Mumbai: Seven priests 'sing' to spread Covid-19 vaccine awareness

(From left) Fr Neil Santos, Fr Clifton Lobo, Bishop Dominic Savio, Fr Richard Crasto, Fr K T Emmanuel, Fr Kelvin Santis and Fr Clifton Mendonca on the guitar

Seven priests from the city have come together to belt out a song sung to the tune of Bobby McFerrin's classic, Don't Worry, Be Happy, to tell parishioners to take the Covid-19 vaccine. Their musical message is hitting the high notes as a video of them performing is buzzing on Catholic community chat groups. The lyrics have been tweaked to highlight the importance of taking the shot. Some lines from the song go: "Here is a little song we wrote/Parishioners practice it note for note/please hurry, vaccine early/if you want the trains to start/Covid-19 must first depart/please hurry vaccine early…" The priests are absolutely in sync and the local flavour to the lyrics is designed to have parishioners a tappin' and hopefully, a jabbin'. Judith Monteiro from Dadar said, "In these stressful, Covid times, where everybody is hooked to online work or entertainment, this song is a stress buster. It also sends a relevant message without being preachy."

Father Nigel Barrett, spokesperson Archdiocese of Bombay said, "On August 4, we mark Priests Day and with all the restrictions, there was no way we could mark it traditionally. Usually, parishioners have a small programme for priests. The priests in turn also host a cultural programme for locals, at some parishes. This time, it was decided to send a message to the parishioners, the community and beyond about the importance of the vaccine. So, this is their socially relevant offering. It resonates with people because of the song itself. The lyrics are tailored to our situation, like the lines about the local trains, for example," said Barrett. The spokesperson added that it was Fr Clifton Mendonca (seen playing the guitar in the song video) who had written the lyrics, with the song hitting the sweet spot in rhyme, rhythm and writing. "We had intended it for certain parishioners, but we know it has been liked with the amount of shares it has got and the pace of forwards on WhatsApp groups," said the seven singers, who hoped that those frantically forwarding the video, are as swift when it comes to getting themselves to the vaccine centres.