Herbert Menezes
Dubai, Sep 5: Monthi Fest, a unique Mangalorean traditional feast, which represents the birthday of our Mother Mary coincides with festival of new harvest is being celebrated all over the world every year with much fervor and enthusiasm. So this year, under the patronage of new Mangalorean Konkan organization - St Mary’s Mangalorean Community [SMMC], the Konkan Community of Dubai parish celebrated the feast of Nativity of Blessed Virgin Mary with devotion, zeal and grandeur in the midst of 5,000 devotees on September 5 at St Mary’s Church Dubai.
At 7:45 in the evening, young and angelic children, dressed in their finery and holding flower baskets gathered eagerly in front of Grotto outside the church. Children showered vivid flowers in honour of Mother Mary to the accompaniment of beautiful hymns and the whole congregation participated in the excitement of reminiscing tradition of venerating ‘Balok Mori’ (infant Mary).
After the flower veneration, around 8:00 pm, the strikingly festooned church reverberated to the melodious singing of the St Mary’s Konkani choir led by Jossy Moras. The Holy Mass in Konkani commenced with a splendid procession with new corn and Statue of Mother Mary, led by the Main Celebrant Priest Fr Alban DSouza, Visiting priest Fr Walter Mendonsa, SMMC members, distinguished parishioners, Altar Servers and Lay Ministers. At the beginning of the mass, kernels of rice from the new crop ‘ Novem’ were blessed and prayed over in gratitude for a successful yield.
Fr Alban DSouza, Parish Priest of Kalmady Church India had arrived to Dubai for this special occasion and conducted earlier a three days Triduum prayers on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Fr Alban DSouza in his soul-stirring homily preached specially about Mother Mary.
As the mass concluded, SMMC’s Main Coordinator Oswald Fernandes, thanked Fr Alban DSouza for his outstanding presentation during Nativity Triduum prayers and celebration of the feast. Oswald also thanked each personnel and organisation who contributed to the success of this beautiful event. Norbert Sequira, prominent member of Dubai’s Konkani community hailed the efforts of SMMC Main Coordinator Oswald Fernandes and gave a brief introduction of Fr Alban DSouza. Oswald Fernandes honoured Fr Alban DSouza with a flower bouquet. As a maiden spiritual venture of SMMC, it was great and successful event, well appreciated by all the attendees.
After the mass, a traditional yet scrumptious all vegetarian meal and delicious “Vorn” prepared by Dubai’s famous Restaurant ‘Canara Restuarant’ was served to all the people gathered, reviving the traditional ‘Novem Jevan’. It was a great success to the St Mary’s Mangalorean Community [SMMC] Dubai, who served free traditional meal to the enormous crowd of 3000 in St Mary’s Church Dubai, with the assistance of well-organized ‘Jesus Mary Joseph’ [JMJ] Konkani Prayer Group members which was appreciated by one and all. This systematic arrangement evoked nostalgic memories of age-old traditional fellowship evident at the time of this feast season in our native homeland.
St Mary’s Volunteers Sodality Main Coordinator Rony D’Cunha with his team, ensured the discipline during the Mass and dinner, thus contributing the astounding success of the Monthi Fest celebration. It was indeed a great instance of beautiful celebration for Mangaloreans in the vast parish like St Mary’s church, Dubai.