Annual feast of Infant Jesus celebrated at Alangar Infant Jesus Shrine

Annual feast of Infant Jesus celebrated at Alangar Infant Jesus Shrine

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Jan 11, 2021:     The annual feast of Infant Jesus was celebrated in a simple but meaningful manner at Infant Jesus Shrine Alangar, on January 10, 2021, Sunday. All Covid-19 restrictions like wearing mask, sanitization, screening, social distancing and so on was in force. Rev Fr Vijay Machado director of Mangala Jyothi, Mangalore was the main celebrant. He said that Baptism of Jesus revealed important elements  like the fact of God became man and was born of a woman in a Divine manner.  The ceremonies were attended ina devout and attentive manner. Special prayers to liberate the people from all scorge of the pandemic and illness was offered.  The day was marked individually by devotees in their homes as a day of prayer and gratitude.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Infant Jesus devotion is seen from the time of Jesus birth in Bethlehem where angels, shepherds and the magi(3kings) adored Jesus. But as a popular devotion its earliest history can be traced back to the year 1628 when a small, 48 centimeters in height, exquisite statue of wax Infant Jesus was brought into Bohemia by Princess Polyxena von Lobkowicz, who became greatly attached to the Discalced Carmelites. The princess had been given the statue as a wedding gift by her mother, Maria Manriquez de Lara of Spain, and the statue was given to the Carmelites in Prague. Upon presenting it, the pious princess is said to have uttered a prophetic statement to the religious: "Venerable Fathers, I bring you my dearest possession. Honour this image and you shall never want". The statue was placed in the oratory of the monastery of Our Lady of Victory, Prague(Czek Republic), where special devotions to Jesus were offered before it twice a day. The Carmelite novices voluntarily became poor and professed their poverty fervently during devotions in the presence of the Divine Infant.

Today, thousands of pilgrims pay homage to the Infant of Prague each year. The tradition of the Infant Jesus procession and the coronation continues to this day. This ceremony is the closing highlight of the annual Feast of the Infant Jesus in Prague.


Devotion in Alangar was started in the year 2010. For the last several years the divine mercy group of Alangar was praying ardently with fasting and penance and with everyday adorations and intercessions. A lot of devotees were sending their intentions for prayer. The same prayer group also had an ardent devotion to the Infant Jesus. Meanwhile a devotee,  Michael Sequeira (Mumbai) donated a shrine grotto and a Infant Jesus statue. When the parish priest Fr Vincent D’Souza was bringing the statue from Mangalore he experienced certain healing and subsequently many healings were reported. In 2010 January first time the Infant Jesus feast was celebrated in Alangar publicly. Every Friday, in normal situation ,there is adoration and novena followed by mass at 8:00 am and 4:00 pm.