Boston: Monthi Fest celebrated by Belle parishioners in USA
By Victor Sequeira
Bellevision Media Network
Boston, 08 September 2010: Belle Parishioners residing in USA along with fellow Catholics in the New England region celebrated the Solemn Feast of Nativity of Mother Mary on 5th September 2010 at the Parish Hall of St. John the Evangelist Church in North Chelmsford, a northern suburb of Boston, MA. Over 100 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 this Family Feast by Harman Mathias followed by children offering flowers to Mother Mary with the hymns “Sakkad Sangata Melya” and “Moriyek Hogolsiya” in Konkanni. It was a memorable event where all the children assembled to offer flowers to Mother Mary with devotion. The Holy Mass was celebrated by Rev. 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 vegetarian dishes formed the traditional “Novem Jhevan” which was cooked by all the families gathered for this occasion. A Konkani Learning initiative spearheaded by Bellevision USA got a further boost from Rev. 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 Rev. Fr. Paul Ritt, the Parish Priest of St. John the Evangelist Church for providing us the facility to host this event in the Parish Hall.