By B Fernandes

Adelaide, Oct 15: The 10th of September saw a large gathering of over 150 faithful of the Konkani Community at St Margaret Mary's Catholic Church, Croydon Park, South Australia. It was the occasion of “Monthi Fest” as it is popularly known in Mangalore, Karnataka and as “Monte Saibinichem Festa” in Goa, both places being part of the Konkan region on the west coast of India. This feast is normally held on the September 8 to celebrate the nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The celebration of the feast in India began in Goa in 1513 with the construction of the Capela de Nossa Senhora do Monte (The chapel of Our Lady of the Mount) under orders from Afonso de Albuquerque, the commander of the Portuguese army. This chapel on a hilltop (monte) is in the vicinity of the Bom Jesus Basilica where the body of St Francis Xavier which has resisted extensive decay, is kept. The feast was then popularized by Fr. Joachim Miranda, a Goan Catholic priest, in Farangipet, Mangalore in 1763 at the Monte Mariano Church built by the Portuguese in 1568. The feast is associated in Mangalore and surrounding regions with the harvest festival and thanksgiving offerings of the crops and produce are made to God during Mass.

The devout adherence to the ancestral faith and culture is admirably captured in the way this feast began in Adelaide, Australia. Then new migrants, Juliet and Loy Goveas from Belthangady, Mangalore along with a handful of Mangalorean families, the only ones at the time, began the Monthi Fest celebration with a prayer service in their home in 2003-2004. Having met more families at the Indian Mela in Adelaide in 2007-2008, the community grew and the celebration began rotating within the dozen or so homes by 2010.

In 2014, Fr Charles Gauci, now Bishop of Darwin, conducted a prayer service in the home of Juliet and Loy and they were pleased to know from him that there was a similar celebration in Malta, his place of birth. By 2015, as migrants from Mangalore increased, the services were held in a hall at Para Hills and became a community event for Adelaide Mangalureans. Following the efforts of Blaise Fernandes of the Goan community, the Mangalureans united with the Goans in Adelaide under the Konkani community banner to celebrate the St Thomas mass which is an initiative of the Archdiocese to unite all Indians in Adelaide. The arrival of Fr Lancy D’Silva CSC and Fr Santosh Pereira MSFS further gave the communities a boost as Fr Lancy besides being from Mangalore, has also served in Goa for ten years. A representation made by Blaise Fernandes and Ancilla Dias to the Archbishop of Adelaide, Patrick O'Regan DD to have regular Konkani masses resulted in official permission for masses to be held quarterly and this year’s Monthi Fest mass was the first official celebration to be held.

The liturgical celebration began with prayers by Archbishop Patrick O'Regan on the lawns where a statue of the infant Mary was placed and included two iconic Mangalorean hymns “Sakkad Sangatha Melya” and “Moriyek Hogolsiya”. This was followed by an affectionate shower of flowers towards the statue, first by the children and then by the adults. The congregation then re-gathered in the church for the Mass by Archbishop Patrick O'Regan and concelebrated by Fr Lancy D'Silva CSC, Fr Santosh Pereira MSFS, both Konkani speaking priests and Fr Anthoni Adimai SdM. A pre-Mass video compiled especially for the occasion traced the Biblical history of the significance of the occasion to the Promise made by God to Abraham and declared by Mary herself in the Gospel of Luke. The magnificence of both the Monte Chapel in Goa and the Monte Mariano church at Farangipet was beautifully portrayed. Archbishop Patrick emphasized God’s faithfulness to Abraham and the generations culminating in the birth of Lord Jesus the Saviour, to Mary. The Konkani choir made an enthusiastic recital of hymns both in Konkani and English. Juliet Goveas and Blaise Fernandes of the Mangalorean and Goan Konkani community respectively, thanked Archbishop Patrick and the concelebrating priests for their presence as well as the members of the community for the massive efforts to make the Mass and the lunch and variety program a great success.

A traditional welcome drink of crushed rice (representing the first crop) in milk was served to all present. Juliet Goveas who is also an accomplished vocalist and dance leader was duly felicitated as the pioneer of the Monthi Fest in Adelaide. The variety entertainment program which followed was mostly by the kids and teenagers and each of them gave a commendable performance. This was followed by a dazzling traditional folk dance in colourfully draped sarees by the ladies. While MC Sandeep D’Silva facilitated the event, DJ Nick’s music kept people on the floor. The tasty lunch with odd number of dishes was pure vegetarian and alcohol free, keeping with the Mangalorean tradition from the homeland. The traditional ‘Vorn’, a dessert made of cooked rice and jaggery was also on the menu.

Archbishop Patrick commented that he got an opportunity to view the community in different aspects, as a visitor to the country and now being in its midst as members presented their faith, culture and talents. The celebration closed with plans for the next Konkani Mass to be celebrated for the feast of St Francis Xavier– Patron saint of Goa and Australia in December.