Mangalore: Feast of St. John Maria Vianney celebrated in the Vianney Home

By John V. Tauro
Bellevision Media Network

Mangalore, 04 Aug 2012: The feast of St. John Maria Vianney, the patron saint of the priests was celebrated in the Vianney Home in the premises of Fr. Muller’s Hospital, Kankanady, Mangalore.  Most Rev. Dr. Aloysius P. D’Souza, Bishop of Mangalore was the chief celebrant. He was received by  Fr. Rudolf D’Sa, the Guardian Priest of the Vianney Home. The feast Mass was concelebrated at 10.30 am.

 

In his homily, the Bishop exhorted the priests to follow the life of St. John Maria Vianney and imbibe his spirit of service and dedication.

 

In a brief stage programme, the former Guardian of the Vianney Home, Rev. Fr. Alexander Lobo was felicitated for his dedicated service. Earlier in a letter of appreciation, the Bishop of Mangalore, Most Rev. Dr. Aloysius P. D’Souza had written, ““I express my deep sense of gratitude to you for shouldering the responsibility of Vianney Home as Guardian.  You have gone out of the way to help and support our brother priest in Vianney Home, especially during their hospitalization and illness, you spent your nights by their bed-side and gave them company.  You have literally fed them when they could not help themselves, you took care of them in such a wonderful way, that no one else would have done it.  You are indeed great! Thank you very much”.

 

 

Fr. Rudolf D’Sa thanked all those who had helped in organizing the progrmme. This was followed by the feast lunch.

 

About Vianney Home:(Fr. Norbert Fernandes)

Formerly Vianney Home was known as ‘Retired Priests Presbytery’.  This is a provision made by the Bishop of Mangalore Diocese for his retired priests.  It is exclusively a home of retired priests of the Diocese.  The religious priests in the diocese have their own arrangements for the retired priests of their orders.

 

 

Vianney Home is for diocesan retired priests who retired on superannuation or for health reasons.  Their common factor is they are not able to render their priestly services in parishes actively.

 

At the entrance gate of Vianney Home, there is a name plate, it reads: St John Mary Presbytery of the diocese of Mangalore Estd 1876.  But the date of establishment of Vianney Home was property of Fr. Muller in 1876.  But the house was constructed by Bishop Victor Fernandes sometime in between 1931 to 1955 duration which Bishop Victor administered the diocese.

 

In the beginning the Director and other priests serving in Fr. Muller’s Hospital were staying together with retired priests and sharing the meals together.  There was a special ward of 5 rooms only for priest in the hospital, it was called Fr. Frakitti Ward.
But this system did not work long.  There came a separation among retired priests and priest working in the Hospital.  Now the priest working in the hospital staff live in their quarters and retired priests are given a guardian priest to take care of them.

 

Initially the guardian priest was the most fit from the retired priests only.  Since 1970 one from Fr. Muller’s Hospital was rendering the services to the retired priests as their guardian.  This arrangement was working beautifully but in the year 2000 the retired priests wanted one of the retired priests only as their guardian.  But this arrangement proved a failure.  So from June 2, 2012, the Bishop has restored to Vianney Home the former arrangement of one of the Assistant Administrator of Fr. Mullers Hospital to take care of the retired priests as guardian of Vianney Home.  At present Rev. Fr. Rudolf Ravi D’Sa is guardian of Vianney Home.  With hopes for the neglected Vianney Home thanks to St. John Mary Vianney, the Patron saint of the Diocese priests.