Karkala: St Dominic’s Church Miyar Karkala is all set to celebrate its Platinum Jubilee. The three day programme is scheduled to be held from December 8 to 10.
According to the church press release, the platinum jubilee celebrations will be inaugurated on December 8. To mark the inauguration, a Hore Kanike procession will be held. The procession of Hore Kanike will be flagged off from Kuntibail at 3:30 pm. Fr Vincent Victor Menzes, former parish priest of the church, will inaugurate the procession. Msgr Denis Moras Prabhu, Vicar General of Mangaluru Diocese, will celebrate the Eucharistic Mass and inaugurate the celebrations at 6:30 pm.
The Platinum Jubilee will be held on Wednesday, December 9 presided over by Dr Gerald Isaac Lobo, Bishop of Udupi Diocese. The bishop will concelebrate the thanksgiving Eucharist Mass and inaugurate the renovated parish hall. A stage programme, which will be held after the mass, will be presided over by the bishop and the guests on the occasion include Fr Joswy Fernandes – Dean of Karkala Deanery, Vinay Kumar Sorake – district minister In-charge, V Sunil Kumar – MLA of Karkala, MLC Ivan D’Souza, ex-MLA H Gopal Bhandary, Nirmal – president of Miyar Gram Panchayat and other dignitaries.
The concluding ceremony of the platinum jubilee will be held on Thursday, December 10 at 5 pm, presided over by Msgr Baptist Menezes – Vicar General of Udupi Diocese, and guests on the occasion include Fr George D’Souza – Rector of St Lawrence Shrine Auttur Karkala, J R Lobo – MLA of Mangaluru South, Haridas Bhat – priest of Sri Mahalingeshwara Temple Miyar, Moulana Mohammed Junainurain of Jamia Mosque Miyar, ZP member Uday Kotian, TP member Nagappa Mera, Leo Gregory Periera and Fredrick Rodrigues – main sponsors and other dignitaries, said Fr Jerome Monteiro in the press release.
About the Church
The Miyar Chruch is situated at a distance of 56 km from Mangaluru and about 12 km from Karkal, and is surrounded by Nellikar, Karkal Town and Belvai parishes.
This was once a part of the Karkal-Auttur Church. Fr. Salvadore D’Souza, the parish priest of Karkal, bought a plot and constructed a shed to serve as a chapel. Bishop Victor R Fernandes raised Miyar to the status of a parish on December 1, 1940 and it was formally erected on December 8, 1940. Fr Nicholas J Pereira, the assistant at Attur, became the first parish priest on January 1, 1941. He bought plots at Nelligudde, Goldadi and at yet another place to make extra income for the church. The foundation stone for the church was blessed and laid by Bishop Victor R Ferandes on October 17, 1946. The church, an imposing Gothic structure, was blessed by Bishop Peres on May 3, 1956. Fr Pereira carried out the presbytery extension work. He also started a post office in the presbytery building. He served the parish for sixteen years. A new portico, the installation of the statue of Mother Mary with Infant Jesus, the electrification of the presbytery building were done by Fr. Gratian Leo D’souza (1957-1972), the second parish priest. He bought a hearse, and installed the stations of the Cross. Fr Victor Mendonca constructed a drama stage.
The new presbytery building built by Fr Ignatius M D’Souza was inaugurated by Bishop Basil S D’Souza on May 12, 1988. The new belfry was also erected by him and it was blessed by the Bishop on the day of the Golden Jubilee of the Church, December 1, 1990. Fr Vicnent Victor Menezes constructed the Diamond Jubilee church hall which was inaugurated on April 18, 2001. He also repaired and renovated the presbytery.
Casmir Correa bought 1 acre 12 cents of land for the school and with the help of parishioners, Fr Denis Moras Prabhu constructed a building for St Dominic’s Higher Primary School.
Fr Vincent V Menezes is the 9 parish priest of Miyar who was succeeded by Fr Ronald Miranda.
Present Priest Fr Jerome Montiero:
Fr Montiero is the 11th parish priest of Miyar Church. He was born in 1955 as the son of Alphonse Montiero and Ehprojine D’Almeida at Udyavar of Udupi Taluk. Fr Jerome Montiero studied his elementary at St Anne’s School, Bolje Udyavar. He completed his higher elementary studies in St Francis Xavier’s Udyavar and his high school and Pre-University studies at Sri Venkataramanna Junior College at Katapadi. He joined the seminary in 1976 in St Joseph’s Inter diocesan Seminary Jeppu for the diocese of Mangalore. After completing his orientation course, he joined St Peter’s Pontifical Seminary in Bangalore. There, he completed his graduation in philosophy.
He was ordained priest on 16th April, 1985 and served as assistant parish priest in Mondankap and later in Urwa. He then served as parish priest of Pamboor and Thottam for seven years each and in Kolalgiri for eight years. Then he was transferred to St Anthony’s Church in Kuntalnagar in 2010. He served for three years there and came to Miyar in 2013.
He had the privilege to celebrate the silver jubilee of Pamboor church, platinum jubilee in Kolalgiri and decennial celebration in Kuntalnagar. He has built a silver jubilee memorial hall at Pamboor parochial house in Thottam and a new church in Kolalgiri. The credit to start a shrine of St Antony, stations of the way of the cross and construction of first floor of presbytery goes to him.
Fr Jerome is a good pastor musician and an all enthusiastic simple-natured priest. He is well known in Shirva Kallianpur and Udupi deanery to all laity, especially the youth. Presently, he has completed the renovation of the church hall and built a vast dining hall in Miyar. He is loved and respected very much in Karkala deanery in general and in Miyar in particular. The people irrespective of cast or creed, young or old, all love him for his simple way of life.
