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Go and make disciples in His name! – Mission Sunday 2026
“Prayer is the hidden fire of mission and love is its visible flame.”
Inspired by this spirit, Mission Sunday was celebrated at the Infant
Jesus Shrine, Pushpashrama on 25 October 2026.
The day began with a solemn Eucharistic celebration in English at 8:00
a.m., presided over by Fr. Manoj Braganza. This was followed by a
Konkani Mass at 9:15 a.m., presided over by Fr. Alphonse Britto, and an
English Mass at 11:00 a.m., presided over by Fr. Vijay Dcosta.
Approximately 300 faithful attended each English Mass, while around 150
attended the Konkani Mass.
The other activities commenced immediately after the 8:00 a.m. Mass.
Invitations had been extended two weeks in advance, and the people
responded positively and participated actively. A variety of food and
refreshments was prepared, including pork and sanna, idli-vada, neeru
dosa with chicken curry, pani puri, masala dosa, plain dosa, onion dosa,
egg dosa, set dosa, coconut dosa, ghee rice with chicken curry, pav and
pork, rice bhat, tea, coffee, lemon juice, Chill Hill juice, Breeze
juice, cold malt and Pushpashrama malt.
With the assistance of the sisters from Dhyanavana, several games were
organised, including housie-housie, lucky series, toffees: guess and
win, brick holding, colour hunt, ring toss, car race, buzz wire and
fixing a tail on a donkey. These activities were enjoyed by both young
and old. A coupon system was used to facilitate transactions and ensure
the smooth functioning of the food and games counters.
In preparation for the lucky draw, the brothers visited neighbouring
houses over three to four days to sell tickets. The people responded
generously, supporting the initiative without expecting anything in
return.
Sr. Jyothi A.C. assisted by preparing pork and sanna, which became the
highest-selling item of the day. The OCDS, The Holy Family Sisters and
I.P.C.E. also contributed by organising food stalls. Several items were
auctioned, with the artworks created by the brothers attracting
particular interest and demand. Brothers had also prepared pickles of
sorts and prepared variety of saplings that were sold.
Frs. Manoj, Vijay, Prithesh and Alphonse kept the gathering engaged
through their spontaneous humour and lively interactions. The
celebration concluded at approximately 1:00 p.m. with the drawing of the
lucky draw tickets and the announcement of the winners. Overall, the
Mission Sunday was a great success and overachieving!
 
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