by Cleric Bless Rumao for BISMumbai

“Let your active participation in this Marian month be an expression of your love for her and also let this be an opportunity to know more about Mary so that through knowledge you may imitate her,” said Father Blany Pinto in the inaugural talk for the Marian Month.

The inauguration took place on Thursday 16 July, the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, with a solemn Eucharist. This was live-streamed on YouTube to enable participation of the aspirants and the apostolic boys.

This entire month will be online, full of fun, learning, and prayer. Phone calls were made to every boy to invite them to participate in the inauguration. The calls explained the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of the inauguration. The mass link and various pieces of information were also sent on the WhatsApp groups. On 16 July Father Xavier Devadas was the main celebrant at the Eucharist. Rector Father Blany Pinto by lit the candle at the feet of the statue of our Lady, asking her to shine her protective light over us and the whole world during these troubled times. Br. Aliester D’souza then unbundled this exciting month. He said, “The lockdown and the physical absence cannot stop us from going on with this tradition.” He also thanked Alden Gonsalves (Captain), Joshua Ferrao (ViceCaptain) and the boys of Class 12 who are conducting the Marian Month, with sermonettes on Mary, to be made available on the Instagram and Facebook accounts.

The inauguration concluded with a hymn to Mother Mary, remembering St. John Bosco's words, "Have faith in Mary Help of Christians, and you will see what miracles are."