Mangaluru
Churches across the coastal districts celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Nativity or Monthi Fest with joy and devotion on Friday. The feast, marking the birthday of Mother Mary, is celebrated after the nine-day Novena. Monthi Fest has cultural significance. It is a harvest festival for Catholics. The feast food is a variety of vegetarian delicacies from locally grown vegetables. Newly grown rice is part of the feast which is symbolically distributed in churches after blessing. Catholics from the twin districts spread across the globe celebrate this feast with utmost devotion. Bishop of Udupi Diocese Dr Gerald Isaac Lobo participated in the ceremony at Stella Mary’s Church Kalmady and blessed the new paddy and concelebrated the Holy Eucharistic Mass along with Fr Baptist Menezes, parish priest of the church.
