Mangaluru – The discalced nuns of cloistered monastery in Mangaluru dedicated to Sacred Heart of Jesus, who live an enclosed life spending minimum seven hours a day in prayers, have been forced to run from pillar to post in order to extend its massive compound wall.
The Carmel monastery, first Teresian cloistered carmel in India to be inaugurated on March 19, 1882, is preparing for special services to celebrate canonisation of its co-foundress Blessed Mariam of Jesus scheduled on May 17. The 13 discalced nuns in monastery had decided to re-build and extend the compound wall in order to create adequate space for parking vehicles of devotees in front of the Sacred Heart chapel.
In 2010, monastery wrote to Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) expressing its desire to extend its boundary in front of the chapel. “For next five years the cloistered carmel Monastery kept receiving letters informing that MCC would be acquiring 32 cents of its land for expanding the road and laying a footpath,” says one of the nuns Sr Jacintha. Though the monastery expressed willingness to give the land, its proposal on extending the wall however fell on deaf ears, reported The New Indian Express.
With celebrations just months away, a devotee Stanly Bantwal on behalf of the Monastery approached local corporator Jacintha tipped to be next mayor and Mangaluru South MLA J R Lobo. “Under pressure, MCC accused monastery of encroaching government land if they re-built the compound wall. Later, they withdrew the statement when our advocate Anita Rego provided proof of owning the land outside the compound wall,” Stanly Bantwal told Express.
Eight months ago the compound wall at the southern side, facing Kankanady flower market, collapsed during heavy rains. “The decision to close the breach by building the wall was stalled by MCC as the latter promised to build compound wall at its cost on completion of road widening and footpath works,” Sr Marie Celine, the Mother Prioress of Sacred Heart Monastery, told Express.
With MCC dilly dalling on widening the road, there seemed no end to the miseries of the nuns. Miscreants twice gained access into the monastery, spread over six acres of land, and fled with valuables. MLC Ivan D’Souza, aware about the problems faced by Carmel Monastery, said he had learnt from MCC’s consultant Dharmaraj that there was no proposal to widen or lay the footpath in front of the Sacred Heart chapel. “As there is no concrete proposal, I have asked nuns to go ahead with the decision to extend compound wall. I have even directed MESCOM to remove its unauthorised poles and high tension wire,” he told Express.