Cl. Mylin Noronha
ALIRAJPUR, NOVEMBER 08, 2011: The Parish of Don Bosco, Alirajpur celebrated Mission Sunday on November 06, 2011. It was an occasion for all the members of the parish to come together and contribute in some little way so that the proceeds could be sent to other missions that are not as fortunate as themselves.The celebrations of the day began with the Holy Eucharist where Fr. Thomas D'souza stressed on the essential missionary aspect of every Christian vocation. He reminded the parishioners that they were enjoying the fruits of the early missionaries who toiled to initiate the faith in the diocese of Jhabua.
The spiritual celebrations then took on a more entertaining nature as the students of the campus organized a fete for the parish. The games, request show, selling of religious articles and eats went on till late afternoon and concluded with a game of 'housie'. The entire morning was a wonderful blend of a family spirit among the parishioners coupled with entertainment enjoyment.
The mission Sunday preparations and contributions had already begun before the Diwali holidays. The parishioners and students were given envelopes to make their personal contributions. Apart from that every student was requested to sell raffle tickets in their parishes during the holidays. Thus, the parish had already collected thirty thousand before the Mission Sunday itself. At the end of the day, the parish managed to contribute a little more than fifty thousand to the diocese. This is a very good contribution for a parish that consists of only twenty three families and hundred and fifty students.However, the success of the Mission Sunday celebrations did not lie in the money collected by the parish but in the fact that the entire parish came together and each one did their bit selflessly. The cooperation, enthusiasm and sense of sacrifice displayed by the organizing team were commendable.Credit must be given to the parish council led by the parish priest Fr. Leslie Pereira for guiding and encouraging the parishioners and students to be generous in the Mission Sunday Celebrations.
May the Spirit of appreciation and gratefulness for the work of various missionaries continue to inspire the little parish of Alirajpur to continue giving back to the missions.