Udupi: Deanery priests, pastoral committee and Catholic Sabha jointly organized a felicitation programme for Christian candidates from the deanery who had won in the recently held Gram Panchayat (GP) elections at the Don Bosco Hall, Mother of Sorrows Chruch here on June 21.
The programme began with an invocation by the choir of Udupi Church.
Fr Frederick Mascarenhas, Dean of Udupi deanery welcomed the gathering. Msgr Baptist Menezes, Vicar General of Udupi Diocese, felicitated the 12 newly elected Gram Panchayat members (Lawrence Fernandes Katpadi, Winnifred D’Souza, Deniza D’Souza, Christine Mendonca Kuntalnagar, Lidiya Fernades, Gilbert D’Souza, Monica Noronha, Helen D’Souza Moodubelle, Rita Gama Udupi, Lawernce D’Sa, Judith Pereira and Gladys Mendonca Udyavar).
Dr Lawrence D’Souza, secretary of the Catholic Education Society Udupi Diocese, delivered the keynote address and explained the Role of the elected GP members in the society through a Power Point presentation.
In his presidential address, Msgr Baptist Menezes congratulated all the winners in the GP elections and wished them good luck. He said that the elected GP members will work for the betterment of the society, irrespective of their religion and community.
On behalf of the winning candidates, Lawrence D’Sa, Lidiya Fernandes and Winnifred D’Souza expressed their feelings and thanked the deanery leaders for Honouring them.
Catholic Sabha Udupi deanery president Charles Quadros, Deanery pastoral council secretary John D’Souza, Unit presidents Ida D’Souza, Blanch Cornelio, Joseph D’Souza, Bernadet Pinto, Gladys Rebello, Leena D’Souza, Benedicta Fernandes, Judith Pereira, Gretta D’Souza, Fr Royson Fernandes and others were present.
Fr Denis D’Sa, PRO of the diocese and parish priest of Kuntalnagar Church compered the programme.