On Friday morning, a synodal journey was started in the Mumbai neighborhood of Bandra at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount.
Bandra has one of the oldest Catholic communities in the city, and was evangelized by Portuguese Jesuits in the 16th century.
When Bombay was handed over to the British in 1661, the area of Bandra remained in Portuguese hands until 1775, and the Jesuits established several parishes in the area. The district is considered the heart of the Latin Rite Catholic Church in India.
Father Sunder M. Albuquerque, the vice rector of the Archdiocesan shrine opened up the festival to include all the 11 deaneries of the archdiocese as a method of implementing synodality in the archdiocese and specifically in the deaneries and parishes.
“Pope Francis at World Youth Day, ended one of his addresses to the young people, talking in Spanish he said ‘Todos, Todos, Todos’ – ‘Everyone, Everyone, Everyone.’ This has been Pope Francis’s message over the last year, and echoes here too – the Shrine is for everyone… an awakening, as a kind of an awakening of the Spirit,” the priest said.
“Everybody’s on a journey and of course everybody needs accompaniment, and this was visible this morning: August 30, the first day of the nine-day novena in preparation for the feast day on September 8, the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary,” Albuquerque told Crux.
For decades, only members of the seven parishes in the Bandra deanery could serve as lectors or cantors during the annual novena, and Albuquerque said it was “very heartening to see from the early morning” a young priest named Father Anto Denish travelling miles together with his parishioners and taking an official part in the first Mass of the day, which took place at 5.30 in the morning.
“We left at 4 am from our Parish in Borivali, it was very joyful moment, our people were very grateful and honored to sing and Proclaim the Reading at the Basilica,” Denish told Crux.
He said most of those who travelled with him were brought as young children to the shrine by their parents, “but today, they could actively and joyfully participate in the Novena Eucharist.”
The next group was already waiting for their turn. They were accompanied by Father Melroy Mendonca from another distant parish in the Archdiocese of Bombay.
He said it was a “visible sign of a Synodal Church,” with “walking together” being a vision of a missionary communion.
The mission this year is to guide pilgrims towards the Jubilee Year of 2025, which Pope Francis has named the Jubilee of Hope.
Last week, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, pro-prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Evangelization, focused on two aspects of the jubilee during a press conference in Rome. These were hope and forgiveness, which were central themes throughout Pope Francis’s Bull of Indiction, Spes non confundit, or “Hope does not disappoint.”
Published in May, the bull set the tone for the jubilee and included appeals from the pontiff for things he said would help sow greater hope in the world, including amnesty for prisoners and debt forgiveness for developing nations.
Father Vernon Aguiar, the rector of the basilica in Mumbai, on Friday discussed the theme of the novena, “Mary, Prayerful Pilgrim of Hope,” saying each of the nine days will focus on Mary and different dimensions of hope.
“Every day there are 8 Masses and on Sunday there are additional Masses. Through the Octave week, Masses in regional languages including two for the sick and aged, where volunteers will accompany and assist them,” he said.
Albuquerque told Crux peoples of all faith and good will come to the basilica for the novena.
“I was keen that these see the diversity of the archdiocese; the talents of our people given in service for worship,” the priest said.
“Additionally, the last year I received a few requests from far-flung areas of the archdiocese, hence last year itself ‘Todos, Todos, Todos’ … Also, the sacrament of reconciliation is available from 5 a.m. until after the last Mass, and in these grace-filled days people are eager to go to confession – and the priests from all over the archdiocese are a big help,” he said.