The Easter: A new season begins with the solemnity of Easter Sunday. “The Lord has risen indeed and has appeared to Simon!” was the exclamation of the early Church and the Church, by contemplating the great mystery calls us “Easter people”. We are called to new life, to   become a new creation. This is the time to reconcile with one another and make peace. The Holy Father Pope Leo XIV has been relentlessly calling for weapons to be silenced, dialogue to begin and reconciliation to be effected. So much blood is shed in West Asia and humanity is deeply wounded. Let us pray for lasting peace and join with our Shepherd in his tireless striving for genuine peace. May we all have the experience of rising from this war torn situation.

Panchayat Elections: Karnataka State will be going in for the Panchayat and local body elections soon. The self-governance is concretely lived at the local level through the Panchayat. Let us encourage many Christians to take leadership roles, by standing for elections, and joining in the campaign to create greater awareness regarding our responsibility towards our nation. Let us also encourage all eligible citizens to cast their vote. I request Priests, members of Parish Pastoral Councils and Associations to do their best in this service.

Special Intensive Revision (SIR): The Minority Commission of Karnataka State has issued the circular dated 10.03.2026 to create awareness regarding the SIR of Electoral Rolls and verification of Voter Names. It invites all the eligible citizens to do the mapping in the Voter’s list and to have the voters to update the details in case certain corrections are to be done. The

Government invites us to,

1) Verify the names in the electoral roll through appropriate official channels.

2) Submit the necessary applications for correction, inclusion, or updating of voter details if their names are missing or incorrect.

3) Complete this process well in advance, as last-minute applications may face delays due to documentation requirements and procedural formalities.

Your support in creating awareness within the community will help ensure that every eligible citizen is able to exercise his/her democratic right to vote. Kindly encourage the people to visit the Block Level Officer (BLO) of their village and furnish the details. Let not our apathy and negligence facilitate the cancellation of our names from the voter’s list and this may jeopardize even the claim of our citizenship. Always the necessary documents must be made available. BLO will share the information regarding the documents. Please announce this message to the people.

Census 2027: The Central Government has announced that the Census of our country will take place in 2027. For this purpose, during the first stage, in a particular State indicated by the  Government, from April to September 2026, the list of households will be prepared and all the details of houses will be recorded. Basic information about all the facilities available to households will be gathered. Each citizen can also do this registration by online facility visiting se.census.govt.in and obtain SE ID. When the officials come for Census to the houses, we must hand over the SE ID to them. Let us make everyone aware of the Census.

Ordination of New Bishop of Udupi: The Apostolic Administrator of Udupi, Most Rev. Gerald Isaac Lobo, has informed me that individual invitations have already been sent to all the priests of the Diocese of Mangalore at their personal addresses. If you have not received yours, kindly consider this as his personal invitation to participate in the Episcopal Ordination of Msgr. Leslie C. D’Souza. He also requests the priests to be present at 8:30 a.m. on 20 April 2026 at Milagres College Grounds, Kallianpur, for vesting; the procession will begin at 8:45 a.m. To facilitate the efficient use of parking space, you are requested to travel together rather than use individual vehicles. Breakfast has been arranged for the priests in the Cathedral Hall. Hearty congratulations to the new Bishop, Most Rev. Leslie Clifford D’Souza.

Vocation Sunday: On the fourth Sunday of Easter, that is, 26 April 2026, we celebrate the Vocation Sunday. The Lord calls many but chooses a few. Many may hear the voice but a few respond. As members of the Christian community, we are invited to offer special prayers for priestly and religious vocations. This intention should be explained to the faithful in the homily and be the object of intercession in the Universal Prayer. We need priests and religious to accompany us on our spiritual journey. Let us pray intensely for vocations.

Wish you a Happy Easter. May the Risen Lord bless you all.