Accommodation
TBC
Orphanage Children
It was way back in 1947, when India celebrated its Independence; Goa still continued to be under the Portuguese Rule. The city of Margao saw the beginnings of Lar de Santa Terezinha, a new institution dedicated to the service of the poor and marginalized. Fr. Jose Marie, a devout Carmelite priest, found an abandoned baby near the Carmelite Monastery at Malbhat and entrusted it to a pious woman who nursed the child. Later, other abandoned children were gathered from the city of Margao and entrusted to the care of this lady. Fr. Jose Marie regularly visited these children and provided them with necessary funds for their maintenance.
In 1959, a piece of property was donated by Hospicio to carry out this noble task. The property was registered under the diocesan society and Fr. Jose Marie raised necessary funds and took on the construction of the buildings. Eventually, Lar took the name “Lar de Sta Terezinha” with St. Therese of Lisieux as its Patron Saint
The Carmelite Tertiaries (Women) volunteered to take care of these children, who were called religious nuns and belonged to the Carmelite Society of Margao. By 1972, there were already a large number of children at Lar. After the untimely death of Fr. Jose Marie, Sr. Maria Christina (Antao), popularly known as Irma, took responsibility for the house and the care of the children. She raised these children with great love and affection, and when they reached a marriageable age, several were given in marriage.
Lar became well-known in Goa, and the Carmelite Fathers took care of the spiritual needs of the house. However, due to old age, Sr. Maria Christina was preoccupied with the future of Lar, as the children and women were growing undisciplined and getting a bad name in the locality. She wrote a letter to Fr. Joe Tauro, the then Provincial of the Carmelites, asking him to take responsibility for Lar.
At this juncture, just after a span of two year, the Patriarch of Goa once again approached the then Carmelite Provincial Fr. Archibald Gonsalves. At the behest of Fr. Diego Proenca, he agreed to take up Lar ad experimentum for a period of two years and entrusted it to the care of the newly ordained priest, Fr. Alvito Fernandes, who left no stone unturned to stabilize Lar. He managed to put the house in order. He even succeeded in dismissing some of the unruly women at Lar. A Management committee was established under the guidance of the Patriarch of Goa, consisting of Fr. Archibald Gonsalves (Provincial); Msgr. Joseph D’Silva (Episcopla Vicar); Fr. Valerian Vas (Caritas, Goa); Mr. Alfredo Antao; Mrs. Dorothy Fernandes and Fr. Alvito Fernandes (Director, Lar). They met regularly and guided the functioning of Lar. At the end of two years, Fr. Archibald Gonsalves, the Provincial agreed to take up responsibility of Lar permanently. Accordingly, an agreement was signed between the Archdiocese of Goa and the Carmelites of the Karnataka Goa Province.
Destitute House
In 2009, the Women and Child organization requested Lar to be bifurcated as a Children’s home and Lar Shelter for Women. The children were moved to Emmaus, Mapusa, where Fr. Alvito was responsible for taking care of them. The local community at Avila Jyothi, with Fr. Diego Proenca, took over the responsibility of taking care of the children.
Fr. Alvito reorganized Lar and constructed a new edifice for the children’s home. Funds were raised from donors in and around Margao, with the province contributing 25 lakhs for the construction. Due to ill-health, Fr. Anthony D’Souza and Fr. Joseph D’Souza took over the last stage of the finishing work.
On 10 June 2013, the new building of Lar was inaugurated by Fr. Archibald Gonsalves, and the house was blessed by the Patriarch of Goa. However, the separation of children from grownups was not easy, and the CCR Sisters (Carmelite Religious of the Pune Province) were asked to take over the day-to-day management of Lar. After three months, the nuns moved out of Lar, and the children were moved to Nuvem Holy Rosary Hostel and some to the home managed by Sr. Rita at Nuvem.
In 2014, the new community took up responsibility at the Margao Monastery, and Fr. Archibald Gonsalves was appointed its director. The dilapidated old building of Lar was separated into two parts: one for the Shelter Home and another for the Children’s home. The children were brought back to Lar and their independent residence was inaugurated on 19 April 2015, in the presence of the Margao Community, donors, and guests.
Fr. Joseph D’Souza assisted the new Director in the restoration and repair of Lar, and efforts were made to regularize property documents and obtain occupancy certificates for the new building. Lar was officially recognized as a unit of Carmelite Monastery Goa Society, with registered No. 8/Goa/1998, (Reg Act 1860), and funds were forwarded for the repair and maintenance of the building.