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Feast of Madhavaram

 

Two Years gone without the Feast of St. Sebastian, Not this Year thankfully! Silver Jubilarians Grace the Celebration with their presence and Prayers

 

24 May 2022, Madhavaram, Chennai: St. Sebastian is welcomed into the homes every year in and around Madhavaram as the chariot solemnly moves in the decorated streets with hundreds of people awaiting his arrival in front of their homes just to behold his sight on the auspicious day of the Feast of St. Sebastian, the Patron of the Parish in Madhavaram.

The disappointed flock of St. Sebastian for not having been able to celebrate the Feast for the two years, were treated with graceful festivities that this year of celebration compensated what they missed last two years.

On the Easter Sunday, the Feast began with the flag hoisting. As the flag of St. Sebastian brought in a procession, the people led the processing with the Rosary and Hymns. Together with the flag of St. Sebastian, the prayer-flags of many families were hoisted too. Following this event, the novena was celebrated every evening with an inspiring homily on the life of St Sebastian and the Synodal Journey of the Church this year. The Eucharist commenced with the chariot procession within the campus of the church as the faithful prayed the Rosary. The guest-priests invited for the Novena helped the people in their spiritual growth by prayerful celebration of the Eucharist and well-prepared homilies.

Friars Minor who were celebrating their Jubilee of their Religious life gathered in St. Ann’s Generalate joined the Festive Eucharist on 23 May 2022 as the celebrants. The group of Friars Minor, led by Br Praveen Henry D’ Souza, the Main Celebrant presided over the Eucharist and delivered a thought-provoking homily in English. Br. Anthony Rooban Doss, a jubilarian, preached in Tamil.

The celebration was held inside the Church as opposed to the previous years when the celebrations were held outside in the open air. The Church was packed inside and the campus outside was also packed with the devotees of St. Sebastian from all over Chennai. After the Eucharist, the silver jubilarians were felicitated and the ministry of the friars minor in the parish of Madhavaram was acknowledged gratefully.

The Chariot bearing the holy statute of St. Sebastian was blessed and set on move with the hundreds of people accompanying prayerfully praying the Rosary and singing the devotional hymns. As the Chariots moved out of the Church, the church was buzzing with one activity or the other as the faithful spent the night in the campus for the morning Eucharist. 24 May 2022, Sunday, was a day of Eucharist as the Silver Jubilarians took the turns to celebrate the Mass for the faithful. The Church was once again packed with the faithful who did not grow weary of partaking in the Eucharist to manifest their ardent devotion to St Sebastian.

The days of celebration came to an end with the concluding Eucharist. Br. Charles Bernard, the Vicar Provincial, lowered the flag and proceeded to the Eucharist. The Eucharist was attended by a good number of people once again. The celebration of the Feast of St. Sebastian after a gap of two years showed a hundred-fold increase in the devotion of the faithful, thanks to the presence of Friars, the silver jubilarians.

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