MARGAO: Carmelites in Goa celebrated the feast of their patroness Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao presided over the Eucharistic celebration held at the Carmelite Monastery, Margao. The Archbishop urged the gathering to take Mother Mary as the model of faith and be witness to the same faith by being generous to the poor and the needy.
“Mother Mary accepted the kingdom of God in her life. Thus, becomes a model to accept the kingdom of God in our lives,” said Fr Teodozio Fernandes in his homily for the festal mass of Our Lady of Mount Carmel at the Carmelite Monastery, Margao. Elaborating on the life of Mother Mary, he stressed on the virtues of service, charity and concern for the others.
“The apostles took her as their model to make present the Kingdom of God in the society and continued the mission of Jesus,” he said.
He appealed to the gathering to take Mother Mary as their model to love one another, to forgive others and thus contribute to the proclamation of the Kingdom of God. Fr Archibald Gonsalves, Superior of the Carmelite Monastery Margao thanked the gathering. Fr Anthony D’Souza, a Carmelite friar in his homily at the Cloistered Carmel Monastery, Chicalim on the theme “Mary-the Anawim of Yaweh” appealed to the congregation to depend totally on God to proclaim His Good News especially to the poor. Mother Mary, like Jesus always showed concern towards the needy and the poor. He also presented the life of Cloistered nuns to show that it is possible to depend totally on God. Taking the reference of the Pastoral Letter, Fr Anthony, depicted the real situation where the poor suffer because of our wastages and accumulation of things.
Fr Walter Rodrigues, Superior of Dominican Training Centre, Moira was the main celebrant for the festal mass at the Carmelite Seminary, Mapusa.
