St Anthony’s Shrine in Pune Camp is 75 yrs old

St Anthony’s Shrine in Pune Camp is 75 yrs old
- CAMIL PARKHE Thursday, 6 June 2013 - 11:57 PM IST Sakal times, Pune
Tags: St Anthony’s Shrine in Pune

Pune: Established by a devout couple as a private place of worship, St Anthony's Shrine in Pune Camp has completed 75 years.
The diamond jubilee celebrations of the shrine, now elevated as a Pune diocesan shrine,  will conclude with a mass to be celebrated by Bishop Thomas Dabre on St Anthony's feast on June 13.

St Anthony's chapel was elevated to the status of diocesan shrine by Bishop Dabre in November 2011. It is the only recognised shrine in Pune Catholic diocese.

The shrine's director Fr Anthony Paul told Sakal Times said that a place of worship is accorded the status of a shrine after taking into account the devotion of the faithful and the charitable activities undertaken at the religious place.

The shrine located on St Vincent Street was built by Henry Williams and his wife Constance at their bungalow in 1938. Williams, an accounts officer in the controllerate of defence accounts, had found a statue of St Anthony of Padua while digging for the construction of his bungalow. The couple built a shrine in honour of St Anthony and the devotion to the saint. Prior to her death, Constance had handed over the shrine to Pune diocese.

The  number of faithfuls visiting the shrine is highest on Tuesday, the day of the saint. The shrine volunteers also distribute weekly rations and clothes to 70 adopted families on this day.

Pune Diocese has now undertaken construction of a spacious shrine at the site. 

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Pune churches to join June 2 prayers to set world record

Pune churches to join June 2 prayers to set world record
- CAMIL PARKHE Saturday, 1 June 2013 - 11:09 AM IST Sakal Times, Pune
Tags: prayer, Bishop, catholics, christian community, Corpus Christi, world record, Pune Camil Parkhe

PUNE: Bishop Thomas Dabre will lead Catholics in Pune diocese in prayers on the feast of Corpus Christi on June 2, as a part of the simultaneous global prayers to be presided over by Pope Francis at the Vatican. The feat is likely to create a world record.

Parishes in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, along with parishes all over the world, are slated to simultaneously hold prayers on that day.

Pope Francis will lead the prayers to mark the feast of the body and blood of Christ at St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican on Sunday evening. In India, churches have been asked to join the prayers on Sunday at 8.30 pm to coincide with the Roman clock (5 pm local time).

Bishop Dabre will celebrate a mass at St Xavier's Church in Pune Camp on June 2 at 5.30 pm, followed by an adoration service at St Anthony's Shrine.

Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) president, Mumbai's Cardinal Oswald Gracias has appealed to Catholics in the country to join in the prayers. The global prayer is also being held to celebrate the ongoing Year of Faith and the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council which introduced many reforms in the 2000 year-old church.

The Feast of the Corpus Christi is observed to commemorate Jesus Christ's suffering with bread and wine that symbolise his body and blood.