Bangalore Archdiocese

Shivamogga, Sep 19 : Seven newly constructed houses were inaugurated and handed over on Friday, September 17, 2020 in the diocese of Shimoga, to the beneficiaries, the victims of 2019 North Karnataka Floods.

Archbishop Dr Peter Machado of Bangalore Archdiocese along with Bishop Francis Serrao of Shimoga Diocese blessed and presented these houses in the presence of the donors. The heartening feature of this act of benevolence is that, from among these 7 beneficiaries, 6 families belong to the Hindu Community while 1 belong to the Muslim community.

The devastating floods that ravaged the State of Karnataka in the first and second weeks of August 2019, left trials of pain and agony destroying the dreams of thousands of families. The roof over their head was washed away by the fury of the raging floods and with it all their lifetime savings. The situation in the district of Shivamogga was no different. The incessant rainfall accompanied with sudden flash of floods brought misery to several families in the district of Shivamogga.

The Diocese of Shimoga, without loss of time quickly responded through their disaster management commission, “The Shimoga Multipurpose Social Service Society” (SMSSS) provided interim relief to 485 most deserving families. However, this temporary relief did not wipe out the tears of those who lost their houses partially or fully.

Understanding the plight of the people, Archbishop of Bangalore, Most Rev. Dr Peter Machado initiated various measures to raise funds for the relief work. His intense desire to reach out to the victims received an overwhelming response by all the Priests, Religious Communities, Educational Institutions and the faithful of the Archdiocese of Bangalore. The inspiring leadership of His Grace, the Archbishop of Bangalore ably assisted by the meticulous planning of the Archdiocesan Team, mobilized enough funds to construct 42 new houses for the flood victims in 6 dioceses of Karnataka and 1 diocese in Kerala.

Shimoga Diocese was one of the recipients of this financial support extended by Archdiocese of Bangalore, resulting in the construction of 7 new houses in different parts of Shivamogga. The newly constructed houses were inaugurated and handed over to the beneficiaries on September 17.

The Inauguration took place in the presence of Rev. Fr Joseph Menezes representing Infant Jesus Shrine, Bengaluru; Rev. Fr Francis D’Souza SJ representing St Joseph’s College Institutions, Bengaluru; Rev. Fr Christopher Vimalraj representing St Germain’s Academy; Sr Wilma Rebello SCB, Provincial of St Charles Borromeo and Sr Sirija Pushpam representing Cluny Social Service Trust, Kannur and Society of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Nagavara, Bengaluru. Rev. Fr Joseph Naveen Kumar, the Director of BMSSS, Bengaluru and Rev. Fr Cyril Victor, Media Director of the Archdiocese of Bangalore too were present.

The funds from the Archdiocese of Bangalore were routed through Caritas India, New Delhi. The State Officer from Caritas India for Karnataka, Mr Robert D’Souza was also present during the inauguration. The beneficiaries profusely thanked the Archbishop, the Archdiocese of Bangalore and all the donors for generously supporting them in giving hope to the hopeless and a promise of a secure future.

Source : bangalorearchdiocese.org