From the Pastor's Desk

Dearly Beloved Parishioners, As we celebrate A YEAR OF FAITH-FILLED FAMILIES, let us take Mother Mary as our model of total faith. Obeying the Word of God, she pondered all things in her heart and magnified God’s greatness in her family life. Anchored in profound faith, Mary held her family together, lived in grace and served others with integrity, mutual respect and love. Today, she is venerated by people worldwide. Mother Mary demonstrates that faith is lived through trust, obedience, prayer and love. When families enthrone God at the centre, following Mary’s example, their homes become places where faith grows, love is strengthened and God’s presence is experienced. From Asia to Europe and South America, Mother Mary’s message remains the same: “Comfort, Protection and Mother’s Love.” Marian devotion truly spans the globe because no matter where we are, a mother always hastens when her children call. We remember a mother’s love and run to her for comfort, protection and love, for we always have a home where our mother is. Mother Teresa, now St. Teresa of Kolkata, once related an incident about a boy. “Once I picked up a child and took him to our Children’s Home; we gave him a bath, clean clothes and everything. After a day, the child ran away. Somebody else found him, but again he ran away. Then I said to the sisters, ‘Please follow the child.’ He ran away a third time, and the sisters did as instructed. There, under one of the trees, was his mother. She had placed a small earthenware vessel on two stones and was cooking something she had picked up out of a garbage bin. The sisters gently asked the child, ‘Why did you run away from the home?’ And the child said, ‘This is my home because this is where my mother is.’” With the arrival of September, we eagerly await the celebration of the Birthday of Mother Mary. However far and wide we may live, we long to come home to where our mother is. From every corner of Maharashtra, irrespective of caste and creed, lakhs of people flock to Mount Mary’s Basilica with profound devotion and faith, coming to her feet to venerate her and seek the blessings of our Heavenly Mother. She is honoured as Mother of God, Mother of the Immaculate Conception, Tower of Ivory and House of Gold. Her dwelling becomes a home to the homeless, the destitute, the orphaned, the lonely and sick, a home for the aged and for every seeker. As a loving Mother, she cares for every child who comes to her with devotion and faith. People come to her in prayer, often on their knees, and place their deepest desires before her, with hope and trust. Let us all come before her, visit her gracious dwelling place and receive her comfort, protection and immense Love, like the little boy who ran away simply to be with his mother, for that was where he found his home. On behalf of my Clergy Team, I wish you all a Happy Feast of the Nativity of our Heavenly Mother Mary. May she bless you and your families as we celebrate the birth anniversaries of our Parish and of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD). Fr. John Mascarenhas SVD Parish Priest