Mysuru : The annual feast of St. Anthony is one of the major festivals celebrated by many of the Christian faith. To celebrate the feast on Wednesday, June 13, the faithful gathered at Dornahalli in the KR Nagar taluk of the Mysuru district. Masses were offered in various languages on the day, and was attended by thousands of devotees.
The festive mass, which was at 10.30 am at the shrine, was celebrated by Dr. K A William, Bishop of Mysuru. The concelebrants were Parish Priest Fr. Arogya Swamy, Assistant Parish Priests Fr. Wilfred and Fr. Prashanth Sequeira, Fr. Vijay Raj, Fr. Dominic Vas, Fr. C Rayappa and Fr. J B Xavier.
In his homily, the Bishop spoke about the life of St. Anthony and how he never lived for himself. “He showed the way to God’s kingdom with his deeds and messages. As a missionary, he travelled to various countries with the message of the Bible. Today, he is an inspiration to us all as we follow his path,” the Bishop said in his sermon.
For the other masses that were celebrated during the day, Fr. M Soosai, Former Vicar General of Dharmapuri Diocese and Fr. Patrick Johnas Rao from the Chikkamagaluru Diocese were the main celebrants.
Sa Ra Mahesh, Minister for Tourism also paid a visit to the shrine during the course of the day. “The Dornahalli shrine festival is not limited only to Catholics. It is a festival of the region and for all religions. Everyone is aware of the miraculous power of this shrine and the divinity of St. Anthony. I have a close attachment to this shrine and as a minister, I assure all forms of developmental support for the shrine,” Mahesh said and wished everyone a happy feast.
.jpg)
