Easter -The Feast of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ Celebrated in Moodubelle

Report by Fr. Joswey Fernandes
Pictures by Anil Alva
Bellevision Media Network

Moodubelle, 04 April 2010: The Easter Vigil and the festive Mass was celebrated in Moodubelle with a large number of the parishioners attending the service. All the residing priests of St. Lawrence Parish, Moodubelle participated in the grand Easter Vigil liturgical service along with the guest priest from Jamshedpur Province, Fr. Paul Fernandes S.J. Fr. Maxim D’Souza was the chief celebrant.

The Easter Vigil Liturgy has Four parts: 1. The service of Light, 2. The Liturgy of the word, 3. The Liturgy of Baptismal Water and 4. The Liturgy of the Eucharist

Service of Light - on this most holy night when Our Lord Jesus Christ passed from death to life the church invites her children throughout the world to come together in vigil and prayer. This is the Passover of the Lord. If we honour the memory of his death and resurrection by hearing his word and celebrating his mysteries, then we may be confident that we shall share his victory over death and live with him forever in God. Then the fire is blessed. The celebrant, Fr. Maxim prepared the candle cutting a cross on it and tracing the Greek letters Alpha and Omega. Also the numerals of the current year 2010. Then he inserted five grains of incense in the candle in the form of a cross. There after lighting the candle from the new fire took it to the church proclaiming Christ is our Light and people responding: Thanks be to God.

When the Easter candle which symbolizes the Risen Christ, brought to the Altar it was incensed and the Easter Proclamation [Exultet] was sung by Fr Paul Sequeira

The Liturgy of the Word was followed by the homily by Fr. Arun Mendonca who spoke on ‘Christ’s Resurrection – its significance in our life’. Thereafter the baptismal water was blessed by Fr. Maxim and the litany of the saints was sung by Fr Joswey Fernandes. Finally, with the liturgy of the Eucharist the Mass continued.

At the end of the Mass, the Parish Priest extended the Easter Greetings to all the parishioners in Belle and out side the parish. After mass while people greeted each other on Church ground and hot payasam was distributed to all. On all the three days, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday Easter Vigil, Br. Mahesh Conducted the Choir, Br. Roy Played the key board and Br. Ivan trained and directed the Altar Boys.