Prayers of the Pious

Kumbakonam – The pious Legion of Mary group held a special event in Santhanalpuram, one of the substations of Our Lady of Divine Providence Parish in Kumbakonam. During this meeting, they thanked the Lord for all His Blessings. They also held an hour of prayer followed by Holy Mass celebrated by Fr. A. John Bosco, SdC, the Parish Priest and Fr. M. Vincent, SdC, A.P.P. Fr. Bosco preached the homily and thanked them for their lively activities. They eventually honored the fathers and the heads of the village with a shawl and our parish priest also honored the group with a shawl, ending with refreshments.

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To Celebrate a Saint

Kumbakonam – “It is God who does” states St. Louis Guanella. We celebrated his Feast Day with our evening school children on October 23rd and a special Mass for 86 children. They were from our parish substations, and actively participated. Following Mass, they had tea and biscuits for morning refreshments and then prepared the cultural program. They participated  in drama, dancing and singing. Rev. Fr. A. John Bosco, the parish priest thanked and acknowledged the service of the teachers towards guiding and nourishing the children with care and attention, and he also congratulated the parents for the efforts. Then he gave gifts to the children and thanked Fr. Vincent, the assistant parish priest, Srs. Christy and Kumari and Bro. Kalai for making the arrangements for the children. After the program, they all shared a lunch provided for them. Mr. Vincent and Mr. Chinnadurai, our GLM members, helped to organize the lunch.
The Servants of Charity and the Daughters of St. Mary of Providence of the Kumbakonam Community celebrated the Feast of St. Louis Guanella at Our Lady of Divine Providence Church, Guanella Nagar. Msgr. Dr. Amirthasamy, Vicar General of the Kumbakonam Diocese celebrated the Holy Mass. In his homily he said that the Guanellians are doing wonderful missionary work in India. He had experienced the Guanellian mission life style, and is teaching it in the Poonamallai Seminary. Then, he thanked our Guanellian Fathers and Sisters. Many Religious and Diocesan priests were present to con-celebrate. Parish Council members, Legion of Mary, GLM and other faithful actively participated in Mass. After the Holy Mass, many people shared the feast day snacks and a festive dinner.

Parish Celebrates 10th Anniversary

Kumbakonam – The official inauguration of “Our Lady of Divine Providence” parish was August 20 , 2006. As St. Guanella believes in God’s providence, we too look back with satisfaction and joy for this belief. Over the past ten years, the Parish has seen a lot of growth and development. Fr. Ligory expressed his desire to offer a thanksgiving Mass to mark this event and took the initiative to organize it. Fr. A. John Bosco, the Parish priest joyfully accepted his request. Mass was con-celebrated by nine priests: Frs. Ligory, S.P. Samy, Dhurai Raj, Bakthis, George Vinsula, Arputha Raj, Loyola,  Amal Raj,  Vincent and Fr. A. John Bosco. Bro. Kalai Kovan, and Srs. Arputham and Kumari also attended. A historical recollection was shared by Fr. George after communion. Mr. Balu, Vice President, welcomed the Confreres while parishioners and Parish Councilors honored them with shawls. Fr. A. John Bosco presented a brief history of the erection of the Parish, dedication by the Very Rev. Bishop Peter Remigius and he mentioned the ‘Pioneer Priest,’ Fr. Paneer Raja, and Fr. S.P. Samy and Deacon Durai Raj. He thanked the Lord for His blessings throughout these 10 years. The celebration closed with coffee and a social. May Our Lady of Divine Providence help us with her providential hand that the parish may witness her love and care in the years to come.

Centennial Celebration

Kumbakonam – It was a great joy for Our Lady of Divine Providence Parish, Bethany Home, DSMP – St. Luigi Illam, Guanella Nagar and St. Francis de Sales, Kuttalam to celebrate the Centennial of St. Luigi Guanella and the Year of Consecrated Life. Msgr. A. Packiasamy, Vicar General, celebrated Holy Mass. After the gospel all the priests and religious came forward to recite the prayer of commitment and receive a blessing from the Vicar General. Then Fr. Soosai Rathinam, SdC, Provincial Superior preached the homily, reflecting on God’s love shared by Fr. Guanella and his famous quotes, “it is God who does and Holiness will save the world.” After Mass the honored guests were given gifts by the DSMP sisters. Msgr. A. Packiasamy gave prizes to the winners of the Bible Quiz. Fr. Soosai Rathinam gave prizes to those who wrote an essay about St. Guanella. Sr. Victoria William DSMP, Indian Delegate, gave gifts to the tuition children. Then Fr. John Bosco, Superior and Parish Priest, gave thanks to everyone who made the event meaningful especially Fr. Vincent, Bro. Kulandai, Regent, Srs. Cristy and Siron. As the Founder said, “Give Bread and the Lord,” we shared the festive lunch with all the parishioners and the guests. St. Guanella continues to intercede for his spiritual children to carry on the charitable missions through their words and deeds.

