Pithruvedi Unit, OLS Parish
Our Lady of Sorrows Church Hebbagodi Celebrating the fatherhood in Christ following the footsteps of our patron St. Joseph, the members of Pithruvedi strive to celebrate the Christian principles in the contemporary age. Pithruvedi at Our Lady of Sorrows church Hebbagodi is blessed with a group of very vibrant and active group of fathers under the able leadership of Rev. Fr. Lalu Thadathilankal. We started our unity with a sole belief to unify the married Catholic men, head of the families and guiding force of our parish. We are proud to be a team, which is ready to take up any initiatives for the benefit of the parishners, in the day today activities of the church and the society at large in times of need. We are a determined group of people pledged to be in the service and betterment of the civic and social needs of the society, especially our parish. The members take part in all the activities of the parish with full spirit and have made an effective mark in the parish with our enthusiasm to serve others. We have organised at least a program in a month for the parish for the benefits of parishners from the beginning of 2019. On 6th January 2019, re-elections were conducted, and a new group of office bearers were elected in the organization. The Pithruvedi team is led under the leadership of following persons now.
- President: Mr. Biju Philip
- Secretary: Mr. Martin Thomas
- Treasurer: Mr. Varghese Thattil
- Vice President: Mr. Benny Mathew
- Joint Secretary: Mr. Jenson Joseph
- Joint Treasurer: Mr. Binoj Abraham
The Pithruvedi members gather on the first Sunday of the month after the holy mass and discuss about the activities to be conducted in the upcoming parish activities. The meetings conducted regularly becomes a platform for the members to come together, discuss about the areas of concern, brainstorm to get more ideas to improve the spiritual as well as the material requirements of the parishners. Here are a few of the initiatives taken by the members and executed successfully.
Funeral Rites
Realizing the help and guidance required at the families during the death of their dear ones, Pithruvedi has initiated to assist them with the help required. It is one of our primary objectives to stand with the families of the bereaved and to coordinate the burials. We ensure that we visit and do all the required arrangements in the families at their time of sorrow. We have procured and donated to the church 2 black umbrellas, 2 candle stands and a Holy cross. The items are blessed by the Parish priest and we use them regularly at every burial ceremony. As a sign of sorrow and representation from Pithruvedi, the members present a Wreath and conduct a small prayer in the families of the bereaved members.
St. Joseph Feast
On 17th March 2019 (Sunday) the Pithruvedi members animated the Holy Mass in our parish to celebrate the feast of our patron St. Joseph. On 19th March, after the Holy Mass, we distributed PACHORE to the parishners who were present for the mass.
Spice Market
As an initiative to provide toxin free and pesticide free Whole Spices, Spice Powders and Pickles to the parishners, Pithruvedi has started the concept of Spice Market. We procure the spices from the farmers from Kerala directly, pack them hygienically and sell them below the market prices in the parish. Since the parishners have taken it exorbitantly well, we have extended the sales to the neighbouring parishes. In order to encourage them, we share a percentage of the profit with them.
Minority Cell Seminar
In order to educate the parishners about the large scope of obtaining Minority Scholarship in Karnataka and abroad, a seminar was conducted on 28th July, 2019. It was animated by Mr. Sherin from St. Thomas Parish Dharmaram. In order to facilitate the parishners with the queries, an MSS team was formed. Mr. Benny Mathew, Mr. Shibu Rymen and Mr. Martin Thomas were elected as the coordinators. The coordinators will act as a bridge between the Central Committee on MSS and OLS church parishners to help them make use of maximum benefits. It was a well-informed program and was participated by close to 100 people.
Mango Mela
Pithruvedi unit had taken the initiatives to procure toxin free and carbide free Mangoes straight from the farms in Karnataka and Andra Pradesh. We were able to distribute more than 2500 kgs of Neelam Mangoes to more than 500 families in two different occasions. We distributed them in our parish and the neighbouring parishes and friend circles. We always had the stocks run out and found more demand for similar initiatives for other natural and fresh products from the recipients.
Food Stalls on Parish Feast and Other Occasions
In order to materialize the cost of the activities and charitable initiatives, we put up food stalls at different occasions like parish feast, parish day. The food was prepared by the collective efforts of Pithruvedi members and helped a lot to improve the unity and enhanced the team spirit. On 14th and 15th of September, while we were celebrating the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, Pithruvedi had organized a Mega Food Fest “Kalavara” which served authentic unique Kerala food delicacies to over 2500 people for two days. The people relished the food and gave heart-warming comments, which Pithruvedi always cherish as one of our major events to strengthen our unity.
