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Issue #: [Date] Dolor Sit Amet

OUR LADY OF GOOD HEALTH, VAILANKANNI 17th Annual National Pilgrimage

Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

400 Michigan Ave, NE, Washington DC 20017

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Program

1:00 P.M.: Assemble in Memorial Hall (Lower Level)

1:30 P.M.: Confessions (Memorial Hall)

2:00 P.M.: Rosary – Crypt Church

2:30 P.M.: Procession to the Upper Church

3:00 P.M.: Holy Mass – Upper Church Main Celebrant Most Reverend Anil Joseph Thomas Couto Archbishop of Delhi, India

4:15 P.M.: Blessing & Dedication of Children – Crypt Church

4:50 P.M.: Novena to Our Lady of Good Health, Vailankanni

5:00 P.M.: Community Reception – Pryzbyla Bldg, Food Court, CUA

Archbishop Anil Joseph Thomas Couto was born in Goa, India in 1954 where he completed his schooling and seminary studies. In 1977 he joined the Archdiocese of Delhi and completed theology studies in 1981 from the Vidyajyoti College of Theogical Studies. He was ordained priest on February 8th, 1981.

In 1994 he completed M.Th. in Ecumenism at Vidyajyoti College followed by a Doctorate in 1998 in Ecumenical Theology at Saint

Thomas Aquinas Pontifical University (Angelicum) in Rome. He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Delhi on January 8th, 2001 and on February 24th, 2007 he was appointed Bishop of Jalandhar. On November 30th, 2012 Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Archbishop of Delhi and he was ordained as Archbishop of Delhi on January 20th, 2013.

Presently, he serves as the Chairman of the Commission for Clergy & Religious of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, Member of the Governing Board of the St. John’s Academy of Health Sciences, Bangalore, India, Member of Commission for Doctrine of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (Latin Rite) and Member of the extraordinary Synod of Bishops to be held at the Vatican from October 5th through the 19th of 2014.

IACA Pilgrimage Newsletter 2014 Published by Indian American Catholic Association (IACA), Washington DC, Volume xvii, No : 1

Archbishop Anil Joseph Thomas Couto

IACA, 913 Hamiton Street NE, Washington, DC 20011 www.IACAUSA.org

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Annual Vailankanni Pilgrimage: Every September, IACA holds its Annual National Pilgrimage to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in honor of Our Lady of Good Health, Vailankanni. This year’s Pilgrimage will be held on Saturday, September 6, 2014 from 1.00 pm to 5.00 pm. The Pilgrimage Mass will be celebrated in the Latin Rite and the main celebrant will be Most Rev. Anil Joseph Thomas Couto, Archbishop of Delhi, India.

The Annual Pilgrimage is a major undertaking for IACA that involves planning and preparation that begins more than a year in advance and requires participation of over 150 volunteers and a strong financial backing from our South Asian Catholic communities. This occasion also demonstrates genuine spirit and unity amongst diverse cultures and traditions of our volunteers, benefactors and devotees who come together as one to honor our heavenly Mother. IACA is fortunate to be able to attract a vast and diverse pool of talented volunteers who make things look easy while others take on the financial responsibilities. We ask you once again to support the Pilgrimage by volunteering and/or making a financial contribution to the “Vailankanni Pilgrimage Account.”

Make a Donation: IACA is a prominent organization in the nation, and consequently the demands and expectations of the members of the Asian Catholics communities have increased over the years. IACA’s annual budget exceeds $20,000.00, including approximately $17,000.00 expenses for the Annual Vailankanni Pilgrimage. We, therefore, ask you to make a special donation in support of the 2014 Pilgrimage. IACA is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization registered in Washington, DC and as such all donations are deductible for income tax purposes as permitted by law. Please mail your donation check payable to: Vailankanni Pilgrimage Account and mail to: Indian American Catholic Association, c/o Mariaselvam Chinnappan, 913 Hamilton Street, NE, Washington, DC 20011.

Monthly IACA Meetings and Devotions at the Basilica every first Saturday: Ever since IACA installed the Valankanni Oratory in 1997 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception it has been one of the most visited Chapels at the Shrine. IACA takes great pride in achieving this

The Indian American Catholic Association’s (IACA) Executive Committee representatives have been in discussions with the Emmitsburg Grotto Director for some time to pursue IACA’s ambition to install a Vailankanni Statue at the Grotto Shrine in Emmitsburg, Maryland. The costs for this project are expected to be approximately $180,000.00 and the Grotto office wants to know our decision very soon. As costs keep on rising and the spaces are allotted on an as available basis, the Executive Committee has decided to call for a vote by the General Body.

Therefore, there will be a short Special General Body Meeting of the Indian American Catholic Association to call to vote on a proposal before the Executive Committee to establish a Vailankanni Statue at the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, in Emmitsburg, Maryland. This meeting will be held at 5.15pm, on Saturday, September 6, 2014 during the Community Reception at 620 Michigan Avenue, Washington, DC 20017.

