INDIA Pranām Maria, a “sacred mountain” in the heart of Bombay

Inaugurated by Card. Thank you on the eve of Pentecost, presents the twenty mysteries of the Rosary through 252 statues at natural height and in an arrangement that refers to the time of Jesus. The Archbishop of Bombay: “A great gift from which many will benefit.”

Mumbai () – On the eve of Pentecost, May 18, Card. Oswald Gracias inaugurated the Pranām Maria (Mount Maria Exhibition Center), a museum that shows the twenty mysteries of the Rosary, through the history of salvation, focusing on the figure of Jesus Christ, Son of Mary. In the style of the “holy mountains” tradition, Pranām Maria takes the visitor inside an exhibition that faithfully reproduces the era of Jesus’ life, with life-size statues dressed in period-appropriate clothing, in a multilingual center Tailor-made by the Archdiocese of Bombay for India’s cosmopolitan financial capital.

Visitors and pilgrims are guided to meditate on the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious mysteries of praying the Marian Rosary. For people of other faiths, with its historical information, Pranām Maria is a powerful multimedia experience of encounter with the Gospel.

After the recitation of the Regina Coeli and the Laurentian Litany, Card. Oswald Gracias visited the Center and expressed his joy at this inauguration. «I remember – he said – when we laid the first stone of this project in 2008. Mons. Nereus Rodrigues (then rector of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount in Bandra, ed.) had the desire to make the story of Jesus known to the many thousands of people who come to visit the church during the holidays. He had seen an exhibition in the Benares cathedral and was enthusiastic about it. He traveled to Delhi to obtain the necessary permissions, even involving the central government. He worked tirelessly for it.”

This work – he added – is not only the result of the hands of many people who worked hard to do it, but it is a gift from God. In the 252 statues of him there is a lot of spirituality, theology, mysticism, which inspire us to a prayer that makes no noise. It is the entire story of Jesus that is intertwined with the Mysteries in a very subtle, but theologically valid way that invokes a spiritual response. The Church of Bombay,” he concluded, “has been able to produce this prayer in art, and many will benefit from it. It is a very significant project for all of us.”