Mangaluru: White Flower Social Service Movement (R 166) in association with Jeppu parish celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes on Thursday February 11 in a very devoted manner. In preparation of the feast, recitation of the five decades of the rosary, novena service in honor of Our Lady of Lourdes and homilies from prominent priests were conducted for 9 days from February 2 to 10 at the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, St Joseph Nagar, Jeppu.

The evening started with a prayer service at 6.15 pm at the Grotto. Fr Nelson Dalmeida, parish priest, Fr Joseph Martis, Rector St Joseph Seminary, Jeppu and Fr Boniface Pinto venerated the Our Lady of Lourdes statue at the grotto with incense.

Like in Lourdes, a torchlight Marian procession was taken from the Grotto to Maria Nagar and then St Joseph Church, Jeppu. The procession was led by the brass band of Glory and Infant Mary. Altar boys and girls, priests, nuns, parishioners as well as devotees in large numbers from the surrounding institutions like Holy Rosary Convent, Infant Mary’s School and Convent, St Antony’s Ashram, St Joseph’s Workshop, St Joseph Seminary and neighboring parishes took part. All the devotees carried torchlight with colorful paper shades. The focus of this procession was the rosary. The devotees meditated all five decades of the rosary and sang hymns honoring Our Lady. The statue of Our Lady of Lourdes was carried in a beautifully decorated tablo and youngsters of ICYM marched with Damaskachi Sotri (traditional umbrella). MLA J R Lobo also took part in this procession.

A solemn mass was celebrated by 16 priests, led by Fr Joseph Martis, Rector Seminary. Fr Boniface Pinto delivered the homily. He urged the devotees to pray the Rosary daily with their families. He stressed Mary is the ladder between us and Jesus, hence to intercede to Jesus through Mary. Around two thousand devotees gathered to honor Our dear Mother Mary of Lourdes for all the good things and favours she has bestowed on them and their families and place before her all their petitions for this coming year. After mass, Blessed Rosaries, Divine Mercy Picture and Daily prayers books were distributed to all the devotees. Dinner was organized and served to all gathered. This feast day reminds us the message of Lourdes is a call to personal conversion, prayer and charity. Let us believe this and live our life following this.

‘White Flowers’, a leading organization from Jeppu, which functions under the able leadership of Vijay Alfred and Jacintha Alfred works for the social welfare of the parish and the society. It has been in existence since the last three decades and their main objective to celebrate this feast is to increase Our Mother Mary’s devotion and enable many devotees to receive graces through her from her son, Jesus. Pamela Santos was the compere for the evening and Gretta Carvalho proposed the vote of thanks.