Historic events are immortalised by celebrating them in a unique way. It is an occasion for all concerned to come together, organise events, recollect the past memories and plan the future. The Golden Jubilee of the Parish Pastoral Council is such an event that has to be written in golden letters in the pages of history. The Guardian Angel Church immortalised the occasion by organising a get-together to the members who selflessly served the Parish Pastoral Council in the past 50 years.
After months of elaborate preparations, the eagerly awaited day finally arrived. On 4th December 2022 seventy-three members of the Parish Pastoral Council – young and old – assembled at the Mangalore Central Railway Station embarking on their journey to Oyster Opera at Padne, Kerala.
The fun started unfolding as the train sped southwards. The group sang songs and danced to the beat of the rhythmic chug of the train as it crossed each section of the rail. Idlis and tea were served to fuel their spirit.
At quarter to nine the team disembarked the train and reached the resort, which was about ten minutes away. After making themselves comfortable, everyone got down to business. First a formal meeting of the Parish Pastoral Council was held. Rev. Fr William Menezes, Parish Priest; Rev. Fr Lawrence Cutinha, Assistant Parish Priest; Mr. Noel Pinto, Vice President of the PPC; Mrs. Lolina D’Souza, Secretary of the PPC; Mrs. Jyothi Dias, Convener of Small Christian Communities; and Mr. Roshan Patrao, Coordinator of 21 Pastoral Commissions were on the dais.
Rev. Sr Celine welcomed the gathering. A cake was cut commemorating the golden jubilee of the PPC. The past and present Vice Presidents and Secretaries of the PPC were honoured. Also honoured were youngest member of the PPC as well as representatives of religious sisters, association presidents and gurkars. Mrs. Wilma Veigas and Mrs. Jyothi Monteiro, who celebrated their birthdays on that day were greeted. Mr. Ivan D’Silva gave the vote of thanks. Mrs. Precilla Sequeira compèred the programme. Now it was time for lighter moments. The gathering was entertained with enthralling dances. The members were divided into groups and various games were conducted. The innovative games not only brought out the creativity in the members, but also evoked nostalgia.
The resort treated the gathering with traditional Kerala cuisine, which blended well with the surrounding beautiful nature.
When we talk about Kerala, we also talk about backwaters in the same breath. After lunch, a boat ride was organised. The boat was anchored at shallow waters and all got down to play in the brackish backwaters. The sight of water brought out the child in everyone and all enjoyed playing in the water – swimming and splashing water at each other. As the day came to end, prizes were given away to the winners of the games.
As dusk set in, the return journey ensued. Everyone embarked on the return journey to Mangalore with a sense of a day well spent.
