Dear Editor,
Apart from the Christmas extravaganza, the Catholic Church prays the Christmas Novena (the Latin word ‘novem’ means ‘nine’) and most of the parishes pray this devotion early in the morning.
This devotion consists of the singing of 16 stanzas of ‘Bemdita Sejaes’ and the Holy Eucharist. Devotees dedicate these nine days to reflecting on the scriptures leading up to Christmas. This devotion normally begins on December 15 and ends on the 23rd to begin the Christmas Eve Mass on the night of the 24th.
In Guyana, Christmas Novena has a long history and tradition, which can be traced back to 1861 when Fr Benedict Schembri celebrated Christmas midnight Mass at the newly constructed church on Main Street. This church was basically to help the Portuguese from Madeira who spoke mostly Portuguese.
Under the padroado (The privilege of patronage extended by the Pope to the King of Portugal) system, initially Sacred Heart operated as “the Portuguese Church” being the centre of pastoral activities for the Portuguese community throughout British Guiana.
Only in 1932 was this status revised and Sacred Heart was constituted as a normal parish. The indefatigable Schembri established guilds and charitable associations, organized religious and cultural events and generally strengthened the bonds of fellowship and faith among the Portuguese.
Of particular note was the introduction of the Christmas Novena, with a 3 am mass on each of the 9 mornings before Christmas. This practice rapidly became a popular and enduring feature of Catholic churches throughout British Guiana. Even the ‘Bemdita Sajaes’ a hymn to Our Lady with words in the Madeiran dialect of Portuguese became a much-loved feature of many non-Portuguese families at Christmas.
Yours faithfully,
Jerri Melwin Dias SJ
