Feast of St.Ignatius of Loyola.
By Francisca F. Da Costa
The students of Loyola High School Margao are a delighted bunch every 31st of
July. It is the day dedicated to their patron saint, St Ignatius of Loyola.
This year was no different.
On that day the boys marched to Grace Church, Margao, to attend the solemn
mass and be part of the celebrations. The choir led by Fr Cedric Fernandes and
Mr Rene Mesquita along with the melodious voices of the students, added to the
soleminity of the occasion. Their singing was inspiring.
Every year the theme for the Eucharist is different. This year it was SEEKING
GOD IN ALL THINGS The main celebratant was surprisingly a Salesian, probably
to make sure a Jesuit doesnt blow his own trumpet. The main celebratant Fr
Mauricio Figueiredo Director of Salesian Animation Center Benaulim in his
homily stressed on the theme to seek God through the events in our day to day
life. He emphasized on good manners and how to respect our parents.. He
explained how we can be sensitive to the needs of others. He was full of
humour and kept the boys attentive during mass by asking them various
questions. Fr. Mauricio praised the Jesuits for all the good work they do and
prayed for many vocations to the priesthood. The feast was largely attended
by parents, parishioners, ex-students, ex-teachers and people from all walks of
life.
The liturgy emphasized various aspects; like how God made the world with
various beautiful things for man to enjoy and how man has been so selfish and
is destroying the earth.
Different values were highlighted during the Penitential Rite, Prayers of the
Faithful, the Offertory Procession such as how to honour our parents, our
teachers and our elders etc.. how we should reach out to the sick, the
destituted, the old, the poor and the needy. All this summarized St. Ignatius
life being - a man for others.
The boys obviously were happy as they did not have classes. Various
competitions like a crossword, a quiz, giving a caption to a picture and
collage were arranged for the students to participate and in a way prepare them
for the feast. These competitions were in one way or the other based on the
life of the saint St. Ignatius himself.
The Management, staff and the students of the school displayed extreme team
spirit cutting across religious lines to ensure that the festivities were
organized in the true spirit of the institution Jesuit Education works to
develop the total person.
