Pranām Maria, a holy museum in the heart of Mumbai

Inaugurated by Card. Gracias on the eve of Pentecost, it proposes the twenty mysteries of the Rosary through 252 statues at natural height and in a setting that recalls the time of Jesus. The Archbishop of Mumbai: "A great gift from which many will benefit".

Mumbai (AsiaNews) - On the eve of Pentecost, 18 May, Card. Oswald Gracias inaugurated the Pranām Maria (Mount Mary's Exhibition Centre), a museum displaying 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 mounts' tradition, Pranām Maria takes the visitor inside a display that faithfully reproduces the time of Jesus' life, with life-size statues in period-appropriate clothing, in a multilingual centre tailor-made by the Archdiocese of Mumbai for India's cosmopolitan financial capital.

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

After the recitation of the Regina Coeli and the Loreto Litany, Card. Oswald Gracias visited the Centre and expressed his joy at this inauguration. "I remember," he said, "when we laid the foundation stone of this project in 2008. Msgr 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 festivities. He had seen an exhibition in the cathedral in Varanasi and was enthusiastic about it. He travelled to Delhi to obtain the necessary permits, even involving the central government. He worked tirelessly for this'.

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