Patna, May 21. Sunday May 21, 2017 was a Golden letter day in the life of 84 children of Kurji Parish as they received the Eucharistic Lord for the first time. There were 48 boys and 36 girls in the group. They were prepared by Sr. Sushma SND, Sr. Neelam SSH, Ms. Karuna Kamal, Ms. Sandhya Osta, Ms. Bernadette, Ms. Grace Tudu and Ms. Sanjana Sah from April 24. Fr. Devashish Prasad was main coordinator of the entire preparation. The children belonged to the age group of 9 to 17. All the children were eager and enthusiastic.
There was a large gathering of the faithful numbering more than 7000 for the concelebrated Eucharist. There were seven other priests at the alter along with the main celebrant, Fr. Johnson Kelakath, S. J., the Parish Priest. Under the leadership of Sr. Shiny, SCSC, the Holy Cross sisters of Asha Deep, Fairfild decorated the alter so beautifully. The Parish Choir under the leadership of Ms. Pushpa Vijay and Ms. Lata Kumari sang the hymns so melodiously. This made a great difference to the devotional atmosphere in the church. Though the heat was so unbearable, yet the children braved up to the occasion.
The first and second readings were read by a boy and a girl respectively and the Gospel by Fr. Devashish. In his homely Fr. Johnson, the parish priest explained to the children about the presence of the living Lord in the holy Sacrament. Hence, he exalted them to approach the Holy Communion with utmost devotion, respect and love. The children prayed for various pressing needs of the Universal Church, our country, families, their own parents, religious and priests, etc.
At the end of the Mass one of the children thanked all those who have directly or indirectly contributed to make the day a memorable one for them. As a token of appreciation, they presented a gift each to the instructors. We will have the Sacrament of Confirmation held on June 18, 2017.