It was a momentous occasion for our school, St. Mary’s School ICSE in Mumbai, India, as a long awaited Marian vision of turfing the school ground became a reality.

The Chief Guest for the inauguration of the turf ground was Mr. Adille Sumariwalla, President of the Athletics Federation of India and a proud Ex-Marian.

Mr. Sumariwalla arrived at 11:00 a.m. and was greeted in the presence of the School Administrator, Fr. Callistus Menezes, Principal, Ms. Clementine Monteiro, Primary School Supervisor, Ms. Nirmala Fernandes, Pre-Primary School Supervisor, Ms. Sandra Fernandes and Mr. Sharookh Contractor, President of St. Mary’s Alumni Association.

The programme began with the inauguration of the turf ground. The prayer of blessing was led by Fr. John Lobo, the Parish Priest of St. Anne’s Church. The Chief Guest, Mr Adille Sumariwalla inaugurated the turf ground by cutting the ribbon. This was followed by the blessing of the turf ground with the sprinkling of Holy Water. The plaque was unveiled on this momentous occasion.

The dignitaries were escorted to the auditorium with the Guard of Honour for the second half of the programme. There was a brief introduction of the Chief Guest through a PowerPoint Presentation. There was a solemn prayer for the good use of the turf and the development of sportsmanship.

Our Melodious Marians presented a welcome song for our dignitaries which was followed by a sporty dance performance by our students. The dignitaries were felicitated on stage and the Chief Guest Mr. Adille Sumariwalla shared his nostalgic journey at St. Mary’s imparting valuable life lessons to our Marians. The School Anthem was then sung with great enthusiasm. The programme in the auditorium, concluded with a Vote of Thanks by the Principal, Ms. Clementine Monteiro.

At the turf, Mr. Adille Sumariwalla greeted our current Marian sports achievers and alumni. The inaugural football match between the Marians and the Ex-Marians was opened with a kick off by Mr. Adille Sumariwalla. The Ex-Marians won the inaugural match 5-0 and took home the trophy which brought to a close the red letter day in the history of St. Mary’s School ICSE.