'Annual Feast of Infant Jesus 2024' to be held at Infant Jesus Shrine in Mangaluru on January 14, 15
Mangaluru: The Infant Jesus Shrine will celebrate the 'Annual Feast of Infant Jesus 2024' on January 14 and 15, at the shrine situated on Carmel Hill at Bikarnakatte in the city.
The press release issued by the shrine on Tuesday, said that the festivity will be formally inaugurated at Holy Cross Church, Kulshekarm on January 4 at 4:00 pm, with the votive offering procession beginning. The inaugural will be followed by an inter-religious meet and flag hoisting.
The Festal Mass on January 14 will be presided over by Rt Rev Oswald Joseph Lewis, who is Bishop Emeritus, Jaipur Diocese. A special mass will be offered for the welfare of the sick at 10:30 am and presided over by Most Rev. Alban D'Souza, Rector of St Lawrence Minor Basilica, Attur-Karkala. On January 15, the Festal Mass to be held at 10.30 am will be presided over by Rt. Rev. Dr. Francis Serrao, Bishop of Shimoga and at 6.00 pm will be presided over by Most Rev. Archibald Gonsalves, the Vicar Provincial of the Karnataka Goa Carmelite Province.
Masses will also be held throughout the day on January 14. The mass in Konkani will be held at 6:00 am and 9:00 am, in English at 7:30 am and in Kannada at 1:00 am. The mass for the sick and the aged will be held in Konkani at 10:30 am, said the press release.
On the second day of the Feast on January 15, the Festal Mass will be at 6:00 am and 7:30 am, in Konkani at 9:00 am, the Mass for Children at 10:30 am and in Malayalam (Latin Rite) at 1:00 pm.
A special mass will also be offered for children on January 6 at 6:00 pm and will be presided over by Rt. Rev Ignatius D'Souza, Bishop of Bareilly.
The Infant Jesus Shrine will organize nine days of 'Novena Prayers' from January 5 to January 13, with nine masses being offered every day. The masses are scheduled to be held in the morning at 6.00, 7.30, 9.00 and 10.30 in Konkani; at noon 1.00 pm in Konkani; and in the evening at 4.00 in Malayalam, 5.00 in English and 7.30 in Kannada. The main mass at 6.00 pm will be celebrated in Konkani in the open air.
In addition, a 'Eucharistic Adoration' will be conducted daily from 11.30 am to 12.45 pm, said the press release. 'Anna Santarpane' vegetarian meal will be served to the devotees on all the days of the novena and feast days at noon.
The Shrine authorities also said that a blood donation camp will be held on January 11 and 12 from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm.
For further details, people may contact Fr Stifan Perera, Director, Infant Jesus Shrine, Mangaluru, on mobile phone number 9844503706.
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Suspected drones observed along IB in Jammu's Samba, being engaged: Army
Jammu, May 12 (PTI): Security forces are engaging suspected drones observed along the International Border in Samba district of Jammu region on Monday, an Army said.
This fresh incident of drone activity along the borderline comes barely hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first address to the nation following Operation Sindoor and the meeting of the DGMOs of India and Pakistan.
The Army, however, said there is no need to be alarmed.
“A small number of suspected drones have been observed near Samba in J&K. They are being engaged,” it said.
In the backdrop of the situation, several areas witnessed blackouts in Samba, Kathua, Rajouri, and Jammu.
Lights were switched off at the cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi and along its track as a precautionary measure, sources said.
On Monday, talks between the DGMOs were held during which issues related to the continuing commitment that both sides must not fire a single shot or initiate any aggressive or inimical action against each other were discussed, the Indian Army said.
It was also agreed that both sides would consider immediate measures to ensure troop reduction along the borders and in forward areas, it added.
The situation remained largely peaceful across Jammu and Kashmir, with no incidents of ceasefire violation reported along the Indo-Pak border Sunday overnight — marking the first calm night after 18 days of hostilities following the Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 people — mostly tourists — dead.
India and Pakistan on Saturday reached an understanding to cease all firing and military actions on land, air, and sea with immediate effect, following four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes that brought the two countries to the brink of full-scale war.
Eighteen days of intense hostilities following the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, which brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war, ended with a ceasefire that restored calm along the Line of Control, the International Border, and the hinterland in Jammu and Kashmir. The Army thwarted Pakistan’s Hamas-style kamikaze drone attacks during the escalation.
Since the night of April 24, hours after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistani troops repeatedly targeted Indian positions along the LoC — beginning in the Kashmir Valley and quickly expanding to the Jammu region.
The latest hostilities began in the northern districts of Kupwara and Baramulla in the Kashmir Valley, before spreading southwards to Rajouri, Poonch, Akhnoor, and the Pargwal sector along the International Border in Jammu district. The firing affected five border districts — Baramulla, Kupwara, Poonch, Rajouri, and Jammu.
The recent round of cross-border firing further undermined the ceasefire agreement reached in February 2021, which has largely been seen as ineffective due to Pakistan’s frequent violations along the 740-km-long LoC.
The April 22 terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 people — mostly tourists — in Pahalgam’s Baisaran valley, triggered a strong response from the central government.
The India-Pakistan border stretches over 3,300 kilometers, divided into three segments: the International Border (IB), spanning about 2,400 km from Gujarat to Akhnoor in Jammu; the 740-km-long Line of Control (LoC) that divides Jammu and Kashmir; and the 110-km-long Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL), which separates the Siachen Glacier region.
WATCH: OP Sindoor continues. Minutes after PM Speech.
— Rahul Shivshankar (@RShivshankar) May 12, 2025
A small numbers of suspected drones being observed near Samba in J&K. Being engaged . pic.twitter.com/jmGmRkmQ26
