Diocese: Shimoga
Pioneers: Sisters Maryanne Sequeira, Anicetus Souza and Edelfi Souza
Thirthahalli, a ‘hamlet of holy water’ is located in the Shimoga District which is also a Taluk headquarters of the same name. The Ursuline Franciscan
Sisters landed in this ‘sacred’ place on November 3, 1956. The people of the village were poor; facilities of any sort were simply not there. The dense
jungle all around worsened the situation. Fr F P Lopez invited the Sistersinto this state of affair and entrusted them with a threefold task: to educate the
poor, to attend to their basic requirements and to help out in the apostolic activities of the parishchurch. The Sisters resided in the old parish
chapel, launching out into their activities. The first book of the History gives us aglimpse of their life and work. All thattookplace for the past fifty-seven
years is a tribute to their heroism. They ought to be saluted for sowing the seedsof love in young minds and hearts, fordisseminating tolerance and peace
in situations of opposition and for spreading the Word which is theirboundenduty. A band of committed Sisters,namely, Sr Aloysia D’Souza, Sr
Joyceline D’Souza and Sr Alicita Lasrado under the able leadership of Sr Irene B. D’Souza were a blessing at Thirthahalli in those years.
St Mary Kannada Medium School was started on the corridors of the parish as well as under the trees. It was only in the year 1965 that the school
building was constructed and a few rooms were added in the year 1974. As the number of students kept increasing, stage by stage low cost building
constructions were done to meet the needs of the students until the new school building was erected in 1999. A spacious and conducive convent building was
also constructed and inaugurated on April 24, 2001. Heeding the demand of the people for an English medium school, the St Mary English Medium High
School was inaugurated on June 8, 2005. In keeping with the need of the time a separate block for English Medium School was spotted at Indiranagar, two
kilometres away from the existing school building. Once the land was acquired within a span of thirteen months the new school building was ready for
English medium students. It was inaugurated on October 3, 2008 by Rev Sr Olinda Sequeira, Provincial Superior, and blessed by Most Rev. Jerald Isaac
Lobo the then Bishop of Shimoga. We cannot but record with appreciation the tireless labour of Sr Irene Mascarenhas. The artistic design of the
building by Mr Louis Cutinha, the architect and engineer is worth noting too.
January 22, 2007 was a day marked for the expression of gratitude to God and colourful external celebration of the golden jubilee of Kannada Medium School, witnessed by the dignitaries, members of the Congregation and beneficiaries of the School.
The Sisters do not claim credit for their educational exercises alone; they hold their charism close to their heart which guides them to involve themselves in the parish ministry. They participate actively in the programmes of the parish; they also identify with people by partaking in their joys and sorrows. Catechizing has been carried on with passion. The forty-four years of labour of love of the Sisters was duly acknowledged and rewarded by the parish of Our Lady of Lourdes of Thirthahalli when it honoured all the Superiors of Assisi Convent since its inception at the occasion of its centenary celebration on December 9, 2000.
