St. Sebastian Church

Mogall Firgozkaramno,
Novembrachea mhoineant amchea ghorcheam meloleancho ani chodd korun magunk konn nasloleancho ugddas kortat. Hi ek ekdom bori vost. Punn hantunt mornnacho ugddas kortanam eke vatten bhirant dista ani akant ieta. Deva mhukar zhott’tti zatoli, formonn poddtolem ani kast asteli. Heo soglleo vostu khoreo ani sarkheo. Teach borobor bhiranticheo-i bi. Punn zonn ekleachem sonvsari jivit tor sarkhem asa zalear, kosli bhirant? Over confident bi zaunchem nhoi. Karann, dor zolmololo monis, zolmantuch oskot. Ani he oskotaiek lagun moniskullak patkachi odd asa (tendency to sin). Read more

St. Cecilia lived during the Roman Empire in the 3rd century and was born to a wealthy Roman family. She vowed her virginity to Christ, but her parents married her off anyway. She then converted her husband to the Christian faith, and he in turn respected her virginity and converted his brother.
The story of how she converted her husband is quite remarkable. On her wedding night she made her vow known to him, and informed him that an angel guarded her purity. Her husband replied that he would believe her and honor her vow if he could also see her angel. Cecilia instructed him to first be baptized, and afterwards he was able to see her angel.
Together her husband and his brother took up the task of burying martyred Christians, which was illegal, and resulted in their martyrdom. St. Cecilia responded by burying her husband and converting hundreds of people through her Christian witness and strength of faith. This, and her refusal to worship false gods, resulted in her being arrested. Read more

Greetings.
To write on such a complex topic on All Saints and Souls Day and that too in few lines would be injustice to the subject itself however from the information gathered from various sources, we observe that the Christian celebration of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day stems from a belief that there is a powerful spiritual bond between those in heaven (the “Church triumphant”), and the living (the “Church militant”).

In Catholic theology, “All Saints Day’ commemorates all those who have attained the beatific vision in Heaven. As the name implies, it is a day to commemorate all the saints of the Christian church, whether they are unknown or known, who people believe went to heaven. It is solemnly celebrated on 1st of November. Read more

The Solemness of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of the Universe, earlier referred to as “Christ the King,” was constituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 to counter secularism, a way of life which leaves out God from man’s thoughts and life and seeks to organize his life as if God does not exist. The feast that is celebrated intends to promulgate in a striking and effectual manner Christ’s royalty over individuals, families, civilizations and governments.
The titles for Christ’s royalty  over men are established as:1. Christ the Creator of the universe is God and hence has supreme power over all  things that were created by Him;2. Christ is our Redeemer, He acquisitioned us by His precious Blood and has made us His  asset and possession;3. Christ – Head of the Church holds the primacy in all things;4. God bestowed upon Christ the nations of the world as His special possession and dominion.
The qualities of Christ’s kingdom are:1. Supreme- extending over all people, including their princes and kings;2. Universal- extending over all nations and all places; 3. Eternal- as “The Lord shall sit as King forever.”4. Spiritual- Christ’s “Kingdom is not of this world.” Read more

The World Day of the Poor is celebrated on the 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time since 2017. The World Day of the Poor was first observed on 19 November 2017, with the theme, “Let us love, not with words but with deeds”. In his message for that first World Day of the Poor, Pope Francis said that “the Our Father is the prayer of the poor”. He held a special Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, followed by a free lunch at various Vatican venues. During the week preceding the World Day of the Poor, free specialized medical services were offered at a mobile clinic.

In this year’s message for the annual observance themed “For your sakes Christ became poor (2 Cor. 8:9)”, Pope Francis recalled the words of St. Paul to the Christians of Corinth, in order to encourage their efforts to show solidarity with their brothers and sisters in need. The Pope noted that the World Day this year comes “as a healthy challenge, helping us to reflect on our style of life and on the many forms of poverty all around us.” Read more

(My Joyful Experience of Giving)
On 9th October, we went to the beautiful village, Ambaulim. It was a very unique, memorable and worthwhile experience. We were accompanied by our Catechists, SSVP members and our assistant Parish Priest Fr. Leslie Gomes. It was a beautiful journey travelling to Ambaulim; the fields, churches, houses, flowers, plants, etc, were just mesmerizing. We went there to distribute the offerings that were offered during the novenas of the Nativity of Blessed Virgin Mary by the catechism students and other parishioners to the needy brethren. Read more

Open my mouth, O Lord, to bless your Holy Name.
Cleanse my heart from all evil and distracting thoughts.
Enlighten my understanding and inflame my will that I may serve more worthily at your holy altar.
O Mary, Mother of Christ the High Priest, obtain for me the most important grace of knowing my vocation in life.
Grant me a true spirit of faith and humble obedience so that I may ever behold the priest as a representative of God and willingly follow him in the Way, the Truth, and the Life of Christ.
Amen.

(6th November, 2022)

Altar servers assist the clergy in celebrating the Sacred Liturgy, especially the sacrifice of the Holy Mass. The various tasks of altar servers include leading liturgical processions, assisting with the Missal and the book of prayers, helping set the altar and attending to sacred vessels after communion. Altar servers also help with the candles, incense, and processional cross.

In addition to liturgical service, altar serving is also a wonderful way for our children to advance in spiritual life that is centered on the Eucharist and to grow in vocational awareness. Servers participate in the Sacred Liturgy with their own work that contributes to the Work of the Faithful and the prayer of the Church and thus their service helps build up the Body of Christ. In this way, altar serving is a serious ministry that requires commitment, reliability, and a certain amount of dedicated time, so that it is carried out worthily. Read more

The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known in the East as “the entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple, is a liturgical feast celebrated on November 21 by the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and some Anglo-Catholic churches. The council of Epheusus in AD 431 decreed that Mary is the Theotokos because Her Son Jesus is both God and man: One divine person from two natures (divine and human) intimately united.

The story relates that in thanksgiving for the birth of their daughter Mary, Joachim and Anne decided to consecrate her to God, and bring her, at the age of 3 years, to the temple in Jerusalem. Mary remained in the Temple until her twelfth year at which point Joseph was assigned to be her guardian. According to Coptic tradition, her father Joachim died when Mary was six years old and her mother when Mary was eight. It is from that arose the feast of Mary’s Presentation. Read more