Udupi: Deacon Canute Noronha of St John Evangelist Church Shankerpura Pangla was ordained as a priest under the leadership of Bishop Dr Gerald Isaac Lobo at the Pangla Church on April 20.
Deacon Canute is the son of Casmir and Agnes Noronha of Shankerpura. He was ordained during the Eucharistic Mass offered by the bishop, who was the main celebrant. More than 30 priests were present on the occasion.
The bishop in his homily pointed out the status and responsibilities of a priest in the church. He said that a priest is the one chosen by God from among the people to serve them and lead them to Christ. The Bishop gave examples from the Old and New Testaments to show how God chose humble persons to be His messengers on earth. Later, the newly ordained priest concelebrated the Holy Eucharistic with the bishop. Fr Stephen D’Souza, Diocesan Biblical and catechetical Centre animated the Liturgy 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.
After the Eucharist on behalf of the diocese, Bishop Gerald Isaac Lobo felicitated the new priest along with the Vicar General Msgr Baptist Menezes. The Bishop greeted the new priest and thanked his parents for being generous to give their son to the diocese to serve as a priest in the short felicitation programme that followed after the Mass.
In his Thanksgiving speech, Fr Canute recalled the role of his parents in supporting him in his vocation. He recalled the help and support rendered to him right from his childhood till the day of his ordination and thanked his family members, relatives, teachers in school and professors in the college, teachers in seminary, friends, well-wishers and all those who had helped in organising the ordination ceremony in the church and making the felicitation function a grand success.
Msgr Baptist Menezes Vicar General of Udupi Diocese, Fr Joseph Martis Rector St Joseph Seminary Jeppu Mangaluru, Fr Lawrence D’Souza, Secretary CESU Udupi, Fr Denis D’Sa PRO, Fr Vincent Coello Shenkerpura and others were present.