Fr Walter de Sa
December 8 is a special date, both memorable and dear to Panjimites, as the feast of Mother Mary, invoked as Our Lady of Immaculate Conception, the patroness of Panjim Parish, is celebrated on this day.
The Immaculate Conception of Mary is a dogma of faith declared by Pope Pius IX through the promulgation of an apostolic constitution, “Ineffabilis Deus” (the Ineffable God) on December 8, 1854. This dogma entails the revealed truth that Mary, a teenaged village girl, chosen by God to be the mother of His Son, was preserved from the original sin right from the moment of her conception in the womb of her mother, Anne. This feast is celebrated throughout the Catholic Church.
It is a privilege to have our church, that stands on the hillock of Panjim, dedicated to “Our Lady of Immaculate Conception.” This annual traditional feast with Novena is celebrated by the entire parish consisting of 20 zones, with the support of the Confraria.
However, this year, the mode of celebration of the feast will not be the same as in the past, due to the Covid-19 pandemic which has altogether impacted our way of living. But one good outcome of this pandemic is that it has made us realise our ‘nothingness,’ our ‘brokenness’ vis-à-vis Covid-19. Therefore, we need to ‘look beyond’, and that we depend on the transcendental powe’. It has opened our eyes to understand the essence and core message of ‘life beyond’, and the need to transcend the ephemeral, mundane realities of life.
This year, the feast will be sans external manifestations. There will be no alvorada, no brass band, no buntings, no pinning of flowers, no games and food stalls and no procession. Instead, there will be more of reflection, inner silence of heart, interiorization of message and inculcation of Gospel values, sharing and caring for “our common home”, eliminating discrimination of caste and class, creed and religion, and promoting amity, communal harmony, solidarity and aligning with the needy and the marginalised.
In this manner, we hope to reap and earn rich dividends of fellowship, team spirit, working for a common cause and welfare of all, respecting human dignity coupled with human rights.
To pool together one and all, and to strengthen fraternal bonds into one big family, the Novena services were allocated zone-wise with Masses specially dedicated for children, teenagers and senior citizens who were physically present in the church after a gap of eight months. The liturgical acts were marked by brevity, faith-deepening experience and a message for peaceful community living.
Mary stands out as an eloquent model of decision making, discerning God’s will, of being ‘bold and courageous’ amidst the conflicting circumstances and against all odds, for teenagers, youth, married couples and families.
Acknowledging that the mighty God had done great marvels in her life, she raised her prophetic voice against the powerful ones in favour of the lowly and the poor, the humble and the oppressed.
Jesus, her own Son, made it known to the crowds her greatness not so much because Mary was privileged to be his mother, but more particularly because she promptly heard the word of God and acted upon it accordingly.
Marian devotion is deeply rooted in the heart of the people. They visit Marian shrines like Vailankanni, Fatima, Lourdes, Medjugorje, etc, not merely as tourists but as loyal devotees of Mary, seeking her maternal assistance and emulating the virtues of faith, hope and charity that shone in her life. Mary has impacted their lives and led them closer to her Son, Jesus Christ. Just as mother and child go together, our devotion to Mary and our commitment to Jesus go hand in hand. They are two inseparable realities in the life of every true Christian.
On this auspicious occasion, the people of Panjim exult with joy and gratitude, and hope to be where she is. Our fervent prayer is that peace and health be restored to the entire humanity and that the spread of the deadly coronavirus be brought under control.
We wish all the Panjimites a joyful and blessed feast of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception.
(The writer is Parish Priest at the Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Church in Panaji)
