Teachers' Day 25 Celebration at STCJ Church, Airoli - POV of a Teacher

As you TEACH

'Do not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time you will reap a harvest of blessings' - Galatians 6: 9

When I first saw the Teacher's Day invitation on my parish community group, which read 'Teacher's Day Celebration... all teachers are invited', I was a bit perplexed. Something like this was happening in the parish after many years, and I was looking forward to it eagerly. I quickly registered my name, and just a couple of days later, I received a small questionnaire from one of the youth. I quickly understood that something beautiful was in process.

Finally, the day, September 5th, arrived, and I'm sure every teacher must have been flooded with wishes from their beloved students throughout the day. After the 7pm Mass with Novena, the youth of our parish welcomed all 24 teachers to a surprise celebration on the 3rd floor of the church building. It was wonderful to see all the smiling faces of these young boys and girls, who were once my catechism students. They looked excited to showcase all they had planned for us.

Radiant Ronald, with his charming smile, welcomed the teachers with warm words and then invited Fr. Samuel, our parish priest, to begin with a prayer. From school teachers to Sunday school teachers, all felt blessed with Father's prayer and blessings. Special cards were made for every teacher, and each teacher was asked to step forward to receive their respective card. When we opened them to read, we realized that every answer we had filled in the questionnaire had been thoughtfully turned into a poem, wishing the teacher. We were touched and amazed by such creativity – it was indeed a WOW moment.

As soon as Superstar Selwyn stepped forward with his guitar, we knew his musical magic would mesmerize us. He sang an English song and asked us to guess the Hindi version. It was so much fun and entertaining. Thereafter, a group quiz game was played, where the students questioned and the teachers racked their brains for answers. It was a wonderful sight, with the room filled with shouts and laughter.

A round of American Housie, spot prizes, and loads of pictures kept the evening rolling with fun. But the cherry on the cake was 'Theresa's Musical Youth Band', whose live performance of songs about the teacher-student relationship was amazing. Dinner filled our bellies, but our hearts were filled with all the love, care, and appreciation we received from our energetic Youth Group. They were an absolute delight, and each one had worked hard to make this evening special.

We teachers would be ever so grateful to them for giving us such a memorable evening. Indeed. We have received our harvest of blessings. We promise to keep you in our prayers always. May the Good Lord shower His choicest blessings on each one of you.

Special thanks to Father Samuel for guiding our Youth so well and also to think about us Teachers.

Dil se - SHUKRIYA. -Mrs. Reema Vaz