Kuwait: Konkani community of St Theresa Church, Salmia celebrate Monti Fest

By Alban DSouza
Bellevision Media Network

Kuwait, 07 Sep 2015: Konkani community of St Theresa Church, Salmiya, here celebrated Monti Fest on Friday September 4 afternoon. The celebration began with children and elders coming in procession and offering flowers to Infant Mary followed by blessing of the new paddy sheaves and dates.

 

Fr Claude Mascarenhas, visiting priest from Mangaluru was the main celebrant of the festal Eucharistic Celebration who was accompanied by Fr Antony Lopez and Fr Xavier D’Souza.

 

Fr Claude in his homily briefed about the history of Monti Fest in coastal India and highlighted the importance of Mother Mary in the family.

 

Konkani choir led by Kiran Gonsalves presented melodious hymns in praise of Infant Mary.

 

 

The sugarcane especially brought from Mangaluru was distributed to the children. Blessed paddy sheaves, dates and sweet dishes (vorn) was distributed to the gathering after the festal Mass.

 

For the first time, Salmiya parish got a blessing of celebrating Monti Fest with spiritual preparation of 9-days novena in Konkani at Dana Hall.

 

The parish priest Fr Blany Pinto and all the Konkani speaking priests in Kuwait joined to prepare for the feast with spiritual depth. Maria Bambina statue was blessed and installed on the first day of Novena. Children offered flowers to Infant Mary on all the days of novena.

 

Konkani community of Salmiya parish expressed their sincere gratitude to all priests, Eucharistic ministers, altar boys, sacristans, ushers, lectors, choir members and sponsors who helped in celebrating the feast with devotion and grandeur.