Celebration of Nativity of Mother Mary at Most Holy Redeemer Church Derebail Back

Celebration of Nativity of Mother Mary at Most Holy Redeemer Church Derebail

The feast of Nativity of Mother Mary was celebrated with devotion and grandeur at Most Holy Redeemer Church Derebail. In preparation for this feast the parishioners- young, old, especially little children- participated in the nine-days novena, offering flowers to Mother Mary with love and reverence. 

On 8th September, 2025 the celebration commenced at 7.30 am in front of St Ann's English Medium School, Kuntikan, with the blessing of the newly harvested corn. This was followed by a ceremonial procession to the church, with little children strewing flowers  all along the way. The statue of infant Mary was brought in this procession to the church along with the newly harvested corn and with the music of the brass band.

Rev. Fr. Santhosh Rodrigues, Director of Pastoral Institute, Bajjodi was the main celebrant. Rev. Fr. Joseph Martis, the Parish Priest and Rev. Fr. Steevan Nelson Peris, the Associate Priest concelebrated the mass.

In his Homily, Fr. Santhosh Rodrigues highlighted the spiritual significance of the day by drawing attention to Mother Mary's role in Christian life. He invited the faithful to take four symbolic flowers—gratitude, humility, patience, and kindness—from Mary’s garden to enrich their lives as Catholics. Further, he elaborated on how Nativity as a feast of the family should motivate one to dine and pray together. As Nativity is also a feast that celebrates harvest of new crop, Fr. Santhosh recollected the efforts of the farmers and emphasized the need to be grateful for God's blessings.

The blessed new corn was distributed among the Parishioners after communion. 

Conveying his festive greetings, Fr. Joseph Martis  expressed his gratitude to all those who had contributed to the novena and feast preparations. He urged parishioners to celebrate the feast meaningfully with their families, setting aside gadgets and making time to visit elderly relatives who live alone. 

Mudhom candles were distributed to parishioners who had contributed towards the expenses of the feast.

On this occasion, prizes were also distributed to the winners of the competitions organized by the Legion of Mary.

The children's choir added to the solemnity of the service. The festal mood was enhanced with the presence of the brass band and dance of the parishioners

Report by: Lynsha Lobo
Pictures: Roshan Fernandes