Oct 22, 2017: Mangalore Diocese has dedicated this year to the Small Christian Community (SCC Year) in order to highlight the significance of SCC in the formation of faith community.
In response to this initiative of the Diocese, our Church celebrated Community Day on Sunday, 22nd of October with a high note. In the morning at 7 a.m., the Thanksgiving Mass was celebrated by Rev Fr Maxim D’Souza, professor at St Joseph’s Seminary, Jeppu and concelebrated by the parish clergy.
Fr Maxim in his homily underlined the need of community life in the modern times. He said, today what is more required is the relationship with our neighbours. Based on the biblical teaching, he briefed about Jesus’ life in community. The members of the central SCC committee conducted the liturgy of the day. Parishioners gathered in large number to thank the Lord for showers of blessings on the community.
At 9:30 a.m. Parishioners gathered in the Basement Hall to render their service in the preparation of food for the evening. It was very meaningful to see that a large number of parishioners gathering together under one roof. Each one appreciated the other, everyone worked hand in hand with the other and therefore, the work got over within a short span of time. There was laughter, fun, singing and sharing which truly exhibited the strength of our community.
The much excited moment was the evening’s cultural extravaganza. Prior to this, a few lucky games were held for the parishioners of different category. There was encouragement, support by the parishioners while conducting the games. Prizes were distributed by the Parish Priest.
The cultural programmes based on the Bible began at 6:00 p.m. with the prayer service. Fr Nelson Pais invoked God’s blessing on the event. Fr Johnson Sequeira welcomed the gathering.
The members of St Joseph Ward, Carmel Ward, Guardian Angel Ward, Immaculate Conception Ward, Pompei Ward, Vailakanni Ward and Sacred Heart Ward performed their programme. Programmes were based on the biblical themes, others on social themes highlighting the importance of community life.
Hilarious Jokes and spot games were also the highlights of this event. Rev Fr Stany Pereira, parish priest in his message thanked the parishioners for the meaningful community life and for making the day a memorable one. Mr Francis Saldanha thanked everyone. Mr Cyril Fernandes and Mrs Lucy D’Souza Compered the programme. Sumptuous dinner was served to all after the cultural programme. Nearly 1,200 parishioners were part of the community day.
