Mass of the Holy Spirit & Lectio Brevis
“Peace be with you!” We, the community at St Pius, greet you with these words of our Savior to Thomas, on this blissful day as the Church in India celebrated the Feast of St Thomas, Apostle and Patron of India. On this day at St Pius X College, we formally began the academic year, with the celebration of the Mass of the Holy Spirit. Our community was blessed with the presence of his Eminence Cardinal Oswald Gracias who was the main celebrant at the mass.
At the Holy Eucharist, we were invited to entrust ourselves into the hands of our Lord and pray to the Holy Spirit to guide and help us, so that God’s will may be manifested in us and His name be glorified in all that we do. Like St Thomas, who exclaimed in his act of faith, “My Lord and My God!”, Hís Eminence exhorted us to profess our faith meaningfully and try to establish a deeper understanding of our Lord.
At the end of the Eucharist, the Rector, Fr. Aniceto Pereira, thanked the Archbishop in the following words:
“The high point of our Eucharist this morning has been the Profession of Faith of the whole community as well as the Oath of the Staff members which I, as Rector, have had the privilege to lead. We all acknowledge how happy we are to be able to make this Profession of Faith in front of you, who constantly give us a witness of what it means to be loyal to God, to the Church and to the Holy Father.”
After being nourished spiritually at the Holy Eucharist, His Eminence addressed the community in the traditional Lectio Brevis. The Cardinal explained to us how the Universal Church has been introspecting and reflecting on the message of Christ to spread the Good News. The Holy Father is constantly looking at ways and means to decentralize power, so as to ensure that the Church accomplishes its mission effectively. The Cardinal elaborated on the current situation of the Universal Church detailing the situation in each continent. After sharing these valuable insights of the universal church, he ended the Lectio Brevis and the entire community proceeded for a festive lunch to celebrate the wonderful blessings of the Holy Spirit, leading us into this new academic year.
An evening of fun and entertainment was organized to welcome our new comers into the community of St Pius, the theme being “It’s time for Africa”. The atmosphere was colorful and the air was gleaming with excitement to see our fellow brothers dressed up as tribals and dance to African drum beats. Indeed, it was a wonderful beginning to the day which began with Prayer and the remembrance and celebration of St Thomas. At the culmination of the day, it was a joy to witness the smile on the faces of the members of our community. We pray that as the Lord has blessed us with His joy, we too radiate this happiness to all of you, who are part of this integral family in the Archdiocese of Bombay.
Br. Keith Miranda 2nd Year Philosophy
