Media Release

Mangaluru, Sep 9: Affirming the humanity of Jesus Christ, the Holy Catholic Church celebratea the birth of Mary, His mother on September 8 every year.

The Nativity celebrations at Derebail parish were held at the Holy Family school grounds where a large number of parishioners and children gathered with great devotion. The ceremony began with a prayer service and blessing of new grains. This was followed by the veneration of the statue of infant Mary and a procession.

The eucharistic celebration began subsequently. Fr Praveen Leo Lasrado was the main celebrant, parish priest Fr Austin Peter Peres, residential priest Fr Gratian Alvares along with Fr Walter Pinto concelebrated the mass. In the homily, Fr Leo briefed about the significance of celebrating Nativity. He emphasised mother Mary's role in increasing our faith in the will of God. He called everyone to ponder on the question of how deep our faith is in today’s world.

The distribution of the new crop to the parishioners was done following the holy eucharist. The charming and melodious children’s choir amplified the joy of the celebration. Sugarcane was distributed to all the parishioners at the end of mass. Thus the Nativity celebration ended with great jubilation.