By Mr Lionel D’Souza for BISMumbai

St Dominic Savio Church, Wadala, celebrated Parents’ and Grandparents’ Day on 24 July 2022. The celebrations began with the Eucharist celebration at 09:15 a.m. animated by the parish youth. There was a special hymn sung for the parents and elders at the end of the Eucharist.

The felicitation programme began at 11 a.m., and around 200 parents and children were present. Fr Kenneth Pereira, the parish priest, was called upon to inaugurate the function. After a brief talk, he invited all the children to come on stage and bless their parents by extending their hands forward in a gesture of blessing, while he led them in prayer. The children were then asked to go and take blessings from their parents.

The comperes were an added attraction, and they kept the audience in good cheer with their one-liners. There were spot prizes, dances by the altar servers, games and more dances by the youth. The Confirmation students, assisted by Fr Pereira on the violin, sang two golden oldies: ‘I’ll Never Find Another You’ and ‘Top of the World’. It was nostalgia for quite a few parents, listening to these favourites.

Ms Jenesis Lobo, the youth group president, proposed the vote of thanks. Thereafter the younger people in the crowd joined in a short dance session.

The second part of the parents and grandparents’ day celebration unfolded in the evening, after the Tamil Mass, when more than 500 people gathered in a jam-packed hall to witness the children and youth express their love and appreciation for their elders. Right from the First Holy Communion batch, that put up a skit, to the confirmation batch and senior youth, that put up some vigorous ‘filmi’ dances, the youngsters revelled in entertaining their elders, who were delighted to see their sons and daughters on stage. There were also a few spot prizes and stage-games for those parents who were daring enough to come up on the stage. The programme came to a happy ending a little before 10 p.m..

On 24 July 2022, the Catholic Church celebrated World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. Pope Francis had begun this tradition last year, dedicating the fourth Sunday of July to this occasion.