Fr. Sunny Memorial Church Choir Competition humbly celebrates its Silver Jubilee
“Sing praise to the LORD, you His godly ones, and give thanks to His holy name.”- Psalm 30:4
The most awaited event of Kalyan Diocese “Fr. Sunny Memorial Church Choir Competition” is entering its Silver Jubilee celebration this year, by overwhelming and encouraging the hearts of the faithful to sing and rejoice for the Lord Almighty. Fr. Sunny Memorial Church Choir Competition is considered as a powerful platform for the parishioners of each church under Kalyan Diocese to feel the magic of music through their souls and when it comes to performance, each parish gives their best with a touch of love in their songs. When we look at the root of this competition, we come to know the main reason behind this platform is Fr. Sunny Aanikuzhikattil, a dedicated missionary who served the zone of Pune under Kalyan Diocese.
The Kalyan Diocese began this competition in order to commemorate Fr. Sunny, under the leadership of Fr. Mathew Moothasherry, former Youth Director of Kalyan Diocese. In the beginning, only 10-12 teams participated in this competition but now the participation level goes beyond 37 teams. On celebrating the Silver Jubilee, Fr. Franklin Joseph, former director of KEY, reflected that “Fr. Sunny Memorial Church Choir Competition is one of the unifying factors of the Eparchy of Kalyan and it has boosted the attempts to form a choir in each parish and brought out the talents of many in the field of music.” Further, he added, “Appreciation goes to the hard works and selfless services of DEXCOs, from time to time, for making the journey of it more professional and systematic.” Mr. K.J.George, one among the leading participant from Kandivali parish remarked that “I am glad to be a part of this wonderful competition from its beginning, since 1992 and now when it has reached its 25th year, I would say, it is the hard work of our talented priests, energetic youth that has led the competition in its each level.” Ms. Swathi, DEXCO member, highlighted that “This is really a wonderful platform to showcase our talents, strength and now when Fr. Sunny Memorial Church Choir Competition is reaching its 25th birthday, I truly believe it’s a blessing to be a part of this event.”
Fr. Michael Aanikuzhikattil, brother of Fr. Sunny will be the chief guest for this competition, which is going to be held on 25th August, 2017 at YashwantRao Chavan Natya Auditorium, Matunga West from 10:00 am, along with Msgr. Emmanuel Kaadankavil, Vicar-general of Kalyan Diocese. Mr. Manoj George, Grammy award winner and celebrity singer Ms. Cicily Abraham will stage a special performance and the Kalyan Eparchy Youth (KEY) is expected to perform a dance, which will make the event more attractive. More than 1300 participants in 37 teams are expected to perform this year in the competition.
Fr. Sunny was born on 4th February, 1963, as the 12th son of Mr. Lukam and Mrs. Elikutty who were migrated to Kunjithanni, Highrange from Kadaplamattathu, Kottayam. At the age of 15, after completing his SSLC, he joined the Missionary Society of St. Thomas, Bharananganam. He was ordained a priest on 4th January, 1990. Kalyan Diocese chose him to serve as a missionary in Pune zone for 30 months. Fr. Sunny has also served as the Nasik Zone Youth Director. On 2nd June, 1992, Fr. Sunny was called to eternal rest.
