B’luru: Archbishop Peter Celebrates Novena Mass at St Martha’s Hospital

By Verghese V Joseph –

Bengaluru: The Archbishop of Bangalore, Most Rev Peter Machado, celebrated the novena mass at St. Martha’s Hospital in Bengaluru at 3.30 p.m. on Saturday. Prior to the Mass, Dr Machado hoisted St. Mary’s flag at the premises.

With the COVID-19 showing no signs of abating, the solemn daily flag hoisting ceremony of the Nativity of Blessed Mother Mary traditionally held St. Mary’s Basilica, Shivaji Nagar, is taking place without the presence of large crowds.

Normally every year, all roads in and around Shivaji Nagar cantonment area of Bengaluru, would lead to St. Mary’s Basilica — as the solemnity of the nine-day Novena of Blessed Mother Mary gets underway around this time. Thousands of pilgrims would throng the basilica to take part in the first flag hoisting ceremony on August 29 every year.

However, at St. Martha’s Hospital, the novena and the daily masses are being held under strict COVID-19 protocol and with very limited presence of staff and people.

In his homily, the Archbishop said, “It is indeed an opportunity for all of us to seek Mother Mary’s interventions to help wipe out the pandemic from the face of the earth. We will have to very specially for all the migrants and the sick.”

“The migrants from these three challenges and those are: food, shelter and lack of humanity from people. No city can grow without migrants, in fact they contribute much more in nation building than architects developers,” the prelate said.

“Migrants have been the face of the pandemic. The struggles that they have endured during the pandemic is very tragic. We must pray in a very special was to our Mother Mary to intervene and bring solace to them. Mary is Mother of all for all reasons and for all seasons,” he added.

The entire proceedings were well organized and in a solemn manner. After the mass, there was adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and the Rosary procession around the hospital campus.

You can watch the full mass below on IBC World News.