Moodubelle: Society of St. Vincent de Paul members visit the Ozanam Home for the Aged at Kallianpur

By Dr. Eugene DSouza, Moodubelle
Bellevision Media Network

Moodubelle, 31 January 2011: Members of the Moodubelle unit of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SSVP) paid their annual visit to the Ozanam Home for the Aged at Kallianpur in the forenoon of Monday, 31 January 2011. Fr. Joswey Fernandes, parish priest of Moodubelle, Ignatius Monis-president and Mrs. Gladys Rebello-secretary of the Modubelle Unit of SSVP as well as Peter Raphael Aranha one of the Trustees of the Ozanam Home for the Aged accompanied the members.

 

The inmates of the Ozanam Home for the Aged along with the sisters looking after them and the SSVP members gathered in the chapel. After prayer and brief introduction by Ignatius Monis, Fr. Joswey Fernandes addressed the gathering and narrated the circumstances that led to the foundation of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. He said that the SSVP was founded by Antony Frederick Ozanam (1813-1853) a French scholar in 1833 as ‘Conference of Charity’ which later came to be known as the ‘Society of St. Vincent de Paul’ to serve the impoverished people living in the slums of Paris in France. Gradually,  SSVP began to spread throughout the world and presently, there are  875,000 members in 47,000 Conferences (teams) in 131 countries of five continents. Antony Frederick Ozanam was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1997. Fr. Joswey Ferandes also pointed out the problems faced by the elderly people such as loneliness, health problems and anxiety and advised the inmates how to overcome these difficulties.

 

Blessed Frederic Ozanam

 

During a small get-together in the dining hall, the members of SSVP interacted with the inmates following which a housie game was organised and the winners as well as others were given prizes by Fr. Joswey Fernandes. The game was conducted by Peter Raphael Aranha and Mrs. Gladys Rebello. Later, the members of SSVP joined the inmates for lunch sponsored by the Moodubelle Unit of SSVP.

 

The Ozanam Home for the Aged at Kallianpur  was founded in 1982 by the Udupi Area Council of SSVP under the leadership of Dr. Gregory D’Sa on the 66 cents of land donated by two generous Quadros spinster sisters who were regarded  and treated as  the first two inmates of the Ozanam Home for the Aged. The first house was ready to be occupied in 1985 under the name of Ozanam Home to which sixteen persons of advanced age were admitted as residents.

 

Gradually, additional blocks were constructed with generous donations for philanthropists. Thus, Vincent Block for elderly couples and Contardo Ferrini Block for senior citizens were constructed.  A chapel to meet the spiritual needs of the inmates was constructed in 1988.

 

As the space for the Ozanam Home for the Aged was inadequate, a plot measuring 67 cents was purchased from the Mount Rosary Church in 1990. Dr. M.J. Lewis a former parishioner of the Milagres Church, Kallianpur residing in the United States constructed a new block in the name of her late parents-Camil and Evelyn Lewis within the Ozanam premises.

 

 

When the Ozanam Home for the Aged was started, Sr. Malita of the Congregation of Mary Queen of the Apostles rendered service in the Ozanam Home for about five years. Thereafter, the Bethany Sisters have been taking care of the inmates of the Ozanam Home. A new building for the Convent ‘Maria Kripa’ was constructed as a memorial of the Silver Jubilee of the foundation of the Ozanam Home. Recently, another new block named ‘Miracles’ has been built with better amenities for the inmates who can pay donations and maintenance.

 

Presently, there are 34 inmates in the Ozanam Home for the Aged who are looked after by Sr. Bertina-Sister Superior, Sr. Nympha, Sr. Melwyn and two other sisters and five lay people. Fr. Fred Mascarenhas, principal of the Milagres College, Kallianpur is the chaplain of the Ozanam Home. The home is managed by the St. Vincent de Paul Ozanam Trust under the guidance of Dr. Gregory D’Sa, the Managing Trustee, Walter Monteiro, President of the Udupi Area Council of SSVP, Frederick Sequeira, Secretary and other trustees including Peter Raphael Aranha of Moodubelle.

 

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Udupi is in the Golden Jubilee Year and to mark this occasion, the members will be staging the famous Konkani social play “Shegunachi Soon”, written and directed by Walter Monteiro in the Mother of Sorrows Church premises on Sunday, 13th Febraury 2011 at 6 pm. The organisers have informed that admission to this play will be free.