Violet Vas

Pics: John Rappai

Oman, Sep 30: Mary was born to be the mother of the Savior of the world, the spiritual mother of all men, and the holiest of God's creatures. Because of her son's infinite merits, she was conceived and born immaculate and full of grace. Through her, queen of heaven and of earth, all grace is given to men. Through her, by the will of the trinity, the unbelieving receive the gift of faith; the afflicted are tendered the works of mercy; and the members of Christ grow in likeness of their head. In Mary all human nature is exalted. We rejoice in her birthday, as the church has done from the earliest times.

The ‘Monti Fest’ is of immense significance to the catholic community as it not only celebrates the birth of the mother of Jesus Christ, but also celebrates the new harvest (novem). To celebrate this joyous occasion with religious fervor and galore, the Mangalurean catholic community of Sohar, here in the city (MCCS), celebrated the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Thursday September 8 at St Anthony’s Catholic Church, Sohar.

The service began with all the faithful gathering at the grotto at 8 pm for the rosary. This was followed by the showering of flowers at the statue of Mother Mary to the accompaniment of ‘Sakkad Sangatha Melyam’ and ‘Moriyek Hogolhsiyan’. An air of nostalgia was amongst the congregation who got reminded of the festivities back home in Mangaluru namely, the nine day novena in preparation for the feast and little children walking in with flowers with their colourful baskets to honour Mother Mary.

The solemn mass, with its meaningful liturgy and melodious choir, was celebrated in Konkani by the parish priest, Fr Augustine Fernandes. After the mass, a cake was cut to celebrate mamma Mary’s birthday and the blessed ‘Kanshi’ was distributed to all.

The gathering assembled at the church hall for a short cultural programme at 9.45 pm. At the outset, children walked into the hall leading the procession, each one with a bowl of a dish prepared for the ‘novem jovan’, followed by the priests, Fr Augustine Fernandes and Fr George John, and the MCCS president Richard D’Souza; all three being escorted under the ‘damaskachi satri’ or the traditional umbrella. The novem jevan was then blessed by the priests.

What left the congregation awestruck was a tableau showcasing the life of mother Mary, which was the main highlight of the evening. The talented cast and crew of the tableau left the audience with a very powerful message: 'God is searching for humble, available people to take part in His amazing plans.'

Students from MCCS who emerged with flying colours in CBSE grade 10 and grade 12 board examinations for the academic year 2015-2016 were felicitated by the priests. Also, the teams who emerged victorious in the ‘Monti Fest Sports Series’ held on Friday September 2 were awarded medals and trophies.

The attendees were then served the ‘novem jovan’ on a banana leaf platter that comprised of a spread of a variety of delicious dishes. The gathering feasted on the mouthwatering polov, channa, karam, bhendi, saango, tendli and pathrade, served with rice, pickle and banana. To complete the sumptuous meal was the delicious vorn that was enjoyed by all.

The Monti Fest celebrations ended with Laudate and cheers from the satisfied audience.