Mangalore: Bondel Church to celebrate grand St Lawrence feast on Aug 10

Stanley Bantwal
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore

Mangalore, Aug 7: The Bondel church devoted to St Lawrence will celebrate its annual feast on Saturday August 10 at 10 am.

In Mangalore diocese, there are 4 churches devoted to St Lawrence and the Bondel church is one of them. St Lawrence Church, Attur belonging to Udupi diocese and the Bondel church are attended by many devotees.

As the church is located in the heart of the city at Bondel, many devotees who pass by visit the church and offer prayers. There is no doubt that Bondel church has emerged as one of the most important holy places in Mangalore.

History of St Lawrence Church, Bondel

In 1923, a major part of the Bondel church belonged to the Milagres parish. At that time, priests from Milagres church visited the place to offer mass and perform other religious rites. In 1865, French missionery Fr Alexandar Dubois visited Bondel when he was the parish priest of Milagres church.

Looking at the scenic places here, he called the place as ‘Bonwel’ in French, from which the name ‘Bondel’ was derived.

Until 1923, Bondel was not an independent church. Some of areas under the church limits like Pacchanady, Mudushedde and a part of Padavu were part of Milagres parish and rest of the places belonged to Rosario Cathedral.

Later in 1912 when Bejai church was established, the other places came under this parish. In those times, in order to attend mass, people had to walk for about 6 to 7 miles to Milagres or Rosario church. Responding to the problem, the then Milagres parish priest Fr Louis Fernandes built a chapel in ‘Bangar Seeme’, plot at Pacchanady where masses and other religious rites were offered on Sundays.

Milagres church parish priest Fr Frank Pereira, pleased with the faith and the love shown by people of Bondel towards religious activities, shifted the chapel along with the school to the present place in 1913.

To offer mass, he made a temporary roof made of hay and built a well to meet the requirements of water. Using the old equipment in the chapel, he built a small school. In 1915, with the help of the people, a new chapel was built and in 1917, Fr Julian D’Souza was appointed as the chaplin of the chapel.

In 1922, Fr D’Souza built a house for priests. Considering the development in this place, the then Bishop Fr Paul Perini announced Bondel as a separate parish with 6 wards on April 10, 1923 and appointed Fr Frank Pereira as the first parish priest.

Church completes 90 years, and school 105 years

The church which was established for 50 to 60 families in 1923, is stepping into its 90th year of establishment. Presently, the church has St Lawrence higher primary school, St Lawrence high school and St Lawrence English medium school.

The St Lawrence higher primary school has a history of 105 years.

The credit for building the present church goes to Fr Denis D’Souza.

875 familes and 24 wards

Presently, the Bondel parish has 875 families with 24 wards. Fr Andrew D’Souza is the parish priest while Fr Patrick Sequeira is the assistant parish priest, Rudy Pinto is the vice-president and Reginald D’Souza is the secretary of the parish.

Convent

The parish has different convents, namely Missionary Society of Infant Jesus and Sacred Heart Fathers and Brothers of Betharam, Mary Immaculate Convent, Presentation Convent, Bala Yesu Nilaya, Vijayamari Convent, Jyothi Nivas and Nazareth Nivas convent.

"St Lawrence Novena is offered every Friday and after the feast, every Tuesdays, adoration will be held at 10:30 am, mass at 11:30 am which will conclude with the lunch for devotees," said Fr Andrew D’Souza.

Various associations like St Vincent De Paul Society, Catholic Sabha, Society of Franciscan Order, Mother Concessao Sodality, Legion of Mary, ICYM, altar boys, Marian Sodality, YCS, Couples for Christ, Infant Jesus Sodality and singing groups are functioning in the parish. In addition, every Sundays, SCC meetings are held in the wards and a medical fund is set up in the church for people in need of it.

Various religious sisters and priests of different ordination have come to this parish.

As preparation for the upcoming feast, 9 days Novena offerings have started from August 1.

Feast of St Lawrence

The feast of St Lawrence in Bondel church is being celebrated in a grand manner from the past 3 years. This year the festal mass to be held at 10 am on August 10 will be offered by Dr Aloysius Paul D’Souza, Bishop of Mangalore while the 6 pm festal mass will be offered by vicar general Fr Denis Moras Prabhu.

Watch live coverage of the feast on TvDaijiworld from 10 am on August 10.