Udupi: Our Lady of Health Church, Shirva on the threshold of Centenary Celebration
By Wilson DSouza
Bellevision Media Network
Udupi, 31 Jan 2014: Our Lady of Health Church, Shirva, has an iconic history and a religious background. It is a spiritual centre renowned not only for its religious matters but also for education, community welfare and social well-being.
Shirva was known for its lush green fields in the past and paddy being the major crop. Later commercial compulsions necessitated cultivation of beetle leaves and it became the popular crop. This may have been the reason for Shirva having many ‘hithlus’ (compounds) within its bounds. But at present, these ‘hitlus’ appear only in name. Beetle leaf crop has eaten dust; people show interest in jasmine cultivation and a major chunk of the population is non-resident, earn in riyals and dollars and lead a contented life.
Records indicate Christianity set its foot in Shirva surroundings during 1534-1600 period. Venkatappa Nayaka of Bidanoor held his sway over this region. It was during this period that Christianity got spread across the region. There were two churches-Upper Church and Lower Church-as religious centers. But the laity wanted to unite these Churches. Accordingly, they started to work for the cause with the blessings of the Bishop on 02-10-1910. The foundation stone for the unified Church building was laid on 09-11-1911. The work got completed in four years. On 09-02-1915, Mangalore Bishop Paul Perini blessed the new building.
Mathias D’ Silva of Katapady headed the masonry work. It was due to the hard work contributed by the local people that the Gothic style Church building was completed in a matter of three-and-a-half years. Though the Church building appears little old, even toady its beauty is matchless, the Church has been serving the spiritual needs of the population since a century. When the Church was built, the people around were poor. But over the period, they have worked hard, to set up a beautiful ‘house of God.’ Thousands of people have offered prayers in the Church. They have been blessed by God. Our Lady of Health has blessed not only Christians but also non-Christians. This is evident by other community people visiting the Church to offer prayers in their own way. Church feast celebration by non-Catholics bears testimony to this.
Shirva Church is a renowned spiritual centre that runs many educational institutions, Lakhs of youngsters have secured education from these portals of learning. They have contributed a lot to the welfare of this region. So far 11 Parish Priests and 55 Assistant Parish Priests have served the Community by the blessings of Mother Mary. Fr. Gregory D’ Souza, Fr. Monthu Menezes, Fr. Reginald Pinto, Fr. James Sequeira, Fr. Hilary Gonsalves, Fr. Aloysius Rosario, Fr. Sylvester D’ Souza, Fr. Lawrence Gomes, Fr. Valerian Pinto, Fr. Richard Coelho and Fr. Stany Tauro (incumbent).
In the past Shirva Parish covered a wider area. But today, it is surrounded by parishes at Belle, Belman, Shankarpura, Kanajar, Mudarnagady, Pernal, Pamboor, Kalathur and Yermal. These spiritual centers provide succor to the people when they are in distress.
Of all these, Shirva is the largest parish. There are 1072 Christian houses in the parish grouped under 38 ‘vales’. Shirva is one of the oldest Churches under Mangalore and Udupi Dioceses. It completes 100 years of being set up. This is a historical event. The great event will be celebrated in a meaningful manner by holding many programmes. The inaugural will be held under the leadership of Most Rev. Dr. Jerald Isaac Lobo, Bishop of Udupi and Sri Vinay Kumar Sorake, Urban Development Minister, Government of Karnataka on 02-02-2014. Bible Service will be held on Tuesday, 04—2-2014. Parish Feast will be celebrated on Wednesday, 05-02-2014. Devotees are invited to take part in the holy event and to seek the blessings of Mother Mary.