Archdiocese of Bombay

24/05/2026

May 25
Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church

While the Holy Father, Pope Francis declared in 2018 that ‘Mary, Mother of the Church’ would henceforth be celebrated as a feast, Mary has always been revered as a mother and her maternal love shines forth in various parts of the Gospel. At the Annunciation, Mary became the mother of the Son of God; and at the foot of the Cross, she became the Mother of the Church, which Christ entrusted to her through his beloved disciple. Also, when we speak of Pentecost (the birth of the Church), it is quite natural to picture Mary along with the disciples.

The devotion to Mary as the mother of the followers of Christ goes way back to the time of the Early Christians. According to St Augustine, Mary is the mother of the members of Christ, because she cooperated in the rebirth of the faithful into the Church. St Leo the Great says that Mary is at once Mother of Christ and mother of the members of his Mystical Body, which is the Church.

Be with us Mary, our mother, and lead us to Jesus.

24/05/2026

Celebrated 50 days after Easter Sunday, Pentecost commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on Mary and the apostles. Often referred to as the birthday of the Church, Pentecost is a reminder of the presence of the Holy Spirit whom Christ sent as our Helper to carry out the mission of the Church in the world.

Parishes in the Archdiocese: Kalamboli

23/05/2026

May 24
Pentecost

Historically, Pentecost was a Jewish harvest festival which commemorated God’s Ten Commandments, given at Mount Sinai, fifty days after the Passover. These Commandments were guidelines, instructing the Israelites how to live as the ‘people of God’.

The Christian Pentecost took place fifty days after the Resurrection. It marks the birth of the Church because, this time, it was the giving of the 'Holy Spirit' who empowered the disciples to live as a ‘people of God’ - the Church.

So, who is this Holy Spirit? Is it a dove that descended on Jesus, or tongues of fire that came upon the Apostles? Is it water that brought life to people in the Old Testament or wind through which they experienced God’s presence? Is it the oil that God’s chosen prophets and kings were anointed with? These are just signs. The Holy Spirit is God’s own life given to all of us by Him, from the beginning of creation.

May we use the gifts of the Spirit that we have been blessed with, not for our own glory but to build our community.

23/05/2026

The Father set His seal on His son, that is in the anointing of the Holy Spirit which descended on Jesus. It was through that anointing that Jesus worked wonders and miracles.

22/05/2026

May 23
Saturday of the Seventh Week of Easter

The aspect of personal witness comes across strongly in the Gospel according to John: "I saw it, I heard it, I wrote it down, this is my testimony.” John’s testimony, unlike the synoptic Gospels, focuses more on the teachings and discourses of Jesus; while the miracles (referred to as signs) are limited to just seven. These seven signs all reveal the glory of God and point to Jesus as the Son of God. Yet, the Gospel ends with a confession that what has been recorded is only a fraction, as the world itself could not contain the books if all about Jesus should be written!

It was not just the eyewitnesses who were transformed; the life, teachings and deeds of Jesus continued to be proclaimed, challenging people to live their lives fully!

The first reading tells of Paul continuing to proclaim the Good News even though held under house arrest.

As Christians, we are called to continue sharing this story... do we?

22/05/2026

OFFICIAL - Appointments VII

Fr Frankie CrastoDeputed for experience in Retreat Preaching and Spiritual Guidance at Tabor Ashram, KalyanFr Alton ExtrosVice-Principal, Joseph Cardijn Technical School, Dadar (E) in addition to current responsibilitiesFr Calistus FernandesPastoral Animator, Our Lady of Hope Chapel, Ghormal with te...

22/05/2026

God accompanied His people or appeared to them in a cloud, the cloud signifying the presence of God. For instance, in the Old Testament, with Moses on Mount Sinai, at the tent of meeting, during the desert wanderings, and in the New Testament, at the Transfiguration and even the Ascension.

21/05/2026

May 22
Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter

The Israelites considered God as their leader; and we hear this expressed in the Psalm: The Lord is my Shepherd. They also considered their kings to be leaders as they were anointed by God’s prophets. However, the Old Testament bears witness to how Israel’s leaders often abused their authority. So, in time, God sent His Son, Jesus, as the True and Good Shepherd, to reassure the people that He hadn’t deserted them.

Today’s Gospel has Jesus absolving Peter of his shortcomings and, in a sense, reaffirming him as the leader and shepherd of the flock. Jesus reminds him that a true shepherd would need to endure many hardships. We see this also in the case of Paul, another shepherd, who had to endure several hardships in his proclamation of the Gospel.

At times, we are quick to criticize our leaders; but since condemnation offers no resolution, perhaps we should consider how we could constructively help them overcome their shortcomings.

21/05/2026

Fire, water and the dove are commonly known symbols of the Holy Spirit. The hand and the finger are two more symbols of the Holy Spirit. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit work together and the symbols of the Holy Spirit being the hand of God, and the finger of God are to signify the unity of the three persons.

20/05/2026

May 21
Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter

A leak that springs in the front of a boat is of equal concern to the people at the back of that boat.

Paul knew that the Pharisees and the Sadducees were divided in their belief concerning ‘the resurrection of the dead’. He used this to his advantage when he was brought before the Roman tribune, in the presence of his accusers. Rather than specifically refer to the resurrection of Jesus, Paul declared that he was on trial for preaching about the resurrection from the dead, which he knew the Pharisees also believed in. And this began an argument between the Sadducees and Pharisees, who forgot the real reason why Paul was on trial!

Unity among people professing the same faith is fundamental, especially if the believers are made up of people of diverse cultures and orientations. This is why, in today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus praying passionately for unity among all believers… that the world may know Christians by the unity and love they profess.

Jesus’ prayer is for us too. Can the world, today, recognize us for our love and unity?

20/05/2026

This is a celebration you don't want to miss!

Pentecost is commonly referred to as the ‘birthday of the Church’ because ‘the Church was made manifest to the world on the day of Pentecost by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit’ (CCC 1076) marking the beginning of the Church’s mission in the world.