The Missionary Society of Infant Jesus celebrated Founder’s Day

Mangaluru: September 29, 2023, became a memorable day in the history of the Missionary Society of Infant Jesus as the Fathers and Brothers were privileged to celebrate for the first time the Founder’s Day just two years after his death.

Before commencing the celebration of the solemn Thanksgiving Holy Mass in honour of our Founder’s Day, His Lordship Most Rev. Dr. Peter Paul Saldanha blessed the renovated Missionary Society of Infant Jesus, Mother house. Other invited priests and Sisters faithful took part in the blessing of the renovated Mother House.

Before the Holy Mass could began, Fr. Melwin Basil Pinto, MSIJ, welcomed wholeheartedly His Lordship, Most Rev. Dr. Peter Paul Saldanha, all Rev. Fathers, Rev. Sisters, siblings of the Founder, benefactors, and faithful gathered for the Founder’s Day Eucharistic celebration.

Thereafter, the Holy Mass began. Which was presided over by His Lordship Most Rev Dr. Peter Paul Saldanha, the Bishop of Mangalore, Rev.Fr. Victor George D’Souza, the Chancellor of the Diocese of Mangalore, Fr. James D’Souza, Vicar Forane of City Deanery,Fr. Andrew Leo D’Souza, PP Bondel Parish, Fr. Bathula Ravi Kumar, MSIJ, Superior General, Fr. Ashok Kumar Nalla, MSIJ, and all other Rev. Fathers concelebrated in the solemn Thanksgiving Holy Mass. His Lordship, in his homily on the auspicious occasion of Founder’s Day, made us know that it is God who calls us and blesses us to become blessings in the lives of others. In turn, our Founder too was called by God, and by his way of life, he has inspired many. He is not venerable, a servant of God, beatified, or declared a saint, yet we celebrate the person of our Founder for what good God did in his life; he has shared it with so many people, and they have experienced blessings from him in their lives.

Before the final hymn of Holy Mass, Rev. Fr. Bathula Ravi Kumar, MSIJ, the Superior General, proposed the vote of thanks for everything that has happened during the celebration of Founder’s Day. Revelation A singing group led by Mr. Suraj Noronha and his team sang melodiously for the Holy Mass. The gathered people expressed words of appreciation for the function organized in a very systematic way.

The Founder’s Day function ended with a fellowship meal.