St Gerard Majella’s family feast day celebrations in Melbourne on Sunday October 18 will be live streamed to the world for the first time.
The strict lockdown in Melbourne due to COVID-19 will prevent families from attending the event which has been held at Majellan House in Brighton since the early 1960s.
Around 50 people usually attend the celebration each October. This year it will be live streamed on Facebook, meaning our reach will extend beyond Melbourne and even Australia. The Blessing will be available to watch on Facebook on Sunday from 2.30pm at www.facebook.com/MajellanPublications/
St Gerard is the patron saint of mothers, expectant mothers and the unborn. He was born in Italy in 1726 and became a lay brother of the order of the Congregation of the Redeemer or the Redemptorists, as they are more commonly known. The order was started by St Alphonsus Liguori in 1732.
Majellan Media CEO Tony Biviano, who will welcome families to the Blessing, said while life for many had been difficult this year, the pandemic had presented a new opportunity to take St Gerard to the world.
“This is an exciting development that will potentially take St Gerard’s important legacy of preaching ‘the word of God to the poor’ to families in different countries,” said Mr Biviano.
“I would encourage as many people as possible to join us online and be part of the celebration. The live stream will hopefully have even more significance for the faithful who have been unable to attend Mass this year because of coronavirus.”
St Gerard’s Feast Day is officially held on October 16, but the Blessing at Majellan House is held on the closest Sunday to that date each year. Father Redempt Jawa CSsR will preside over the Blessing for parents and children and say the liturgy while young Redemptorist priests and brothers from the Formation House in Kew will perform three songs.
In the lead up to Sunday’s event, people have been encouraged to send in their intentions (prayers) for St Gerard so they can be included in the liturgy. For more details about the event go to: https://majellan.media/majellan-day-prayers/
With thanks to Majellan Media.