For More Information Agnelo Gonsalves 301 928 9604 Henry Gomes 301 641 0247 Faustina Archer 301 338 3208 Johnson John 301 208 0645 Pushparaj Arokiaswamy 301 990 7708 Jacinta Mascarenhas 703 830 2327 Mariaselvam Chinnappan 202 316 1790 Bob & Rita Nathan 301 262 5599 Joe & Sumathi Croos 301 560 1832 Jefreena Packianathan 301 351 3979 Stephanie Gusto 202 368 2030 Prema Packianathan 301 404 4828 Anil D’Souza 410 740 9054 David Pavanal 410 859 3980 Marialena Faria 682 558 9519 Flora Peri 301 947 2768 Manuel Fernandes 703 831 4757 Puthupparampil Scaria 301 404 7530 Dominic & Noela Francis 703 922 5826 Fred & Valeri Semendy 703 764 1450 T.C Geevarghese 301 552 9332 John Whittle 301 770 9087

Notice of Special General Body Meeting

First Saturday of each month

Crypt Church Basilica of the National Shrine

400 Michigan Ave, NE Washington DC 20017

Rosary, Holy Mass, and

Novena to Our Lady of Good Health

4:30 P.M. – Rosary

5:00 P.M. – Holy Mass 5:45 P.M. – Novena

Organized by:

IACA, Tamils, Keralites, Anglo-Indians, Mangaloreans,

Goans, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans, Pakistanis, and other

South Asian devotees

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milestone due to its active presence and devotional activities throughout this period. On the first Saturday of every month, IACA or one of the supporting Indian American communities organizes Rosary, Holy Mass and Novena to Our Lady of Good Health, Vailankanni in the Crypt Church from 4.45 pm to 6.00 pm. IACA also holds its monthly executive committee meetings at the Shrine’s Visitor Center from 3.30 pm to 4.45 pm every first Saturday. Please mark your calendar to join us for the Rosary, Mass and Novena in the Crypt Church of the Basilica every first Saturday. All are welcome.

Mothers’ Day Celebration in Emmitsburg in May: It has been a tradition for IACA to celebrate Mothers Day in the month of May on the Sunday following the Mothers’ Day at Mount Saint Mary’s in Emmitsburg, Maryland with Holy Mass at the Grotto of Lourdes glass Chapel followed by a picnic at the historic Cunningham Falls State Park. Due to the construction of the new National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, the last two Mothers Day Masses were held at the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception in the University Campus. Next year’s traditional celebration of Mothers’ Day will be held on May 17, 2015. Please join us in celebration to honor the mothers in our communities. All are welcome.

IACA Christmas Celebration and Annual General Body Meeting in December: IACA’s Christmas Celebration and Annual General Body Meeting are held in the month of December every year. The program begins with a Holy Mass followed by the Annual General Body Meeting, carol singing, Christmas play and other festivities of the season. This year’s event will be held on Saturday, December 13, 2014 from 6.00 pm onwards. The time and place will be announced later. Please “save the date” to join us to celebrate the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Membership: IACA supports year round devotion to Our Lady of Good Health, Vailankanni. It also supports other religious events and charitable causes. These undertakings require a lot of volunteers’ time and financial support to meet the incidental administrative expenses. Your annual membership fees help us to meet these expenses. We are always looking for more individual to join IACA. Therefore, we ask you to complete the Membership Form and return it to IACA along with your membership fee.

Support IACA: Individuals who believe in the devotion to our heavenly mother support IACA through the generous donation of time and resources. We are always looking for individuals to assist in the rosary, novena, choir, music, altar serving and other liturgical functions; and for priests for the first Saturday and other masses organized by IACA. We also need volunteers for website development and management, e-mails lists and addresses databases, printing, labels, communications and fund raising. If you are interested in giving your valuable time, please contact the IACA President, Agnelo Gonsalves at agg2100@gmail.com

Dear Friends,

Greetings and welcome to IACA. We are getting ready for the 17th Annual Pilgrimage to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception to be held on September 6th, 2014. This year’s Pilgrimage theme is “Mother Mary, Our Intercessor in Heaven”. The Pilgrimage Mass will be celebrated in English in the Latin Rite. The main celebrant for this Mass is Most Rev. Anil Joseph Thomas Couto, Archbishop of Delhi, India I invite you to join us with your family, friends and neighbors to celebrate the feast of our Blessed Mother.

Every year, this event attracts thousands of devotees from various parts of our country. This is a significant evidence of our Mother’s healing power and IACA’s progress, success of its activities and the visibility it has attracted over the past 21 years. I am proud to say that we are now positioned to take IACA to a new level.

Over the years, IACA’s main mission has been to facilitate Catholics and others from the South Asian communities to come together to share their spiritual beliefs and ask the help of Our Lady of Good Health, Vailankanni to intercede for their needs, while also promoting and preserving unity among the diverse Catholic communities from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka which IACA represents. This is accomplished through organizing devotional activities such as the Annual Pilgrimage, monthly first Saturday devotions, Mothers Day celebration, Christmas celebration and other special occasions; and supporting various charitable causes.

IACA is a Washington, DC based organization that is operated solely through the services of volunteers where all the costs of its activities are being supported through the generous contributions from our well wishers. I want to thank you for your continued support and making IACA a special family of faith and ask you to make this year’s Annual Pilgrimage a memorable one with your presence and financial support on September 6, 2014.

Thank you and may God Bless you all.

Agnelo G. Gonsalves President, IACA

President’s Message

Issue #: [Date] Dolor Sit Amet

INDIAN AMERICAN CATHOLIC ASSOCIATION, Washington, DC

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM for 2014 (Annual Fee: $20 for families and $10 for individuals)

Name: ________________________________________________

Address: ________________________________________________

________________________________________________

City: ___________________State: __________ZIP: _________

Tel # ______________________ E-mail: __________________________

Amount of check enclosed: ____________________________________

Membership $ _________ for ______ Years, plus donation of $___________

If you have any questions, please contact the IACA President at: agg2100@gmail.com

Please make your check payable to: IACA, Washington, DC

And mail it to: Indian American Catholic Association

c/o Mariaselvam Chinnappan 913 Hamilton Street, NE Washington, DC 20011

Stamp

Indian American Catholic Association 913 Hamilton Street, NE Washington, DC 20011