Chikmagalur: Infant Jesus Feast celebrated with great devotion at Bala Yesu Niwas Shrine

By Eugene DSouza, Moodubelle
Bellevision Media Network

Chikmagalur, 15 Jan 2012: Under the soft rays of the  mid-January sun setting slowly on the edge of the Western Ghats and the mild flow of the cool breeze of the Malnadu region, around three thousand devotees gathered for the annual celebration of the feast of Infant Jesus in the lush greed ground of Bala Yesu Niwas shrine, Parvatipura in Chikmagalur  on Saturday, January 14, 2012 at 5.15 pm. There was an air of devotion and fervour as the devotees entered the venue, offered flowers and candles in front of the decorated statue of Infant Jesus and attended the solemn Feast Mass concelebrated by the priests form different  parishes of Chikmagalur, the chief celebrant being, Most Rev. Dr. T. Antony Swamy, the Bishop of Chikmagalur. Following the feat mass, the entire congregation of devotees of Infant Jesus  were served  hot meal comprising of Chicken Biryani and raita.

 

There was hectic activity right from the morning  of Saturday, January 14, 2012 as volunteers arranged the chairs and  Carmelite Sisters from Kuduvalli, Sisters of St. Joseph of Taps and Brigantine Sisters prepared the altar and decorated it with flowers on the gigantic stage.  Fr. Valerian Castelino, hailing from Moodubelle,  Rector of the Bala Yesu Niwas shrine,  supervised the entire arrangement paying attention even to minute details.

 

Bishop of Chikmagalur, Dr. T. Antony Swamy was received at the main entrance by Fr. Valerian at 5.15 pm as the Girls Band from St. Joseph’s Girls High School, Chikmagalur presented salute and ushered in the Bishop through the sound of trumpets and beats of the durm.

 

The solemn celebration of the feast mass began with a grand procession to the main altar through the  centre of the ground with the group of girls  from St. Joseph’s Girls High School performing welcome dance. Fr. David Prakash, Director of Jyoti Niwas Minor Seminary  conducted the proceedings  of the feast mass. The St. Cecelia Choir from St. Antony’s Church, Hassan, led by Prashant rendered melodious hymns in Kannada that enlivened the spiritual atmosphere of the feast mass.

 

 

In his homily, Bishop Antony Swamy traced the origin and spread f the devotion of Infant Jesus of Prague. The Infant Jesus of Prague originally came from Spain. The legend tells that the Infant Jesus appeared miraculously to a certain monk, who modelled the statue based on the appearance of the apparition. According to another legend the statue belonged to St. Teresa of Avila, the founder of the Discalced Carmelites, who was aflame with a great love for the Child Jesus. She is said to have given the statue to a friend of hers, whose daughter was setting out to travel to Prague.

 

When the Duchess Maria Manrique de Lara came to Bohemia to marry a Bohemian nobleman in 1556, she received the statue from her mother as a wedding gift. When her daughter Polyxena of Lobkowicz was widowed, she gave the precious statue to the monastery of the Discalced Carmelites attached to the church of Our Lady of Victory in 1628.

 

The Carmelites placed the statue in the novitiate chapel, so that the young monks could learn from the virtues of the Child Jesus. At that time the Thirty Years’ War was raging through Europe and even the Infant Jesus was not spared when the Saxon army occupied Prague in 1631. It was only after his return to Prague in 1637 that Father Cyril of the Mother of God, originally from Luxemburg, discovered the statue, abandoned in a corner. To his sorrow, however, he found that the Infant Jesus had had both hands broken off. At this moment it seemed to him that the Infant Jesus was saying to him: Have mercy on me and I will have mercy on you; give me hands and I will give you peace; the more you honour me, the more I will bless you.

 

Eventually Father Cyril had new hands made for the Infant Jesus. The gold coin invested in this was returned many times over, as the Child Jesus began to bless the monastery, the local people, and the whole of Prague. Miraculous healings were attributed to him, as was the protection of Prague when it was laid siege to by the Swedes in 1639. In 1651 the statue was carried as a pilgrim round all the churches in Prague and in 1655 it was solemnly crowned by the Bishop of Prague. In later years, gradually, the devotion of Infant Jesus spread to other parts of the world.

 

Towards the end of the mass, Fr. Valerian Castelino expressed his gratitude to the Bishop, all the priests and nuns, donors, volunteers and everyone who had helped in the grand celebration of the feast of Infant Jesus.

 

At  the end of the mass, Mrs. Regina Maria D’Souza from Mumbai  gave the testimony regarding the miraculous cure from rheumatic arthritis that she had experienced since her visit to the last year. Mrs. Regina said that she had been suffering from rheumatic arthritis since 25 years. The pain was so much that she had to give up her job after five years and no amount of medicine including steroids could relieve the pain. Eventually, on the advice of Fr. Valerian Castelino, she attended the annual feast of Infant Jesus last year (2011) and prayed to Infant Jesus to relieve her f the aliment. She claims that thereafter her rheumatic arthritis gradually vanished and she has regained her health and in gratitude, she attended this year’s annual feast (2012) especially to express her gratitude to Infant Jesus for the favours   granted to her.

 

Following the mass, the devotees of Infant Jesus who attended the celebration were served chicken biryani and raita from two counters. Around three thousand men, women and children queued up and collected their meals handed over by the volunteers from two counters in a disciplined manner.

 

As part of the spiritual preparation to the feast of Infant Jesus on January 14, 2012, the novena services were held and three priests were specially invited to deliver homilies which were quite effective. During the first three days of the novena Rev. Msgr. George D’Souza, Vicar General of Chikmagalur preached the homilies; during the next three days of the novena, Fr. R.P. Moses-Parish Priest of Kunigal in Tumkur District was the preacher and during the last three days, Fr. Roman Pinto from Shivmogga Diocese conducted Charismatic preaching.

 

The Bala Yesu Niwas was established by the Capuchin Congregation at Parvatipura, Chikmagalur in 2000. In 2010, the Capuchin priests handed over the place to the Diocese and on May 1, 2010 the place was declared as the shrine of Infant Jesus through a decree  by the Bishop of Chikmagalur, Dr. T. Antony Swamy and appointed Fr. Valerian Castelino who had retired as the Principal of St. Joseph’s Boys High School, Chikmagalur as the first Rector.

 

Fr. Valerian Castelino, started celebrating the feast of Infant Jesus in a well-planned and  organised manner since 2010. Besides the novena, the feast has been celebrated with large attendance of devotees of Infant Jesus from different parts of Chikmagalur, Shivmogga and Mangalore Dioceses. He also started the practice of providing meals to those devotees who attend the feast mass.