On the occasion of Vocation Sunday on 15th September 2024, the Catechists and catechism children of Pilerne Parish along with the Parish priest, Fr. Derick Fernandes, celebrated the day joyously together with the Seminarians at the Pilerne-Saligao Seminary. The day began with Holy mass at 9 am, wherein Fr. Derick had an interaction with the seminarians, who shared their thoughts, experiences, hurdles and the motivation to persevere. Further, after a short tea break, the children assembled in the hall where the seminarians presented a short and humour-filled skit, portraying their talents. One of the Seminarian, shared his experience in the seminary. They also briefed us about the routines followed at the seminary, where discipline, punctuality and a structured prayer life are a priority. Sr. Flavia, belonging to the congregation of the Missionary Sisters of Ajmer, spoke about vocations as a calling from God and motivated the young girls to take time and discern their calling. Further, the seminarians conducted fun filled games and action songs for the children who enjoyed it to the core. The children presented handmade bookmarks to all the seminarians along with a gift. At lunchtime, all the children shared the table with the seminarians. All in all, it was a time of learning and closely observing the initial years in the life of a priestly vocation.
Further, the Parish Youth of Pilerne organised a football match between the seminarians and the catechism children. The afternoon of 15th September at the seminary grounds was buzzing with the boys warming up ahead of the match. Fr. Reagan, the discipline prefect at the seminary, consented to be the chief guest along with our Parish Priest Fr. Derrick Fernandes, who was the guest of honour. Our catechism boys team offered a rose to each player of the seminary team as sign of love and to represent the spirit of sportsmanship. The match began at 4pm with the referee, Vittal’s whistle and Bethiloy and Lysander being the linemen. A very entertaining match with a lot of nail-biting moments and our young catechism children being cheerleaders dancing to the beat of amazing tunes of the music that was played that kept everyone’s spirits high throughout the match.
The seminarians emerged victorious scoring 8 goals while our catechism children were the runners-up. Aloysius Fernandes was the best striker, Mauvin Gomes won the best goalkeeper and Bernard won the best player of the match. Medals and trophies were given to all the players. Fr. Reagan spoke a few words of appreciation to the youth for organizing the match and for the smooth flow of the event. Fr. Derrick congratulated the teams and applauded everybody for their enthusiasm. Jocelyn delivered the vote of thanks. The day concluded with refreshments being served and lots of happy memories.
