Mangalore UFS Congregation elects new provincial Superior

Mangalore UFS Congregation elects new provincial Superior

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Oct 22, 2021: The oldest indigenous Mangalore UFS nuns - ’Ursuline Franciscan Sisters’ congregation of Mangalore Province had their IX Province Chapter at ’Shanthi Dham’ Provincialate, Derlakatte from October 17th – 21st, 2021. With the theme “Repair My House”. V. Rev. Sr Susheela Sequeira, the Superior General was the President of the Chapter. On the first day Bishop Peter Paul Saldanha celebrated the Holy Eucharist and gave a solmn message to the Chapter Delegates.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In her vote of thanks to the Bishop Sr Rita Vas, reminiscing the days of their beginning said that UF Congregation took its birth in the vicinity of Rosario Cathedral and their Founder Rev. Fr Urban Stein SJ was the first Parish Priest of the Cathedral. And Mangalore Province has 32 communities, out of which 25 are in Mangalore Diocese itself. She thanked and appreciated Bishop fittingly for his undaunted service in the diocese and his able and dynamic leadership through which the diocese has grown in the areas of spiritual, educational and pastoral  life.

She expressed her wish and prayer that our dear Bishop may be blessed with the well merited years of grace and blessings from on High, spiritually rewarding days ahead, good health and vigour too. In turn Bishop too, wished God’s blessings on all the Sisters present over there and commended them for their dedicated service in the diocese and outside.  

On October 19, 2021, Fr Paul Melwyn D’Souza, Episcopal Vicar for Religious in Mangalore diocese celebrated Holy Eucharist and prayed for the chapter delegates. (Photo)

Same day there was election of the new Provincial team. Sr Clara Menezes was elected as the Provincial Superior, Councillors Sr Juliana Pais, Sr Leena D’Souza, Sr Severine Crasta and Sr Susheela Monteiro.  After the prayer service they were greeted by the chapter delegates, Generalate team, community sisters and the Novices. photos

Rev Sr Clara Menezes – the new Provincial Superior is of Agrar Parish. She was the Novice Director for four years for the Novices of  Mangaluru  Province. She was then appointed principal of St Michael’s Composite College Hubli. then she was  the Principal of St John’s International School, Phalgar, Mumbai, managed by Aldel Education Trust. After being elected to the provincial council in 2015 she has been the full time assistant to Sr.Rita the out going Provincial.   Qualities: Committed, reliable, social and approachable.


Brief History of the UFS order:  In January 1887, the Vicariate of Mangalore was raised to the status of a Diocese by the order of Pope Leo XIII. Fr Urban Stein SJ, an able German Priest was the first resident Vicar (1879-1888) of the mother church or Cathedral of our Lady of the Rosary at Bolar, then in the heart of Mangalore (This church was named a Cathedral in 1850 and became known as Rosario). In those times of economic crunch, he envisioned the immediate need for the pastoral care and education of children and women and the care of suffering in the old Bundar (Old Port) area - the prime part of the town. Soon after assuming charge, Fr Urban Stein motivated a few young refined ladies of the vicinity to come forward and help in the vital task. In the fore-front was Nympha Fernandez, daughter of the Deputy Collector, who became a natural leader of this informal band and later the formal first Superior of the order. Initially this inspired band was referred to as "The Company of St. Ursula", after St Ursula, an early Church Martyr of Cologne, Germany. The role model that Fr Stein chose for this band of religious caring women which continues to be relevant today is St.Angela Merici an Italian lady who served the poorest of the poor in the tradition of St. Ursula and St.Francis of Assisi, widening their charism for the good of all people. This small dedicated band of Manalore Catholic maidens did exemplary work among the down trodden / underprivileged for their uplift - were often called the ’Angels of Bundar’. The work of these compassionate women spread and grew, and on Easter, April 10, 1887 they under the inspiration of Fr. Stein organized themselves into a Association christened as the ‘Company of St Ursula.’ These were the forerunners of the Ursuline Congregation in Mangalore.  

 
THE UFS - PROGRESS:  A few decades after the Ursuline congregation was given first life by Fr Urban Stein, Fr A. Macree, who was the great Jesuit Canonist supported in writing the first Constitutions and brought the cause of the Ursulines of Mangalore before the Holy See in Rome. It obtained the seal of an integral religious congregation with its ’Canonical Erection’ on May 13, 1934. It was named as the Catechist Sisters of St Ursula. There is sufficient reason to claim that the Ursuline Congregation-UFS has purely Mangalorean religious origins. It may not have been projected as such; but can be focused that the mother house has always been in Mangalore and the pioneer nuns and successors and majority of the members through 125 years have mostly been from local surroundings. During 1955-1958 Fr Pacificus Menezes ofm Cap brought about a major confluence in Ursuline and Franciscan spirituality. The constitution was re-written, approved and affiliated to Franciscan order. It so came to be called - "Ursuline Franciscan". There are several people down the line who have played a role in the development of this order from times past. The Centenary of the ’Foundation House’ at the original mother house at Bolar, (constructed in 1901) was marked in a special way in December 2001. Several celebrations were organized; the India Posts released first day covers to mark the occasion picturing the ’Foundation House’ as well as a rare picture of Fr. Stein.  This monument can still be seen today, now the informative foundation history  museum of the UFS congregation is housed here .