NITN | @notintownlive | 30 Mar 2018, 10:33 am
Bandel, Mar 30 (NITN): The head priest of the oldest Catholic church in eastern India has called people to “actively promote peace and harmony in these volatile days by extending good will of tolerance and forgiveness to mark Good Friday commemorating Jesus who died on the cross forgiving his enemies.”
“Whatever be our religion or culture, living in peace with fellow humans and in harmony with nature and other living beings as did St Francis of Assisi is the hallmark of Good Friday, and is the only path to co-existence and peaceful living,” says Father T L Francis, Prior of Marian shrine at Bandel in Hooghly district.
Pointing to a 20 feet wide and 8 feet high mural depicting the life of St Francis of Assisi, Fr Francis reminds the visitors, “St Francis is a shining example of people living in peace and harmony with fellow beings and nature including the animal and plant kingdom.”
The mural, a unique piece of art executed in bronze finish, shows how St Francis tried to establish harmony in nature, harmony with God and harmony within oneself.
The mural was designed, manufactured and installed by Church Art Kolkata. “It is the only one piece installed in entire eastern India,” Church Art Kolkata CEO Subrata Ganguly said.
St. Francis of Assisi understood the spirit of Good Friday as he prayed, “Make me an instrument of thy peace, where there is hatred let me sow love; where there is injury pardon, …where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.”
In his prayer St Francis reminds that, “it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying for others that we are born to eternal life.”
The 64-year-old prior spoke to pilgrims to the shrine as the Church began the Holy Triduum when Christians commemorate events related to the last days of Jesus Christ’s earthly existence including last supper, agony in the garden of Gethsemane, betrayal by Judas Iscariot one of his 12 disciples, arrest, condemnation, way of the cross, crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection.
The priest’s Good Friday and Easter message comes in the wake of Pope Francis’s lenten call for peace and reconciliation among all people of good will.
A notable moment of grace during this 40 days’ fast and abstinence was, the “24 Hours for the Lord” initiative, which invited the entire Church community to celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation in the context of Eucharistic adoration which took place from 3 pm on Friday, 9 March to 3 pm on Saturday, 10 March.
In Calcutta archdiocese, Bandel Church was one of five Churches kept open in five districts for twenty-four consecutive hours, with several priests offering an opportunity for both Eucharistic adoration and sacramental confession.
Another event besides the traditional Good Friday service is the carrying of the cross.
Immediately after Good Friday service, the faithful will carry a 15 ft hefty wooden cross in procession from the Church and plant it before the cross erected in the church field and hold a prayer service along with a reflection on the meaning of cross and suffering.
Ganguly’s earlier artistic installations in Bandel Church include bronze finish church doors in four places with liturgical symbols and figurines; open air Stations of the Cross which has 54 life size statues; a galaxy of popular saints’ life size statues as well as a musical fountain placed in the church ground in front of the shrine.
The church was established by Portuguese missionaries in 1599 on the Hooghly River, some 60 km northwest of Kolkata.
- Rotary Club of Calcutta Metro City partners with British Deputy High Commission to celebrate leadership in disability cricket
- HireMee launches career navigation assessment for school students
- Garuda Shopping Festival: Zubeen Garg mesmerises Bangalore
- Alive India in Concert Season 10 presents Zubeen Garg and Kunal Ganjawala
- Plastonix -Vee Technologies to develop a plastic waste recycling system in Karnataka
- Eighty students attend interactive session titled 'Connecting Hearts and Minds' in Mumbai-based institution
- Srijit Mukherji, Swastika Mukherjee launch author Soma Bose's second book 'I’ve Had Enough of You'
- PE firm TA Associates' strategic investment in Vee Healthtek
- Alive India and ITC Aashirvaad Svasti Milk releases Chhath Puja anthem
- Kolkata: Rotary hosts World Polio Day with students in Gyan Manch
Indian airline IndiGo has announced the launch of daily direct flights connecting Bengaluru, Karnataka with Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, effective from December 31, 2024.
Jazeera Airways, Kuwait’s leading low-cost carrier, is offering 50% off on fares to all destinations across its network from July 28 to 31.
New Delhi : Air India Express, a subsidiary of Air India and a part of the Tata group, has launched its "Time to Travel" sale on the airline’s website, airindiaexpress.com, the Air India Express mobile app and other major booking channels.