by Father Xavier Bandya for BISMumbai

On 28 September 2020, the young people of St Michael's Parish at Mikhelpura Salawad-Suket, organised a 'julus' [procession] of St. Michael the Archangel, a day prior to the Parish Feast that occurs on 29 September.

This annual traditional statue-procession ritual is believed to bestow great healing and miraculous graces on the parishioners. through the intercession of the archangel. For the people of the parish, it is the blessing of God, through St. Michael, whom God has chosen to protect His people from evil and lead them to live godly lives.

This year, only the young people of the parish organised and participated in the procession, since numerical restrictions are in force. The procession commenced at 9 am in the Church premises with a short prayer, after which, the statue was taken around the village, accompanied by 30 young people chanting, praying the rosary and singing along the route. The other parishioners were invited to pray from within the confines of their own homes, as the statue-procession wound its way through the bylanes halting at a few places for veneration.

Homage was paid to St. Michael through the traditional 'aarati' and garlanding of the statue. Special prayers were offered for the welfare of the village and its inhabitants. St Michael was brought back into the Church and the festal procession concluded with a short prayer. It is a belief firmly upheld by the villagers, that when St Michael visits the village, he brings the grace of God and reaffirms his protective cloak around the village, keeping the villagers from evil-entrapments.