Nativity Feast of Mother Mary ( Monthi Fest) Celebration

Pernal, 08 Sep 2022: Nativity of Mother Mary, popularly known as Monthi Fest was celebrated with great devotion and gaiety in Our Lady of Fatima Church Pernal on Thursday, 8 September 2022 at 8 am. The incessant rains throughout the night and the morning did not hamper the festive spirit as the church was packed to the capacity with devotees of Mother Mary with children continuing to manifest their love and devotion to Mother Mary by carrying varieties of flowers as they did during the last nine days of the novena.

Due to the rains, unlike the previous years, the new paddy could not be blessed in front of the Fatima Mai Grotto. The service of the blessing of the paddy and offering flowers to Mother Mary was conducted in the  church itself near main alter where Ten Ward Gurkars gathered along with church full of parishioners. Fr. Pascal Menezes, Resident Priest of our church conducted the prayer service and blessed the new paddy. Thereafter, the devotees offered flowers as the choir sang the hymn, “Moriyek Hogolshiyam…”

The Solemn festive mass was concelebrated by Fr. Pascal Menezes. In his homily, he briefly traced the origin of the fest of the Nativity of Blessed Virgin Mary when it started at Goa and how it moved to D.K. and Udupi, how we implemented the local tradition and the significance of the Rosary in Christian Church and our family.

Following the end of the festive mass, Fr. Pascal Menezes conveyed the greetings of Monthi Fest to all the parishioners and thanked all the sponsors and those who had helped in celebrating the feast. The main sponsors who sponsored for flowers and sugarcane were honored with decorated candles and others mudthoms  and sweet sponsors were honored with newly blessed Pady bundle while the Secretary of Parish council Mrs. Leena DSouza read out their names .

ICYM distributed the prizes to those winners in quiz  and Marian singing competition, Names were read out by ICYM Animator Anil Danthy.

As the concluding hymn was in progress, members of the PPC distributed the new paddy sheaves to the parishioners who received with great respect and reverence and carried home.

Milk with newly blessed rice mix is distributed to all the attendees during the exit from the church and also  

Sugar cane were distributed to all the parishioners.

The entire liturgy of the festive mass was animated by the sodality girls.

Photos : Royston Barboza, ICYM Pernal