The Lord is truly risen !!!
The celebration of the Easter Vigil which is known as the Mother of all Vigils, commenced at 9:30 p.m. on April 15, 2017 at Infant Jesus Shrine, Pushpashrama, Mysuru. The blessing of the Light began outside the Shrine which was conducted by Fr. Vijay D' Costa, the main celebrant. After which the Paschal candle, which symbolizes the light of Christ, was lit from the new fire. The faithful then joined in procession towards the main sanctuary. The Exultet – the Easter Song was sung by Fr. John Lobo. As the Gloria was sung, the lights were turned off, the bells began to ring and the statue of the risen Christ which was placed in the decorated tomb was exposed to the faithful amidst sound and light effect. Thus it was proclaimed to the faithful saying – “The Lord has truly Risen, Alleluia”. The celebration continued with the liturgy of the Word. Fr. Oswald Crasta preached an inspiring homily and invited the people to experience the Risen Christ in their personal lives, and summoned that we must not go in search of Jesus as John and Mary of Magdala, rather we must make Him as our own by our personal encounter. After the breaking of the Word, the holy water was blessed and sprinkled over the faithful. The faithful then renewed their baptismal promises and the Carmelite Fathers and Brothers renewed their religious profession. Then followed the liturgy of the Eucharist. After the spiritual celebration all the faithful shared the joy and peace of the risen Lord with each other wishing Happy Easter and partook in the refreshments.