Peace Rally honours Mother Mary’s birthday feast in Jamshedpur

Thousands offer prayers at St. Mary’s Church, Bistupur

Jamshedpur, Sept. 8: Thousands of people belonging to various faiths thronged St. Mary’s church in Bistupur here to light candles and offer special prayers on the occasion of Holy Mother Mary’s birthday feast on Saturday.

The feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Miriam) is celebrated each year on the eighth of September. Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ is a transcript of God�s grace; her birth, life and virtues, all bespeak someone who is indeed full of grace. To mark the day flag of Virgin Mary was unfurled on August 29. The people of the Christian community are devoted towards prayers, worship and flag hoisting.

According to believers, in the 1500s there were several miracles that happened during apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Vailankanni, Chennai. Mother Mary appeared before his devotee.

A shepherd boy whose name was Tamil Krishnannesti Sankaranarayanan was feeling tired on a hot summer day as he walked from Vailankanni to Nagapattinam to deliver milk to his master. So Tamil lay down under a banyan tree beside a pond to nap. After a strong gust of wind began to blow, he woke up and was startled to see an apparition of Mary standing before him, holding a child in her arms. Both Mary and the child had a glow of white light emanating from them.

These events are now known as “Our Lady of Vailankanni” or “Our Lady of Good Health.”

The St. Mary’s Church in Bistupur has been named after Mother Mary and the church every year celebrated the occasion with fervour.

Priest Dilip Marandi performed Missa Puja in the evening after which the people of the community participated in the ‘Peace Rally ‘ at Bistupur on Saturday.