Aug 2, 2013 / 03:10 am
Preparations for the Feast of the Nativity of Mary this September are already underway in the Holy Land, particularly among Indian migrant workers.
"Mother Mary is revered with great devotion by the Indian community as a mother and a spiritual figure of maternal protection," said Friar Jayaseellan Pitchaimuthu OFM, head of the Indian Chaplaincy in Holy Land.
She is acknowledged as the "protector and patroness" of the Indian Chaplaincy in Holy Land because she is a "model" for the migrants, he told CNA.
He noted that the Holy Family took refuge in Egypt for safety and settled for livelihood in Nazareth, and that Jesus carried out his apostolic mission in Judea, Galilee and Jerusalem.