Jude: Mother......the smell of milkrice...!!..milkrice for lunch ?
Mother: Did you forget son, that today we are hoisting the flag for the Church feast?
Jude: Oh yes... I nearly forgot! ( to his sister) Akka, we can eat a lot of milkrice today.
Stella: Yes, you want only to eat...Mother this time for the Church feast and for the novena I want two dresses with the latest fashions.
Mother: A Church feast does not mean eating or dressing fashionably.
Both: Then, Mother?
Mother: Children, these are the days when we must come closer and closer to God. Also we, parishioners must all get together and pray to the Saint to whom the Church is dedicated. Like good children now get ready to go to Church.
Each year, in our various parishes the feasts of different Saints are commemorated. For example we can speak of Easter and Christmas. These feasts are celebrated universally and in Sri Lanka on the same day. Besides these there are special feasts for each Church. These are the feast days of the Saints to which the Church is consecrated. The parish preist celebrates this feast with the parishioners.
Reasons for celebrating Church feasts.
To have a renewal in the spiritual life of parishioners
To nourish our life with the Word of God.
To thank the Saint of the parish for the many blessings and graces bestowed on the parish through the intercession of the particular Saint.
To reflect on the life examples the Saint has left us and to model our lives accordingly.
To entrust the future of the parish and the parishioners to the Saint of the parish.
The meaning of the hoisting of the flag:
The feast of the patron Saint of the parish begins with the hoisting of the flag. When the first missionaries began their work in our country, there were not enough priests for the parishes. A priest came to the parish only once in many months or even only once a year. The priest then stayed over in the parish for a week or two to see to the spiritual needs of the parishioners. The feast of the patron Saint of the parish was also celebrated then. The parishioners were made aware of the arrival of the priest by the hoisting of the flag.
Novenas
Once the flag was raised, the Novenas in preparation for the feast, began. The word “Novena” comes from the Latin word “Novem.” It means “Nine”. What it means is that for nine days the people prayed for special favours for themselves and for the parish, asking the Saint to intercede for them. After the raising of the flag, eight days are for the novenas. On the ninth day Vespers is celebrated. This is an evening liturgical service celebrated with the priests. On the tenth day the feast is celebrated. This is the custom of the Catholic Church. The background for this period in the parish is the feast of Pentecost - the coming of the Holy Spirit. After the Ascension of Jesus the Apostles & Mary with about 120 followers of Jesus, were gathered in a room and were praying in preparation for the coming of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit descended on them on the tenth day. Like them, we too must pray during the preparation for the Church feast, to receive spiritual benefits for all. For that we must:
participate in the daily Novenas.
attend Holy Mass and receive Holy Communion.
spend time for prayer more than on other days.
make a good confession and have a spiritual renewal.
participate at the Vespers and at the feast day Holy Mass.
participate in the procession with devotion and piety.
The duties of the Parish priests are:
to make the faithful aware that during the period of the Church feast they must give priority to their spiritual renewal.
during the days of the Novenas choose appropriate texts and themes for preaching and reflection.
to direct the faithful to participate fully in the daily Mass and other devotional celebrations.
to direct the faithful to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation with true repentance.
focusing on the needs of the times, to organise meritorious acts in the parish.
The Church feast is a time of special blessings for the people and the parish. Also it is an appropriate time to be grateful to God for the many blessings received. Hence, the faithful must remember to make the Church feast truly a time of spiritual renewal and not make use of it just to show off. In a spirit of sharing to make of the Church feast a pleasant and joyful occasion for all.
