Diocese: Mangalore
Pioneers: Sisters Genevieve Castelino, Liliosa Suarez, Cecily Pinto and Marie Correa
What had preceeded in course of time the birth of Madonna Convent at Shirtady has a close and grave bearing on the events. Fr Albert D’Sa who was appointed the first parish priest of the new parish of Fenchar on December 8, 1928, with good reasons decided to shift the location of his parish church from Fenchar to Shirtady. Fenchar, with a tiny chapel, had been a substation of Hospet parish. Fr Faustino Corti SJ, architect of Naravi parish, while being at Naravi was administering to the faithful at Fenchar and its neighbouring areas. This was because Naravi was nearer to Fenchar than to Hospet. Bishop Victor R Fernandes perceived wisdom in the reasons – that Fenchar had not been centrally located in the areas that would be included in its jurisdiction and what was worse, that the region was infested with malaria. Fr Albert D’Sa had argued stoutly for shifting the base of the parish to Shirtady. Bishop Victor saw wisdom in the argument and shifted the parish centre to Shirtady. Subsequently in 1930 Fr Albert constructed the church building and dedicated it to the patronage of our Mother of Mount Carmel.
The decision of Fr D’Sa proved wise not merely because Shirtady was central to its territory including Anegudde, which incidentally would come to be erected into a separate parish in 1928, but also due to the fact that the region consisted of a large number of devoted, committed and hard-working Catholic populace. However, the people had a drawback and it was economic stringency. It is a fact that material poverty when pushed to its extreme can cause dwindling of one’s faith. In such circumstance, it was essential that their faith be reinforced and hope rekindled with love/charity as the guiding principle. To collaborate with him in this task, he sought assistance of a religious congregation; the lot fell on the Catechist Sisters of St Ursula and they, at the insistence of Bishop Victor R Fernandes, arrived at Shirtady on May 17, 1947.
They resided in a thatched house the Bishop had offered them; the house had been attached with a plot of land. They are in the same location to date. They commenced their pastoral apostolate immediately. Ministries came in succession in course of time. Catechizing, preparing children and adults for reception of the sacraments, animating altar servers, CLC, YCS, Marian Sodality, distributing Communion, keeping the House of God ready for prayer and Eucharist, participating in SCC prayer meetings, visiting families of the bereaved – these and others have had to be attended to by them. Besides serving at Mount Carmel parish, they have been rendering pastoral assistance at Anegudde, a substation of Mount Carmel parish, which lay four kilometres away from the township of Shirtady. On every Sunday after assisting in two Eucharistic celebrations at Mount Carmel and catechesis to children, the Sisters had to rush to Anegudde for a third Eucharistic celebration. At Anegudde, they had to perform everything involved in keeping a substation vibrant. The substation having been formed in 1952 came to be erected into a parish in 2005. The Sisters continue to render pastoral service at Shirtady with total commitment and enthusiasm. The church building that Fr D’Sa had erected in 1930 came to be dilapidated. Fr Antony Lobo put up a beautiful church building in 1997. Mount Carmel Church celebrated its platinum jubilee on December 31, 2004.
The Holy Angels School (Lower Primary) that Fr Albert D’Sa had started the very next year of his arrival to Shirtady, i.e., on September 1, 1930, and got it recognized by the government in 1937 has been a vantage point to the Sisters to reach out to people more vibrantly and personally. Along with imparting quality education to children, they have been forming their character. The Catholic children have been accompanied in an exceptional way. Sr Nazarita D’Souza brought together the children post- lunch for Rosary and in the evening after the class she led them to the Marian grotto for a brief prayer. Having assumed responsibility of lower classes, the Sisters have established a solid academic foundation in all their students. The school building had come to be in a bad shape. Fr Leo Lobo, parish priest of Mount Carmel church, put up a new school building in 2002. He is remembered fondly for his labour seeking no returns to himself. During his tenure as correspondent of the School, the Ursuline Franciscan Sisters were entrusted with the responsibility of administering the school which had been administered by lay teachers until then. This decision was considered rightly to be both recognition and appreciation of their committed service of fifty-seven long years.
In 2004 the parish started an English medium school. Sr Candida Monteiro built it up on a solid academic foundation by serving in it as a head teacher for four years. The starting of the English medium school has necessitated a boarding house. The Sisters responded to this need by starting a boarding house which caters to thirty children both male and female. In order to accommodate them, the old chapel of the Convent as well as the dormitory of the Sisters were set aside and remodelled. The step proved a source of income to the Convent though rather paltry. Incidentally steps like this have become essential because the teaching posts of the Sisters were reduced to two from six; currently, one single Sister, Sr Winnie D’Souza works at the school as head teacher. In 2012, a play school was started in the Convent. 12 children benefit from this scheme.
While residing at their thatched cottage, Sr Euphreta Rodrigues had initiated the construction of a new Convent building. However, it came to be completed only in 1969 by Sr Lavina Lobo. Renovations, modifications, and additions to the Convent building have been taking place over the years. In 1994 Sr Benedicta Correa improved the condition of the Convent to a large extent with financial assistance received through Fr Edwin Pinto. Boring a well, installing a pump and pipelines to supply water to the Convent, constructing the compound wall, and installing a telephone connection2 are a few significant developmental works she succeeded in seeing to. When Sr Milburga D’Cunha took over as animator in 2003, she added her share by putting up a kitchen, a dining hall, and a store room. This new block was inaugurated on May 30, 2002. In 2010 during the tenure of Sr Lydia Gama, a new block with living rooms and a chapel was constructed in 2012.
Memories of Fr Albert D’Sa remain fresh in Shirtady even after long eighty-five years. The reason for this lies in the fact that he had been totally self-sacrificing and detached man. The history of Shirtady parish reveals that he had put up first the school building, then the church building and finally his residence. He is a model and inspiration to missionaries. The Ursuline Franciscan Sisters who have laboured at Shirtady are an inspiration as well. The pioneers and especially elderly Sisters of latter days at Shirtady such as Sisters Esperance Rego, Lavina Lobo, Ursuline Frank, Sophia D’Souza, Consolata Noronha have created deep impressions on the people by their guidance to them; these Sisters have put up with exhaustion in visiting families located in remotest areas. Sr Benny Correa is being remembered by the people for her animation and guidance in the area of agriculture and farming.
Besides, the Sisters have been exemplary in their way of life. They have battled serenely with painful realities like untimely demise of Sisters Winnifred Pinto and Euphemia Rodrigues, a near-death experience of Sr Grace Alvares in 1982, declining of teaching posts in the school and many more. They have borne placidly harrowing situations both within and without. When subjected to painful treatment by a parish priest, for example, Sr Ursuline Frank, the animator of the Convent, had nothing to say but utter kindly words like, ‘I pray for him’. In the hindsight of sixty-seven years of their existence at Shirtady it can be claimed that their presence at Shirtady, after the example of our Heavenly Mother and even of Fr Albert D’Sa, has been a gift of and to the Kingdom of God. This is because the Madonna Convent represents transformation; the change has been achieved by way of imparting education and formation of faith.
