Parish News

News by Gordon DAlmeida
Pics by Stanly Bantwal

The parish feast of St Vincent Ferrer Church, Valencia, was celebrated in a deeply devotional atmosphere on Sunday, January 26, 2025.

The celebration commenced at 8.15am with the distribution of 'Candles of Honour' by the Parish Priest, Fr Roque DSa to recognize and honour the Parish Pastoral Council members and those who contributed to the feast. The list of honorees was read aloud by Ronald Rodrigues, Vice President of the Parish Pastoral Council.

The solemn Eucharistic Mass began at 8.30am. The main celebrant was Fr Vijay Monteiro, Assistant Parish Priest of Holy Cross Church, Cordel Kulshekar, Mangalore.

During the solemn Eucharistic celebration Fr Vijay, delivered a thought-provoking homily emphasizing the transformative power of the Word of God. He encouraged to embrace happiness as a way of life, stating, "If we are truly happy, only then can we spread happiness in the world." He highlighted the importance of living joyfully as a reflection of faith and as a means to inspire and uplift others.

Drawing attention to the life of St Vincent Ferrer, Fr Vijay spoke of the saint's extraordinary dedication to spreading the Word of God. He shared that St Vincent Ferrer, a Dominican friar from Valencia, Spain, is credited with performing around 58,000 miracles during his lifetime. These miracles are a testament to the saint's unwavering faith and his ability to bring God's message of hope, healing, and salvation to the world.

Joining him as co-celebrants were Parish Priest Fr Roque DSa, Assistant Parish Priest Fr Pradeep Rodrigues, Fr Charles Menezes, Fr Louis DSouza S.J, Fr Harry DSouza, Fr Jagadish Pinto and Fr William Barracos.

Fr Vijay extended warm greetings to all the parishioners.

Fr Roque expressed gratitude to all the parishioners for their contributions, active participation, and cooperation, which made the feast a grand success. Approximately 1,100 parishioners participated in the celebration, which concluded with a breakfast served to all attendees, fostering a sense of unity and joy within the community.