The new building of the Stella Maris Church, which resembles a boat and has a bell tower in the shape of a lighthouse, was inaugurated in the presence of three bishops, several priests and a large number of devotees here on Saturday.

This is the first boat-shaped church building in the State. It has been constructed in place of the old church.

Gerald Lobo, Bishop of the Udupi Diocese, along with Francis Serrao, Bishop of Shivamogga, and Robert Miranda, Bishop of Kalaburagi, inaugurated the church. Dr. Lobo blessed and sanctified the water that was used to bless the people and the structure of the church. The solemn inaugural mass was concelebrated by bishops and priests, with Dr. Lobo taking the role of chief celebrant.

In his homily, Dr. Serrao traced the history of building of the ‘House of God’ from the Old Testament. He emphasised the significance of the church and spoke about how it was closely associated with the lives of devotees.

After the homily, the Litany of Saints was recited. Then Dr. Lobo anointed the main altar with Chrism oil and sanctified it while Dr. Miranda anointed the walls of the church at four main points. Dr. Lobo then recited the prayer of dedication of the church. He handed over the lighted candle to Fr. Alban D’Souza, parish priest of Stella Maris Church, who in turn lighted the candles on the newly blessed altar. Meanwhile, all the lights within the church were switched on and the solemn mass continued.

At the end, after the distribution of Holy Communion, the Tabernacle was blessed and sanctified and the ciborium containing the Holy Eucharist was placed reverently inside the Tabernacle.

Later, a public felicitation function was held on the church premises. Pramod Madhwaraj, Minister for Fisheries, Youth Empowerment and Sports, said Stella Maris Church has always promoted harmonious relations among all people. Oscar Fernandes, MP, Ivan D’Souza, MLC, and Meenakshi Bannanje, president of Udupi City Municipal Council, were among those present.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Udupi – January 06th, 2018