On Sunday, Sumit Pardhe joined his uncle in visiting the Basilica of Mount Mary, Bandra. A Hindu by faith, he was among the many who were visiting the Church where the last day of the eight days (Octave) feast was being held to celebrate the birth of Mother Mary.
"Why does one need to come for something? As a stranger I am talking to you as we are connected with humanity. We talk to keep the existence of it alive. Similarly I am here to keep the existence of worship alive because I have come to pray to God. After this there will be Ganpati and I will keep that alive too. God may have called that is why my uncle was here," said Pardhe, a Kalayna resident.
Pilgrimage Center Draws Devotees from Diverse Backgrounds
On Sunday, many like him stood in long queues to catch special buses that ferried devotees to the shrine that filled fast. The Basilica is considered a pilgrimage center for many Christians. Marina Tanis, Goregaon resident, is one such person who comes every year. "This year I did not get time to visit early this week so I am making it a point to visit today. We get peace in our hearts when we come here. We feel we should stand before the Mother. I had prayed to her for my child too," said Tanis.
Salman Ansari FPJ
Acts of Charity and Interfaith Respect Mark
Besides visiting the Church, devotees also tried to do as much charitable work as they could. They distributed free water, food, snacks, free Bible in English, Hindi and Marathi and some gave stickers with prominent sayings. "These days we do not see people honoring their parents. It is something written in the Ten Commandments. We distribute this and ask people to follow the Bible. He wants us to be fruitful and compassionate," said a volunteer who did not wish to be named.
Crowds Throng to Mount Mary's Feast
Though the crowd kept pouring, street side stalls that are put up during the feast said that it was less as compared to what it used to be until a few years ago. "The crowd has dropped. even those who come do not buy these items as much as they used to at one point of time," said Pauline Venty, who had put up a shop that sold vax figures that are offered for wishes to be fulfilled. While vax shops may not have been in as much demand, those that offered games were sought for. "She likes to go for jumping jack," said Nixon Mendonca of his daughter, Neolani and son Nathaniel. "We come here after visiting the Church in Bhayander, which too is visited during the feast," added Nafisa Mendonca.
Salman Ansari FPJ
"Many people from all faiths came and there has been heavy rush since yesterday. It showed sharing of places of worship between religions. Devotees search for God in all religions. This shows we do not have to have our differences and respect each other more than anything else," said Fr. Sunder Albuquerque, vice rector of the Basilica of Mount Mary.
