Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (VA)

Mangalore, May 26: Pentecost was observed at Bethany Mother House, Bendoor here recently. 

It was a festival of Bible reading, a time of basking on the Word of God, for Bethany Sisters with Mary the Mother of Jesus and the apostles, waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit. The Bethany Sisters, like the apostles in the upper room, decided to wait on the descent of the Holy Spirit, through the reading of the New Testament for 14 hours nonstop.

After the Eucharistic Celebration at St Sebastian Church, Bendoor, the sisters assembled at the cottage of the founder Monsignor Raymond F C Mascarenhas, the Servant of God, for a short inaugural prayer conducted by Sr Juliana Monis, the superior of Bethany Mother House and the community. Later the Bible was taken in procession to the Bethany Mother House Chapel, headed by Sr M Lillis, the assistant superior general, in the absence of the superior general Sr M Wilberta.
 
The same large Bible which was used on March 14, 2010 at Holy Cross Church, Cordel at the 24 hours Bible Niranthari, was enthroned in the Bethany Mother House Chapel too and after honouring the Bible with ‘aarathi’ Sr M Lillis delivered her inaugural message and began the reading from the Gospel of St John. By turns all the Bethany Sisters at the Mother House and Generalate carried on the reading, close to midnight.

Ancy Paladka, the Konkany literary laureate and the co-ordinator of Manglorean Catholics.com from Vasai, Mumbai, was present at the inaugural programme.