CHILDREN’S DAY CELEBRATION IN ST. JOSEPH THE WORKER CHURCH, NEERMARGA 

Childhood is about innocence and playfulness. It is about joy and freedom.

Children’s Day was celebrated with fun and frolic in St. Joseph the Worker Church, Neermarga, on 20^th November 2022 by Commission for Bible and Catechetics and Commission for Liturgy with the collaboration of the Sunday Catechism Teachers.

The day began with a solemn Eucharistic Celebration officiated by Rev Fr Anil Canute D Mello- Parish Priest.

In his interactive homily Fr. Anil traced the origin, history, reasons for celebrating the Feast of Christ the King through Probing questions designed to encourage deep thought and promote critical thinking about the topic. Further, he explained the Day’s Readings with the help of concrete examples, anecdotes and questioning and then paraphrased it saying: “ The kingdom of Jesus is the Kingdom of love, trust, justice, forgiveness, truth and peace. We belong to the Kingdom of Jesus when we follow the path marked out by Christ our King- The path of encountering Jesus in our fellow human beings”.

The Eucharistic Celebration was followed by a short program. Fr. Anil in his inspirational message appealed to the parents to aid their wards comprehend the importance of Emotional Maturity and ways to accept and value correction. Addressing the children, he said “You are God’s gift of hope to the broken world. You are the future of the Church and brighten up homes through your innocence, joy, laughter and forgiveness. You remind us of our childhood and invite us to rediscover the innocence that is within us”. Games were conducted for the children wherein they could improve their ability to listen, as well as develop important cognitive skills. Prizes of the Games, Bible Quiz and Story Telling Contest and Marian Quiz were distributed by Rev. Fr Anil D Mello, Mr. Ravi Saldanha & Mr. Prakash Pereira – Vice President and Secretary of Parish Pastoral Council, Sr. Sujatha- Superior of Holy Cross Convent, Sr. Mavis- Superior of Carmel Ashram, Mr. Maurice Renjal – Coordinator of 21 Commissions, Brother Rakesh.  Mrs. Sonia Rebello and Mrs. Celestine Lobo – Coordinator of Sunday Catechism Classes announced the names of the victors. The children relished the treat of chicken noodles and ice cream and went home happy after enjoying a fun-filled morning with their Pastor, peers and teachers.

Mrs. Pramila Rodrigues compered the programme. Mrs. Wilma welcomed the gathering and Mrs. Cynthia Proposed the Vote of Thanks.