Mount Carmel Spirituality Centre Blessing and Opening Ceremony Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Report: Father Rudolph V. de Souza OCD

Edmonton – Canada, July 19: July 16, 2024, the Feast Day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, was a landmark date for the second founding of the Carmelites in Edmonton, Canada.

At 10:45 a.m., about 1,150 people gathered at the entrance to the chapel with Archbishop Richard Smith of Edmonton, Archbishop Gary Franken of St. Paul and more than 40 priests. Father Silvestre D’Souza, Bishop of Karnataka-Goa, cut the ribbon and opened the doors to the new spirituality centre. The archbishop greeted the crowd and recited an opening prayer. Then everyone entered the new chapel as the cathedral choir sang the entrance antiphon.

During the rite of confession, the Archbishop blessed the sanctuary and the entire building with sprinklings of holy water. After the sermon, the Litany of the Saints was sung. The Archbishop placed the relics of three saints (St. Thérèse, St. Jean Vénard and St. André Bessette) in the opening of the altar, which was closed by a skilled stonemason with a marble tablet. The Archbishop then anointed the altar with holy oil, consecrating it. This was followed by a long prayer of consecration, the incensing of the altar and the marking of four walls of the chapel with holy oil. The deacon, together with the acolyte, lit the candles on the altar and those attached to the walls of the chapel. It was a beautiful ceremony, observed in silence by the crowd.

The Eucharistic celebration then continued as normal: after Communion, the Archbishop solemnly placed the Host in the tabernacle, and the choir sang the appropriate hymn.

Before the Archbishop’s final blessing, Father Rudolph V. D’Souza expressed his gratitude to the Archbishop and asked the faithful to recognize the Archbishop’s generosity and generosity in accepting the presence and service of the Carmelite friars in the archdiocese. After receiving the blessing, the Archbishop hurriedly left the venue as he had other business to attend to.

Father Frank Sharma presided over a short program following the Mass. The program began with a hymn to Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Father Jerome Moras, head of the community, welcomed everyone and invited the dignitaries onto the stage in front of the altar.

At this pivotal moment, Father Silvestre D’Souza, Provincial of Goa, Karnataka, spoke about the early history of the Carmelites of Mount Carmel in the Holy Land and their dynamic spread in Europe. Today, the vines planted by St. Teresa of Jesus flourish in Canada, although she probably never knew of their existence.

Next, Archbishop Gary Franken (Bishop of Vancouver), Bishop of St. Paul Catholic Parish and a close friend of the Carmelites, spoke about the importance of spirituality centers like this one today and praised the work done by the Carmelites through Father Rudolph with the financial support of Ms. Helen Chua Tiampo.

In his powerful speech, Fr. Archibald R. Gonsalves, First Councillor for Karnataka-Goa, used three profound words: WOW, HOW and NOW. The WOW moments of this mega project include the donation of 36 acres of land by the Archbishop and Fr. Raymond Guimoldo (founder of the old Efata Centre) and the huge funding provided by Helen Chua Tiampo. The HOW highlights the role of Fr. Rudolph V. D’Souza, who made this project a reality with the support of Helen’s lawyers, accounting department and others. He then spoke of the NOW of the Spirituality Centre, which should perpetuate the Carmelite spirit and Christian ethos.

Then, Fr. Alex Braganza, the Provincial, spoke about how the Center came into being with the help of many people, including Helen, lawyers, architects, engineers, carpenters, and with the generous collaboration of the Carmelites who worked there as Superiors and Confessors, such as Fr. Mario Fernández, Fr. Alfredo Pereira, Brother Joseph Giroux, Fr. Roshan de Souza, Fr. Rajesh Mada, Fr. Ivan Sanctis, Fr. Alwin Sequeira, and also expressed his gratitude to the current community, Fr. Jerome Moraes (Superintendent), Fr. Frank Sharma (Director), and Fr. Kevin Fernández.

Meanwhile, Father Rudolph gave a short history of the previous retreat center, Efata, which functioned for almost 29 years and attracted hundreds of people, until the Carmelites took over in 2017. He also mentioned the obstacles the project faced in the last six years of its progress: the coronavirus pandemic, which stalled the work, then the crisis faced by the company Alfred Horie, which was initially hired to realize the project (later replaced by Golden Construction Company), the crisis of construction materials due to the war in Ukraine, and the soaring construction costs.

He then expressed his gratitude and appreciation to all the notable people involved in making this project a reality.

Two books by Fr Rudolph V. D’Souza were released on the occasion: “Words That Matter” by Fr Provincial Silvestre D’Souza and a Konkani book “Theklenthlo Devunchar” by Helen Chua Tiampo.

The program concluded with wise words from Father Frank Sharma, who thanked the participants and invited everyone to a lavish luncheon in the campus tent and huge hall of the Spirituality Center.

All present at the inauguration ceremony of the Spirituality Centre and Monastery expressed their deep gratitude to the Carmelite Monks of Goa, Karnataka and offered their heartfelt congratulations.