The 53rd Death Anniversary of Servant of God Raymond F C Mascarenhas, the founder parish priest of St Sebastian Church Bendur, Mangalore, was celebrated with a solemn Eucharistic sacrifice officiated by Most Rev Aloysius Paul D’Souza, the Bishop of Mangalore. Fifteen priests concelebrated the Mass. In his homily the Bishop underscored the importance of trust in God and spotlighted the trust and confidence the Servant of God had in Divine Providence. “He did everything to please God alone”, the Bishop said. After the service, Bishop Aloysius, Rev Fr Antony Serrao, the parish priest, Superior General Sr Wilberta, offered floral tributes to the Servant of God. Thereafter, Sr. Jyoti, the former superior General, Fr Cedric Prakash, SJ, all the priests and people offered respectful homage to the Servant of God and sought his blessings. Bishop released a special calendar as a souvenir of the event.
The Servant of God, who was the builder of the present Church, was buried in the nave of the Church. His mortal remains were transferred to a special tomb, on 16 December 2013, to make it more convenient for the people to come and pray.
The tomb is on the left side extension of the church and is open for public to come and pray. The parish priest, Fr Antony Serrao is appreciated for his inspiration to shift the tomb in this Centenary Year of the Church and help people to seek the blessings of their founder parish priest who rendered seventeen years of service at Bendur.
