Dwayne serves his first Mass today

 -Brian Mendonca

Ever since we came to Porvorim, Goa, the Holy Family church has been a fulcrum for our lives. This is a young parish with new ideas.

Post-lockdown I offered to be on the Parish Bulletin team of the church. The offer was gladly received and with the next issue I will be stepping into my second year with the team.

We always wanted Dwayne to be more involved in the church activities. With offline catechism not being held because of the pandemic, we waited eagerly for it to resume. 

Now that he has shown an interest we are delighted. (He shows equal interest in his football practices at Don Bosco.) That, as Nissim Ezekiel would say, 'is the good spirit / I am always liking the good spirit.'

After the lockdown it feels good to go as a family for the 9.30 a.m. children's Mass in English on Sundays. Fr. Caetano Fernandes, the Parish Priest takes good interest in seeing to it that the little children are involved in church activities.

The church looks bright, well-lit and clean, with a positive energy.

Fr. Alfi took great pains to train the little ones, calling them faithfully for practices on Saturdays.  

Today we had even more reason to be elated. Dwayne was serving for his first Mass. It almost seemed like an ordination! 

We waited with bated breath at every move he made at the altar. When the whole procession with Father and the servers exited, we heaved a sigh of relief.

I reminisced about my days as an altar server in Don Bosco, Matunga, Bombay. I was in the boarding school then. Time has come full circle.

As we head into Holy Week - purple robes and all - we are so thankful that we have seen this day.

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Pix taken by Brian Mendonca, at Holy Family Church, Porvorim, on Sunday, 3 April 2022. The Mass was said by Fr. Caetano Fernandes assisted by Fr. Alfi D'Cruz for the Communion.