Fr. John Baptist Mendonca celebrates Sacerdotal Silver Jubilee

By Dr. Eugene DSouza, Moodubelle
Bellevision Media Network

Moodubelle, 09 January 2011: Fr. John Baptist Mendonca of Moodubelle presently serving in the Bareilly Diocese in Uttar Pradesh celebrated Silver Jubilee of his priesthood on Sunday, 9th January 2011 in St. Lawrence Church, Moodubelle with a solemn concelebrated thanksgiving Mass at 10 am. Fr. John B. Mendonca was the chief celebrant of the Jubilee Mass which was attended by a number of priests, family members, relatives, friends and Sacred Heart II Ward members as well as other parishioners. Before the commencement of the Eucharistic celebrations, Fr. John along with Fr. Joswey Fernandes, Fr. Julina Pinto and the family members lighted the lamp in front of the altar. Fr. Nelson preached the homily in which he highlighted the priestly work of Fr. John B. Mendonca.

 

A reception was held in honour of Fr. John B. Mendonca at his residence at 12.15 pm. Fr. Joswey Fernandes, parish priest of Moodubelle presided over the function. Mr. Charles Quadros compeered the programme. Children presented a prayer dance and Peter Mendonca, brother of Fr. John B. Mendonca welcomed the guest priests, sisters and all lay guests to the function. Dignitaries on the dais were presented flower bouquets.

 

Fr. John B. Mendonca along with his co-priest, Fr. Julian Pinto from Puttur who is presently the Vicar General of Bareilly who was also ordained along with Fr. John jointly cut the jubilee cake. Fr. Arun Mendonca raised the toast in honour of Fr. John B. Mendonca. Following a brief family background, Fr. Arun through a meaningful and sentimental poem in Konkani concluded the toast.

 

 

The family members sang a felicitation song and jointly presented a huge flower garland to Fr. John B. Mendonca  to honour him on the completion of 25 years of his priestly mission. As a mark of gratitude towards his family, especially his mother, Mrs. Lilly Mendonca, Fr. John  offered her a bouquet of flowers. Sr. Hilda briefly narrated the profile of Fr. John. Fr. Julian Pinto in his message congratulated Fr. John on the completion of 25 years of his priesthood and pointed out how they have known each other for the last 35 years. Fr. Jowey Fernandes in his message said that the life of a priest is to spread the light around him which Fr. John has been doing through his missionary work in the Bareilly diocese. He complimented Fr. John on the Sacerdotal Silver Jubilee and wished him well in his future priestly mission.

 

Fr. John B. Mendonca in his brief address identified the teachers who had taught him in higher primary and high school and thanked them for imparting him good education and guidance  which had helped him greatly. He also pointed out the poverty through which the family had to go through and how his late father working in Mumbai looked after them and after his demise how his mother took care of the family. He narrated the background of his vocation and his training for priesthood, ordination in 1986, first holy Mass in the Belle parish and his work for the last 25 years, first in the Lucknow Diocese and later after its bifurcation, in the Bareliiy Diocese.

 

Fr. John Baptist Mendonca was born on 29th June 1959 as the second child among six-four sons and two daughters of late Louis and Lilly Mendonca. John had his higher primary and high school education in Moodubelle and completed the SSLC examination in 1975 from St. Lawrence High School. He went to Mumbai in search of a job. However, one of his uncles, Fr. Baptist D’Souza from Pangala who was a priest in the Lucknow Diocese suggested John that he could come to Lucknow and could get himself educated while staying in the minor seminary and if he felt that he had a vocation could join the seminary.

 

On the advice of his uncle John went to Lucknow and joined St. Paul’s Minor Seminary and completed Pre University studies. Being impressed by the missionary work of his uncle, Fr. Baptist and other priests, John made up his mind to join priesthood. After eight years of thorough preparation and studies for the priesthood, John was ordained a priest on 6th April 1986.

 

Fr. John B. Mendonca served in many places in the Lucknow Diocese, first as assistant parish priest at Shantinagar, a remote place in the Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh where he worked for two years in the Hindi medium school and health care centre. Yherafter, he was appointed as the parish priest at St. Bonaventure’s Church at Raniket, a hill station in Almora district of the Uttarakhand State. After the bifurcation of the Lucknow Diocese into Lucknow and Bareilly dioceses, Fr. John chose Bareilly Diocese as his field of work and was appointed as principal in different schools such as St. Peter’s School, Kichha, St. Theresa’s School, Kathgodam and a Public School at Khatima. Since 2004, Fr. John served as the principal of Maria Assumpta Senior Secondary School at Kashipur. Presently, he is the parish priest and principal at Dohan.

 

Bellevision congratulates Fr. John Baptist Mendonca on the occasion of his sacerdotal Silver Jubilee and wishes him success  in his future priestly mission.