The parish of St. Mary’s Church, Hegde Nagar, joyfully celebrated its Annual Feast on October 12th, 2025, with deep faith, devotion, and gratitude. The theme of this year’s celebration was “Mary, Pilgrim of Hope”.
The entire parish community came together to honor our blessed Mother, who continues to guide us as a model of faith, hope, and perseverance.
The day began with the English Mass at 7:00 AM, celebrated by Rev. Fr. Rudolf Pinto OCD, Secretary to the Liturgical Commission of India. In his homily, Fr. Rudolf beautifully reflected on Mary as the pilgrim of hope, who trusted in God’s promises and remained steadfast in faith throughout her life.
The Kannada Mass at 8:30 AM was celebrated by Rev. Fr. Wilfred Rodrigues OCD, Dean of Philosophy College, Pushpashram at Mysore, who invited the faithful to imitate Mary’s example of humility and service in their families and parish community.
This was followed by the Tamil Mass at 10:00 AM, celebrated by Rev. Fr. Antony Swamy, which drew a large number of Tamil-speaking faithful who participated with devotion and enthusiasm.
Breakfast was served, offering the faithful a joyful occasion to meet one another and share in the spirit of communion. The entire morning was filled with an atmosphere of prayer, togetherness, and thanksgiving.
The Solemn Feast Mass was celebrated at 5:30 PM by Rev. Fr. Wilfred Rodrigues OCD as the main celebrant, joined by many priests, Fr. Alphonse Britto, Provincial Councilor. Fr. Selva Kumar, Superior of the community, Fr. Dolphy OCD, Fr. Henry Moras, Fr. Ivan Sanctis, Fr. Manoj Bragazza OCD, Fr. Vijay Kumar, Priest from Preeti Nivas at Gedalahalli, and the Parish Priest concelebrated the Holy Eucharist.
The beautifully prepared liturgy was animated by the Parish Choirs, whose melodious singing enhanced the solemnity of the celebration. The active participation of Parish Associations, Altar Servers, Ushers, and Volunteers added much life and devotion to the day’s celebrations.
At the conclusion of the Holy Eucharist, Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Boniface DSouza, expressed his heartfelt gratitude to all who contributed to the success of the feast. He extended his sincere thanks to all the concelebrating priests for their presence and also expressed thanks to the Parish Choir for their dedicated service in animating the liturgy and to the Volunteers, Youth, and Parish Associations, who work tirelessly in preparing the liturgy and refreshments. He also thanked all the Parishioners and Devotees for their active participation and cooperation in making the feast a memorable and grace-filled celebration.
Following the Eucharistic celebration, a grand Car procession in honor of our Blessed Mother was held. The statue of Mother Mary, magnificently decorated, was carried in procession around the church campus. The faithful, holding candles, singing hymns, and reciting the Rosary, walked prayerfully expressing their love and devotion to “Mary, the Pilgrim of Hope”.
The day concluded with Adoration and Benediction with a note of thanksgiving to God and our Blessed Mother, Mary, the Pilgrim of Hope, for her constant intercession and protection over the parish family.
Truly, it was a day of grace, joy, and renewed faith for the entire community.
