Birthday rush at Bandra church

With religious services and prayers at churches, grottos and homes, Catholics celebrated the birthday of Mother Mary on Thursday. As per tradition, the eight-day long Bandra Fair will start from September 11—the first Sunday after the birthday.

Bandra’s Mount Mary Basilica held 10 masses or religious services on Wednesday. During the next week, bishops from the city and Archbishop of Bombay, Cardinal Oswald Gracias are scheduled to celebrate the mass.

Preparations for Mother Mary’s birthday began on August 30 when churches like Our Lady of Velankanni at Irla, Vile Parle started the novena—a nine-day period of prayers—that ended on September 7.
For those who could not make it to churches for the Novena, there were venues like the grotto with a six-foot high image of Mary at Sahar Market.

At the Sahar grotto, the daily programme during the novena is similar to the one at the Velankanni shrine near Chennai. A flag with the image of Mother Mary is raised at noon and prayers in the evening. “Those who cannot go to Irla or Chennai come to the grotto to pray,” said Sahar resident and former corporator Nicholas Almeida.

In Bandra, Novenas are held at different locations, including one at the grotto in Rajan village which is attended by 700-800
people.

On Thursday evening, residents of the area carried a statue of Mother Mary in a procession around the village.