Archbishop of Bombay anoints two new priests

Fr Denvel Nunes and Fr Cliffy Fernandes (far right) were anointed by (centre) Cardinal Oswald Gracias on Saturday

The Archbishop of Bombay, Cardinal Oswald Gracias, on Saturday anointed two new priests, Fr Cliffy Fernandes, 31, and Fr Denvel Nunes, 28. They will be Assistant Priests at Vikhroli's St Joseph's Church and Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Kalyan respectively.

Fr Cliffy said, "It's a great experience. I am happy to be a priest, I also sense a major challenge in today's times, like being available to the needs of our people. I used to learn, interact and observe a lot when I did my house visits as a seminarian. Since that option is not available, I guess we need to find creative ways through mass communication to serve the spiritual needs of our people."

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Fr Denvel said, "It is indeed a joyous moment filled with graces and blessings from the Triune God, from my family, friends, relatives and all dear ones. In my years of formation I had the experience of ministering to the faithful, now in these pandemic times, also important is following all the protocols to keep everyone safe."

Speaking about how the anointing process was different during the pandemic as few people could attend it, Fr Cliffy said, "Many of our friends, relatives and fellow seminarians would have loved to be part of it. We missed their presence but were assured of their prayers and support. We were delayed just by a month which in hindsight served as preparation time for my batchmate and me."