by Jasmine Filipe
KUWAIT, OCT 26, 2016: Eight months of meticulous planning and 450 volunteers made the Theresian Family Day, celebrated to aid the Bahrain Cathedral, possible on October 24 in the North Arabian Vicariate.
The Parish Council of Saint Therese joined forces with the army of volunteers to plan the event, which began at 9 am with an Opening Prayer by the Parish Priest, Father Blany Pinto.
After lighting the inaugural candles, the Saint Joachim and Ann Children's Choir Group sang the Saint Thérèse hymn. The Salesian Provincial of Mumbai Province, Father Godfrey D'souza addressed the crowds with inspiring insights and then declared the Family Day open.
The fete was thoughtfully spread out in the entire premises of the venue. The basketball Quadrangle hosted games of skill and action for the young and not so young. 
The Quadrangle was creatively designed and managed by the Altar Server Ministry boys and the small Christian community members. Parishioners of all age groups moved from game to game – winning some and losing some but never giving up!
The "Buy a Brick for the Cathedral" and the "White Elephant Stall" were also crowd pullers. Winners visited the Gift Stall to select their prizes which were generously donated by the parishioners.
For the very young, a Kid Zone was set up in the other quadrangle. The voices of excited children filled the air as they rushed from Face Painting and Body and Nail Art to the huge Bouncy Castle. The magic show amazed everyone big and small.
The indoor auditorium hosted cultural programs by the various communities of the parish – from skits to dances, from sing-a-alongs to perfectly choreographed sound and light shows. The talented parishioners regaled one and all with their lively programmes from across India. The highlight was the performance by the differently-abled children of the Faith and Light Community.
The three Live Bands – The kid's band "The Soul Stirrers", the teenage band "The "Zodiac" and the youth band "The Gravity", rocked the floor all day. All through the event, one could not ignore the mouth-watering aromas wafting from the food court. Treats from all over India, Sri Lanka and the Philippines kept the visitors coming back for more.
Family Day brought all the parishioners together for a great cause. Nelvis and Anita Sequeira summed it well, "Our parish family is a circle of strength and of love, with every union the circle opens."
As the day came to an end, the coordinator of the 'Theresian Family Day' Wilfred Vaz, invited the council members to take centre stage. He thanked them for working as one cohesive family and organising the event.
He expressed thanks to all the donors and volunteers. The grand finale was the much-awaited Raffle Draw. The crowd held their breath as the winners were announced. The Theresian Family Day drew to a close at 9pm with a Hymn to Our Lady of Arabia.