Pastoral Visit

Kumbakonam – It was a time of grace when the bishop paid a pastoral visit to Our Lady of Providence Church August 21st-23rd, starting with visits to the substations: Santhanalpuram, Our Lady of Good Health, and St. Sebastian Church. In each Church, he went inside and prayed. He gave a short message on “Having faith in God and increasing our faith always.” Then he came to the parish Church and blessed the new statues, some beautiful holy pictures and celebrated Holy Mass.
The second day started at 9 A.M with visits to Autonagar, Jebamalaipuram, Sisters House, Perumpandi, Velakudi, Melacauvery, Asoor, Kadichampadi, Devanancherry, Thirupurampium, Swamimalai and Guanella Nagar, where he was honored in each by village heads and their people with garland, ponnadai, welcome dances, bouquets and crackers. He gave reflection on “Trust in Mother Mary and her intercession for us to Her Son.”
The third day our parish priest welcomed the Bishop with garland; a procession from the parish house to the front of the Church portico led by the Legion of Mary and four children spreading flowers, ringing of the church bell. In his reflection, he raised questions to the children: How many Spirits are there in this world? Do I receive the Spirit of God daily from the Father through Jesus? He also explained the works of the Holy Spirit through the Sacrament of Confirmation, which more than 150 children received. After Holy Mass, Fr. John Bosco welcomed him with ponnadai, followed by children’s dances. All the village heads, Legion of Mary, Parish Council and the GLM welcomed the Bishop with more ponnadai and contributed to his education fund. On behalf of all the parishioners, Mrs. Mary Raj spoke about our parish activities. As a remembrance of the first pastoral visit, Fr. A. John Bosco gave a memento to the Bishop. This remarkable event was even more significant with the presence of Fr. Umberto Brugnoni, Vicar General, and Fr. Soosai Rathinam, Provincial Superior. With the final blessing of the Bishop the pastoral visit came to an end.

Picnic for Tuition Children

Kumbakonam – Valentine’s Day, February 14th, was a loving day for the tuition children. On that chilly morning, the children and their teachers gathered at the parish to go on a picnic. With the blessings of Our Lady of Divine Providence and delighted shouts of the children, the bus departed for Adaikala Madha Shrine in Elaakurichi. At this shrine Fr. John Bosco, Parish Priest, and Assistant Parish Priest, Fr. Arbutha Raj, celebrated Holy Mass. Fr. Lourdhu Samy, Shrine Director, welcomed the group and told of the history and miracles of the Blessed Mother. After breakfast, the children visited the entire Shrine and bought religious souvenirs. The second stop was also a spiritual place, Our Lady’s Basilica at Poondy. The children sat at the feet of Our Lady and prayed. They also enjoyed playing in the park nearby. A special blessing for the group was partaking in the feeding program of the Basilica; a blessed meal at a holy place. Next they went to a historic tourist spot, Kallanai (Great Anicut). It is an ancient dam, built by a Tamil King, Karikala Chozhan, on the river Cauvery. They ate lunch under the shadow of some gigantic trees. As the sun was setting, they departed for home.

St. Xavier’s Feast

Kumbakonam – Our  Lady of Divine Providence Church has been blessed with two substations, Velakudi and Thirupurambiam, with St. Francis Xavier as their patron and who is also patron of our nation India. The feast was celebrated on December 3 at Thirupurambiam, and December 4 at Velakudi in a simple but a solemn way. Some of the parishioners, GLM, and Legion of Mary participated actively; encouraging the people of the substations. Mr. Raphealdoss, a GLM member began the celebration with the Holy Rosary, followed by a novena prayer and the litany of St. Francis Xavier. On both the days, Fr. A. John Bosco, SdC, parish priest, celebrated the solemn Mass and preached about the life and missionary spirit of St. Xavier. He also spoke of St. Luigi Guanella who also had the missionary zeal. He exhorted the parishioners to have such a missionary zeal in proclaiming the Good News and to work for the remote people in the parish. After Mass, each village generously shared their joy offering coffee and snacks and Fr. John Bosco provided sweets for the celebration.
The people decorated the chapels with flowers and colorful lights. The Liturgy was arranged and animated by the assistant parish priest, Guanellian Sisters and the Regent Brother. While the liturgical celebrations gave the animators spiritual nourishment and a fraternal spirit, it is hoped that the villagers now feel that they are part of the big Our Lady of Divine Providence family Parish. Reaching the remote substations would have really pleased the patron of missionaries and brought the Grace of God through the intercession of St. Francis Xavier.