Feast of Nativity of B.V. Mary (Monti-Festh) held with devotion at Pangla Parish

By Alphonse Mendonsa
Bellevision Media Network

Pangla/Shankerpura, 09 Sep 2016: The feast of Nativity of B.V. Mary was celebrated at St. John Evangelist Church yesterday at 7:00am. The grand celebration began with all the colourfully dressed children showering the flowers at the Infant Mary statue.

 

 Rev.Fr. Leslie D’Souza (Parish Priest) blessed the Infant Mary Statue in front of grotto and led the prayers while Choir sang the beautiful hymns of the occasion. The clouds above were about to pour down on the little kids the showering of flowers concluded just with a single Hymn Moreak Hogollshiam followed by showering of flowers to the Infant Mary Statue and thereafter everyone hurried to church and safely inside when the heavy downpour began.

 

 

After the brief ceremony and prayer service at the grotto the Holy mass was concelebrated by a visiting priest Rev. Fr. Alfred  Rayan D’Souza – a Pangla Parishioner currently pursuing PhD in Rome. Co-celebrants were Rev. Fr. Leslie D’Souza, Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Vincent Coello, Principal St. John PU College, Fr. Gilbert Fr. Lawrence Mendonsa and Deacon Jencil Alva (also from Pangla Parish).

 

The new corn (Novem) was blessed by Fr. Leslie during the mass and distributed to the parishioners inside church itself by ward leaders after the Holy Eucharist. Deacon Bro Jencil in his brief homily stressed the important role of Mother in the family. He narrated a little story written by Mr. A.R. Manikant (author Vijaya Karnataka) “Ammana Entu Sullugalu” i.e Mother’s Eight Lies wherein a mother tells 8 lies to his son for his growth and sacrifices her entire life to her son. Similarly he said Mother Mary also sacrificed her entire life for her son so that we humans are saved from sin and grow with Jesus with her intersession. He also stressed upon children to respect and love their mothers as they sacrifice their life for the betterment and growth of their children.

 

Fr. Leslie thanked all the parishioners in his concluding note for all the preparations on the grand feast of Nativity, the volunteers, and esp. children for bringing in flowers the entire Novena period and today. He wished Mother Mary’s blessings on all the parishioners.

 

He also thanked the main celebrate of the day Rev. Fr. Alfred Rayan D’Souza for his meaningful homily. Fr. Leslie also thanked all the donors for the feast for their kind donations for the financial contribution to distribute Laddus and Sugar canes and also taking care of expenses to the sports event to be held in the afternoon.

 

At the end of the service the Laddus and Sugar Cane was distributed for all those attended the Monti Fest.

 

Please note that this report is only of the morning Showering of blessings, Novem and Holy Echuaristic Mass. The report of the all the sports event held in the afternoon will be published here shortly.