Mangalore Diocese News

CT News

Mangaluru, Sep 9, 2020 : The Apostolic Carmel Associates (ACA Members) of St. Agnes Convent here celebrated this year the “MONTHI FESTH” in a unique and creative way and honored Mother Mary with love and respect not just on her Birthday but during the past nine days of Novena where by special prayers were offered and works of mercy were undertaken along with the members of the family.

The Birthday of Mother Mary is a universal feast and is dear to all Christians. This feast is also celebrated as the “Harvest Festival” “Family Feast” especially in the coastal regions of Karnataka. Mother Mary has an honored place within Christian devotion. She’s holy and special precisely because she walked the very road that the Gospel is inviting everyone to walk. The Christians have no better model than Mary the Mother of Jesus. The ACA Animator invited the members during the virtual meeting to reflect on Mary’s life and take up some measures concretely to walk in the footsteps of Mary especially during the nine days of Novena under the caption “IN HER FOOTSTEPS”.

The Animator along with the members implemented the following –

• The members with love and respect decorated the statue of Mother Mary creatively in their homes.
• Every day the members along with their family prayed an extra Rosary for a particular intention of the Church and that of the World.
• The members gave importance for family prayers and prayed the Novena every day.
• An activity was undertaken to increase their love and devotion to Mother Mary through which the members made efforts conscientiously to offer small acts of love to Mother Mary and placed it on each of the footsteps stuck on the chart put up next to Mother Mary.
• On the final day the members with their families greeted Mamma Mary with those nine acts of love done in preparation for the feast and celebrated the day with the members of the family.

The members reported that they were happy and excited to celebrate this year’s feast with a difference. Not just in prayers but were able extend their helping hands to the needy in different ways. All of them contributed their best both in kind and cash to the poor and the needy families. Above all it was an opportunity to emulate the virtues of Mother Mary in their lives enabling them to celebrate the feast with true spirit of love and filial devotion to Mother Mary which transformed them into persons of prayer and service.

The members greeted the Superior and the sisters of the community and expressed their gratitude for the joy and peace they experienced this year in celebrating the festival. Sr. Maria Gracilda A.C. the ACA Animator on the other hand expressed her gratitude to the members for their wholehearted support, response and cooperation given in every way.

In spite of the pandemic the ACA members of St. Agnes Convent are quite active, energetic and enthusiastic participating in the Virtual meetings that are conducted regularly twice a month both by Mrs. Sheeba Fernandes the President of the association and Sr. Maria Gracilda A.C. the ACA Animator.

CONCLUSION

Mother Teresa says that “Every human being is made for love, to be unified in giving and receiving with others and ultimately with God. If we close ourselves off to service we will never create the space within ourselves to be filled with the love of God”. Further she says “If you can’t feed a hundred people then feed just one”.

If everyone followed this advice we could feed the world. These Mother Teresa quotes on service and serving the poor exemplify the meaning of charity and love for others.

These little deeds of kindness inspire us to see God in every human Being.