BIS #1586 JOURNEYING WITH MARY TO BUILD ONE FAMILY

Bosco Carvalho sdb
NASHIK, OCTOBER 15, 2009:
The Marian month is special occasion for the Salesians to focus on the motherly intervention of Mary in our lives and the community of Divyadaan celebrated its Marian month from September 8 to October 7, 2009.

The Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary initiated the community of Divyadaan into the Marian month. The theme chosen was “Journeying with Mary to Build One Family.” The confreres focused on journeying along the path already trodden by Mary in order to build genuine brotherly relationships with each other and an intimacy with Jesus Christ.
During the inaugural Eucharist, Fr. Savio D’Souza the Rector highlighted Mary’s relationship with Jesus and invited the confreres to build up a relationship with Jesus Christ through prayer, work and cordial dealings with each other. The Marian month was a blend of different prayer moments and activities. The confreres vied with each other in expressing their love for Mary by participating in competitions, pilgrimages, delivering sermonettes, preparing creative notice boards and so on. The community also celebrated with Mary the joy of meeting her son at the Eucharist, adorations, animated prayer services and multi-lingual rosary services. The Marian Evening on September 24, was a sublime expression of thanking God for the gift of Mary as a Mother and Model to the community. The confreres as one family, prayed to Mary, deepened their understanding of Mary in the scriptures through puzzles, creative games, the Marian Quiz and supped together as a sign of fellowship. The words of the Marian anthem “We Journey with Mary to Build One Family” were a constant reminder of Mary’s presence in the day to day living.
The success of the Marian Month was a combined effort of the staff and the activity group leaders. Hard work, unyielding planning and sharing of responsibilities led to the fruition of the various activities. The confreres joined their hands together in creating a prayerful ambience so that Mary’s presence could be felt in their lives. The community reached its goal of building brotherly bonds with each other, thanks to our Blessed Mother.
The Marian Month concluded on The Feast of the Holy Rosary. Each confrere made a resolution as a consequence and culmination of the Marian Month. The close of this activity and prayer filled month led to the beginning of an intimate relationship with Mary, Jesus and one another.