It gives us immense joy and happiness to present this Special Edition of our beloved Church Bulletin, PORMOLL, on the occasion of our Parish Feast of our Patron, St. Sebastian. We acknowledge with gratitude the efforts put in by everyone involved in sparing no efforts to see that this magazine sees the light of the day well in time. I take this opportunity to thank all the writers, who regularly contribute with their write-ups, spending a lot of their precious time and energy and strive to convey their viewpoints/advice to the readers. Medical notes, guidance and important information on our health issues and hygiene is a regular feature on our bulletin, provided by our Parish doctors to whom we are indeed indebted. Many of our parishioners have certainly benefited by reading their articles. Similarly a big THANK YOU to all our Sponsors, Advertisers and all the Parishioners for their generous contributions and support, not only this year but for the past several years. Your helping hand has played a big role in our recent achievement of crossing the milestone of completing 25 fruitful years of PORMOLL existence. It really means a lot to us and we shall be ever so grateful. Thanks and a big GOD BLESS!!
Today we joyfully celebrate the Feast of our Patron, St. Sebastian. We wish you and your loved ones a very Happy Feast. May we be inspired by this courageous Saint who died as a Martyr. May he continue to pray for us and always protect us from every sickness and disease. Incidentally today also coincides with the traditional festival of Carnival-a time for fun, music and dance. Although earlier this was a simple entertainment event with some street ground plays and floats/processions on a small scale, today the same has been commercialised with a lot of money being splashed into the celebrations by Corporate Houses and also the Government. I remember, some people even calling today’s Feast of St. Sebastian, as “Intruz Saiba -chem Fest”, thereby giving a rather sanctified colour to the Carnival of yester years. Let’s hope and pray that we, specially the youth do not get carried away by emotions and superficial entertainment which can lead to sin.
This year the Season of Lent, begins on 5th March ‘25, Ash Wednesday, culminating in Christ’s Resurrection on Easter Sunday. Let us remind ourselves of the true meaning of this Lenten Season and seek God’s blessings on all of us-blessings of Faith and trust the promises made to us by Jesus Christ Himself. Wishing you a pious and blessed Lenten Season!
Until we meet again, take care and please stay safe….
Felix Dias