Mangaluru: St Joseph Church, Jeppu prides itself in actively involving children in various social service activities. These initiatives aim to instil in them the value of service, compassion, and empathy towards those in need.
The parish council led by Fr Maxim D’Souza, encouraged the children to play a significant role in this initiative named “9 Flowers for Mother along with 9 Gifts for my Needy Neighbour” which included spreading awareness, collecting and sorting essential items. It was heartening to see their enthusiasm and commitment to find ways to make a difference in others’ lives.
It was inspiring to see how they participated enthusiastically and how much they learned from these experiences. All the collected essential items were donated by the Children to St Joseph’s Prashanth Nivas, Jeppu and Mother Theresa Convent, Falnir, Mangalore, for the poor and needy people. The church hopes to continue organizing similar social service activities to encourage the children to grow into compassionate and socially responsible individuals
The Novena of the Nativity feast of Our Lady was a time of deep spiritual reflection, prayer, and celebration with special prayers dedicated to Our Lady daily for 9 evenings at the church, and the whole community was encouraged to attend and participate. The daily Masses had specific intentions for the Nativity of Our Lady, and the homilies focused on the significance of this feast. During Novena days snacks were served, which were sponsored by various donors.
On the feast day, we organized a Marian procession around the church premises. The statue of Our Lady was beautifully decorated with flowers, and the procession was accompanied by hymns and prayers. It was a solemn and joyful event, and many parishioners actively participated in the procession. After Holy Mass, sugarcane (Sponsored by Louis Santos, Jeppu), with a sumptuous breakfast was served to the devotees.
