Nairobi: Holy Mass Offered for Peace in Mangalore and Orissa
Report from Freederick Correa
Daijiworld Media Network - Nairobi (SP)
Nairobi, Sep 29: Holy mass was recently offered at Don Bosco Shrine, Nairobi for peace in Mangalore and Orissa. The mass was concelebrated by five priests, three from Mangalore, one from Bangalore and another from Philippines. Nearly 100 nuns from different congregations besides the lay people, were present at the mass. Before the mass, the Rosary was recited and each decade of the Rosary was offered for a particular intention. The fourth decade of the Rosary was offered for the speedy recovery of Karthik Gowda, who at that time, had met with an accident and was in the hospital.
The main celebrant was Fr Stan Mascarenhas S J. The first reading was from the letter of Paul to the Philippians Chapter 1 verses 27 to 30 and the gospel was from John Chapter 15 verses 18 to 27, Chapter 16 verses 1 to 4. These readings were very apt to the occasion. The readings, especially the gospel, were highly beneficial, and one could see for himself the prophecy of Jesus coming true.
During the announcements, Basil Serrao, gave information about a petition proposed to be sent to the Prime Minister and the President of India. The people signed the petition after the mass. The mass was concluded with two hymns, "Hum honge kamyaab" and "Rise India".
In Nairobi, a Mangalorean association is functional, where both Catholics and Hindus freely mingle with each other and share home-made dishes. The members meet at least thrice a year and also have a cultural programme to celebrate the Karnataka Rajyotsava. Apart from these gatherings, whenever there is a cricket match in which India is involved, all the Mangaloreans come to the club and enjoy the match.
When some of the Hindus got information of the violence in Mangalore, they were greatly pained. They expressed solidarity with their Christian brethern and promised to work together in future just like in the past.