God through the
prayer song. The play home kids welcomed the
gathering through the symbolic welcome dance. Fr
Pradeep Pinto, the chief guest gave the Christmas
message and gave a clarion call to live in peace and
harmony with one another. The play home kids through
their colourful dances captivated the mind and
hearts of the audience. 
On 14 December 2017, two Secular Carmelites, Joan
Ashby and Ligia Da Silva, made their Definitive
Promises at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Benoni,
South Africa. Fr Mari Joseph was the main celebrant
at the Eucharist. All our Carmelite Priests working
in South Africa participated in the celebration. Fr
Boniface D'Souza preached the homily and explained
the importance of vocation and the necessity for
commitment to the Church’s mission. The Celebration
was witnessed by a large number of faithful
including Carmelite Nuns from Benoni. Before the
Eucharistic Celebration, Bridget Hodge, the
President of OCDS community, explained to the
congregation the nature of the Secular Carmelites
vocation. Finally, Fr Arvin Tauro congratulated Joan
and Ligia and encouraged lay faithful to join the
Secular Order. The Celebration was rounded off with
a delicious finger supper.
The spiritual assistants of the OCDS in our Province
came together for two days in order to plan about
the growth of the Secular Carmel at the Carmelite
Provincialate, Sadbhavana, Bengaluru, from 5th to
6th of December, 2017. Since there were some friars
who have just taken up the assignment for the first
time, there were input sessions on the first day,
given by Fr. Rovel D’Souza (Provincial Delegate of
the OCDS) and Fr. Silvestre D’Souza (Provincial
Secretary), on the OCDS Constitutions, Province
Statutes and Provincial Formation programme. There
were discussions on various aspects of the Secular
Carmel and their organization. Some practical
decisions were also taken, which will be implemented
in the course of time. We thank all those who made
it possible to participate and contribute to the
success of the gathering.
The Philosophy Students of Pushpashrama manifested
their musical talents during the carol singing
competitions organized by the Catholic Association
of Mysore on December 3, 2017 and Carmel Catholic
Association on December 10, 2017. On December 3, the
Brothers participated in three categories and won
three prizes namely English – third place, Konkani
and Kannada second place. On December 10, the
brothers participated in two categories and won two
prizes namely English third place and Kannada first
place. The brothers moved heaven and earth during
these days through their untiring and constant
practice. We congratulate and acknowledge the hard
efforts of our brothers in upholding the name of
Pushpashrama, Philosophy College in the carol
competition. 
OLD GOA: CARMEL DAN, a centre for holistic growth,
of the Carmelite Friars was blessed by Fr. Eusico
Pereira, Parish Priest of Santo Estevao Church, St.
Estevam at Cupa, St. Estevam. Fr. Archibald
Gonsalves, Superior of the Carmelite Monastery
inaugurated the house and highlighted the purpose of
the Centre. Br. Malvino Alfonso welcomed the
gathering. Caetano Rodrigues and Donatina Fernandes,
donors of the house and others were felicitated at
the hands of Fr. Ronald D’souza, Provincial
Councillor, Karnataka-Goa Province of the
Carmelites. Fr. Pereira in his address,
congratulated the Carmelite Friars and appreciated
their efforts to serve the people. This centre of
the Carmelite Friars which is a sister-concern of
the Carmelite Monastery, Margao will cater the
spiritual, emotional and psychological needs of the
people. It will organise different programmes for
the well-being of the different groups like parents,
teachers, youth, teens, leaders for the associations
etc. Carmelites are doing similar ministry in Mapusa
at the Emmaus and at Divine Springs at Xellim.
The fathers of Carmel Home along with the
parishioners of Belur, celebrated the annual feast
of St. Michael on Wednesday 11th October 2017. The
main celebrant was Fr. Dominic Vas. There were 20
concelebrants which included our own Carmelite
friars and neighbouring diocesan priests. Around 300
people were present for the feast. At the end of the
Solemn Mass, Fr. Joseph Pinto, the Parish Priest
thanked all those who had supported and extended
their help to organize the feast.
The solemnity of St. Teresa of Avila (Doctor of the
church, Reformer of the Carmelite Order, Patroness
of the Karnataka – Goa Province and the Patroness of
Sadbhavana community) was celebrated at Sadbhavana
on Sunday, 15th of October 2017 at 6:30 p.m. The
solemn Eucharistic celebration was presided over by
V. Rev Fr. A. S. Anthony Swamy (Chancellor and PRO
of the Archdiocese of Bangalore), who also preached
a homily emphasizing the doctrine of the Saint. Rev
Fr. Paul D’Souza OCD honoured the main celebrant
with a shall and bouquet. Rev Fr. Charles Serrao OCD
(Provincial) thanked one and all for their esteemed
presence. A fellowship meal followed.
Finally, in the twentieth century, the Discalced
Carmelites opened their doors to Indian natives, who
would henceforth draw more freely from the rich
spiritual treasures of Sts. Teresa, John of the Cross,
and other Carmelite interreters of the Good News of
Jesus.
