Media Release

Mangalore, Apr 23: Wednesday April 23 was a special day for the Karnataka-Goa province of Discalced Carmelites, as three more members were added to the priestly tribe.

The solemn Mass with the rich ceremony of priestly ordination began at 10 am in the presence of 72 priests at Infant Jesus Shrine at Bikarnakatte here. Dr Henry D’Souza, bishop of Bellary was the ordaining minister.

The three new priests are:

Fr John Pinto from Arva parish, who joined the Carmelites after some years of work experience and completed his theological studies at St Pius X Seminary, Goregaon.

Fr Richard Francis Saldanha from Pakshikere, the eldest among the two sons of William and Veronica.

Fr Robert Rayan Pais from Madanthyar, the third among the four children of Henry and Rita Pais.

The Fr Richard Saldanha and Fr Robert Pais were students of St Joseph’s Inter-diocesan Seminary, Jeppu, Mangalore for the last 4 years.

The bishop enumerated the various dimensions of priesthood in his homily and referring to the inspiring life of Bishop Fulton Sheen, reminded them how their lives could touch other people. “It is easy to become a nun,” he recalled a comment he once heard, “but difficult to become a good one!” With these words he exhorted the new priests to become good and saintly.

The ordination rite was animated by Fr Deepak Tauro, OCD, the formator of the theology students, which included the laying of hands, prostration during the singing of the litany and the anointing of the hands with ‘chrism oil’. The respective parish priests adorned the newly ordained in priestly vestments.

In the short felicitation programme that followed the Mass, Fr Archibald Gonsalves, provincial superior of the Karnataka-Goa province (who himself is celebrating the silver jubilee of his priestly ordination this year) expressed his great joy to have these gifted youngsters in the Carmelite family. Special thanks were rendered to the parents and the families who had offered their sons to the service of the Lord. The benefactors who accompanied them in their journey to the priesthood were also honoured on the occasion.

This year the Carmelites have an abundant harvest of new priests. Those ordained earlier are: Fr Mark Peter Furtado, ordained at Chinchinim parish, Goa on October 11, 2013; Fr Cannio Remedio Cardozo, ordained at Ambora parish, Goa on January 18, 2014; Fr Nitesh Rodrigues, from Rajodi, Vasai, who was ordained on February 27, 2014; and the first Carmelite priests from the state of Gujarat Fr Kaushik Parmar and Fr Daniel Christian who were ordained in an impressive ceremony on March 1, 2014 at Nadiad, Ahmedabad.

Shortly two more Carmelites from Mangalore (parishes of Gurpur and Ujire), who are presently studying in Tanzania, and have opted to serve the mission over there, will be ordained, along with two local candidates from that African country.