Members of the clergy at the inauguration of the church of St. Sebastian in Santibastawad village of Belagavi district in Karnataka on January 31, 2026. | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Rev. Derek Fernandes inaugurated the newly built St. Sebastian’s Church in Santibastawad village near Belagavi, Karnataka on January 31.
Father Eusebio Fernandes, a former administrator of the diocese who participated in the construction of the church, gave the congratulatory message.
He said that each person’s body is like a temple and that the new church will inspire people to get closer to God through prayer and meditation. He praised the role of Fr. Eusebio Fernandes as a true and inspirational leader and the villagers for coming up with such a beautiful church. “I only did the role of choosing a good leader for this task. Fr. Eusebio did an excellent job,” said Bishop Fernandes.
Deputy Commissioner Mohammed Roshan urged people to live stress-free lives while contributing positively to society. He urged the youth to get rid of hatred and focus on a productive and fruitful life amidst the social media bombardment. “We are all children of this glorious nation. The future of this nation is in our hands. We should contribute to nation building in our own way,” Mr. Roshan said.
The Bishop thanked MLC Channaraj Hattiholi, Mr Roshan, Engineers Peter Dsouza and Vijay Moogi.
Fr. Filip Kutty, Fr. Freddy Raj, Fr. Franky Dsouza, Fr. Among those present were Pramodkumar and heads of various congregations of nuns and devotees.
Published – 02 Feb 2026 15:04 IST