Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel celebrated at St. Mary’s church at Hegde Nagar:- The feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is celebrated with great devotion and solemnity at St. Mary’s church, Hegde Nagar, on July 13th, 2025. The parish community came together in large numbers to honour the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the patroness of the Carmelite order.
The day began early as the faithful gathered to commemorate the feast through various liturgical services and devotions throughout the day. The first mass of the day started at 7:00 AM in English, celebrated by Fr. Rudolf Pinto OCD, a Carmelite priest. Following this, at 8:30 AM, a holy mass in Kannada was presided over by Fr. Boniface D’Souza, the parish priest, who highlighted Mary’s maternal love and her role in guiding the faithful to Jesus through prayer, humility, and trust in God’s providence. He invited the faithful to wear the Scapular as a sign of devotion and commitment to living a holy life. The third mass in the morning was in Tamil, presided over by Fr. Selva Kumar OCD, the community’s superior. He also delivered an inspiring homily on the Scapular.
The festive solemn mass was at 5:30 PM, presided over by Fr. Rudolf Pinto OCD, secretary of the Liturgical Commission at the national level. In his homily, Fr. Pinto invited the faithful to deepen their relationship with Mother Mary and to demonstrate profound faith and commitment. The liturgy was beautifully animated by the Parish Choir; the statue was beautifully decorated with flowers reflecting the spirit of festivity and reverence. Special prayers were offered for the intentions of the parishioners. The scapulars were blessed and distributed to the faithful. After the mass, cake was distributed to all as a token of joy and gratitude. The feast day brought spiritual renewal and strengthened the Marian devotion of the community. The parish priest, Fr. Boniface D’Souza, expressed gratitude to Fr. Rudolf Pinto and all the priests, including Fr. Selva Kumar, Fr. Ivan Sanctis, and Fr. Jason Tellis. Their participation enriched the liturgical celebration. At the conclusion, Fr. Rudolf was felicitated on the occasion of his election as secretary of the liturgical commission at the national level.
