Report: Sigfred
Daijiworld Media Network - Boston
Boston, Sep 8: Belle parishioners residing in the USA along with fellow Catholics in the New England region celebrated the Solemn Feast of Nativity of Mother Mary on Sunday September 5 at the parish hall of St John the Evangelist Church in North Chelmsford, a northern suburb of Boston, MA.
Over a hundred people especially from the East Coast (Boston, Philadelphia, Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York and New Jersey) participated in this festival.
The celebration began at 5 pm with a formal introduction about the family Feast by Harman Mathias followed by children offering flowers to Mother Mary with the Konkani hymns “Sakkad Sangata Melya” and “Moriyek Hogolsiya.”
The Holy Mass was celebrated by Fr Maurice D’Souza, CSC from Cleveland, OH, who is also a native of Moodubelle. During the Mass, Fr Maurice highlighted the role of a Mother Mary in everyone’s life. He spoke about God’s choice of Virgin Mary to be the Mother of Jesus and her role in the Holy Family.
Following the mass, cultural events and games were organized. A sumptuous vegetarian meal with a variety of over 20 dishes formed the traditional “Novem Jhevan,” cooked by the families gathered for the occasion. A Konkani learning initiative spearheaded by Bellevision USA got a further boost from Fr Maurice D’Souza who examined the efforts of parents in encouraging their children to learn Konkani.
A special thank you note was sent to Fr Paul Ritt, the parish priest of St John the Evangelist Church for providing the facility to host the event.