Mother Mary holds pride of place at their homes Many Catholics in the city bringing home idols of Our Lady of Rosary to mark Marian Month

Mother Mary holds pride of place at their homes

Many Catholics in the city bringing home idols of Our Lady of Rosary to mark Marian Month

After bidding goodbye to Bappa, it’s now the turn of Mother Mary to occupy the pride of place at the homes of Catholics in the city. However, in this case, she moves from one home to another after spending a day or two at one person’s house. Known as the Month of Rosary or the Marian Month, October sees a large number of Catholics bringing the statue of Mother Mary or Our Lady of Fatima or Our Lady of Rosary from Church to their homes. Once home, the Mother is adorned and candles are lit around her. The family’s relatives, friends and even non-Catholics come to pray to her. “Through the intervention of Mother Mary, we pray to Jesus. The belief is that if a mother says something to her son, he will listen faster,” said Willie Shirsat, a Catholic living in IC Colony. The tradition was started in 1571 when Mother Mary reportedly pulled the church out of a crisis. “Mother appeared in 1571 and asked a few people to pray with the Rosary. She explained its importance and has since appeared several times to enumerate its importance,” said Fr Constancio Noronhan, priest of the Holy Cross Church. He also said the custom of bringing the idol home started 40 years ago when Protestants tried to do away with the Lady’s statue. “In a way it was to ensure that the Lady’s statue remains at home,” he said. “The Rosary month is like a rediscovery of the value of prayer which focuses on the historical life and mysteries of Christ. Mother comes to explain it again. It is like a naam jap that happens in other religions. There has been a 50% rise in the number of people bringing Her home,” said Fr Anthony Charanghat, spokesperson of the Archdiocese of Bombay. Judith Monteiro, a resident of Dadar, brought the idol to her home on Saturday night. She makes special efforts to ensure that the home is clean and well-decorated. “During this period, boiled grams are offered as a staple prasad item,” said Monteiro.