Flood Relief Activities
The members of Pithruvedi joined their hands together to help the needy people who were stricken by the merciless dance of nature like loss of dear and near ones, landslides, floods, loss of House and properties, etc. in Kerala and Karnataka. We have organized multiple drives to collect the food and other required materials and ensured that they reach the needy. We have sought the help of Friends Welfare Association and Lions Club who went from door-to-door to distribute it to our worst affected brethren.
Church Maintenance Activities
Pithruvedi team’s active participation was always available in all the activities of the construction and maintenance of the OLS Chapel, Parish Office, Cooking Area, Parish Hall, etc. We have worked on multiple days and late nights to complete the construction of these premises from foundation work, painting, roofing, etc. Our hard work had helped the parish save a lot of money instead of giving it to the outside labourers.
Bible Kalotsavam
The Pithruvedi members joined hands with the Forane level Bible Kalotsavam team in organising the event on 27th October, 2019. We have handled the distribution of Breakfast and Lunch for the participants. Snacks, Tea and fresh lemon juice counters were available all through the event.
Mission Sunday
On 10th November, 2019, the parish has organized Mission Sunday activities in our parish. On Mission Sunday, the Pithruvedi team has organised a food stall after the Holy Mass to raise the funds for helping the needy people in the missions. The funds collected were handed over to the parish leadership for handing over to the diocese.
Spiritual Retreat
The Pithruvedi members are the guiding force of every parish. In our humble endeavour to guide the families of the parish deep into spirituality, we have organized a Spiritual retreat (Kudumba Naveekarana Dhyanam) in the month of November. Rev. Fr. Joseph Puthenpurakkal OFM Cap came and conducted the retreat from November 22 -24th of 2019. The retreat was open to all the parishes in and around Bangalore and helped the families come together and strengthen their commitment to each other and rebuild their families. The retreat was attended by close to 2000 people combining all the days. Pithruvedi has sponsored Dinner for the participants on 22nd and 23rd night. The participants were served with sumptuous lunch on 24th Sunday. Snacks, Tea and fresh lemon juice counters were available all through the retreat.
Installation of Dialysis Machine
We have taken the initiatives to install a Dialysis Machine in Vimalalaya Hospital, Hebbagodi. The central leadership of Pithruvedi, Mandya diocese, has installed a Dialysis Machine on 5th of January as part of its initiatives to help the poor people suffering from kidney disease. The machine was blessed by Fr. Roy, Director of Pithruvedi and Fr. Lalu Thadathilankal, our Parish Priest. The central leadership of Pithruvedi, President, Secretary, Treasurer, and other many other members of the Pithruvedi were part of the event. We have provided Snacks and Tea to all the participants. Any needy patient can approach Pithruvedi for help.
Sneha Sadan Boys Home Visit
We have taken the families of Pithruvedi members and other parishners for a visit to the Sheha Sadan Boys Home located at Bannerghatta Road on 26th of January 2020. We have donated them groceries required for cooking for the boys. We shared the Biryani we prepared with them for lunch and engaged the boys a lot by talking with the boys. They have taken us around the farm and showed their work and the animals they rare. We had an impromptu cultural program arranged immediately after the lunch. Our children performed dances and songs for them, and they have also showcased their talents through dances and other events. The visit has given the families, especially the children a different outlook towards life. We have bought bananas, Pork and other materials from them. We had collected the bananas from their farms and sold in the parish for their fund raising. We have also given the contact details of the Sheha Sadan Boys Home to other people for fetching the help.
Parish Day Celebrations
On the day of Parish Day 9th February 2020, the Pithruvedi members extended their wholehearted support to help the parish leadership to cook the food for Snehavirunnu, Parking and other activities. On the Parish day the Pithruvedi members have celebrated their Annual day along with other organizations of the parish like Vincent de Paul, Mathruvedi, and Youth. We have performed a multi-skilled comedy program to entertain the parishners.
Team Improvement
As we have found the need to strengthen our executive team, we have elected more members to our team. Mr. Fijo, Mr. Joby O M, Mr. Johny Kurian, ad Mr. Aneem Mathew were elected as Conveners and Mr. Joshi Mathew and Mr. Subin were elected as Vice Presidents to make Pithruvedi more vibrant and active. “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” (1 Corinthians 15:10). The Pithruvedi members could not have done any of the activities, without the grace of God guiding and driving us. We thank the almighty for all the blessings he has showered on us. We also would like to thank Rev. Fr Lalu Jose, Fr. Nirmal, and Fr. Tony for their continued support and guidance in all the activities we undertake. We are grateful to the outgoing committee members for their motivation and guidance to lead the Pithruvedi Unit in the parish. We thank all the committee members for their able leadership and all our members for their valued suggestions. Our dear parishioners cannot be forgotten for their whole-hearted support and encouragement in all our activities.
