Media Release

Mangaluru, Oct 13: CODP on October 11 organized a relief distribution at Pavoor. Fr Oswald, the director of CODP soon after mass made use of this opportunity to create awareness on the growing threat of non-contagious disease cancer.

Pavur is a unique parish in the diocese of Mangaluru, about 30 km south of Mangaluru city while geographically it is a part of Kerala state. It is unique because it is the only parish where the liturgical language and native language of the people is Tulu. Most of these people belong to a scheduled tribe called Koragas. The prevalence of cancer is also high here.

Fr Oswald explained the symptoms and causes of cancer. He stressed preventive measures like abstaining from junk food, unhealthy lifestyle, smoking and alcohol and negative thinking. He encouraged every family to have a kitchen garden and consume cultivated organic vegetables. Moreover, he advised them not to lose heart but to be positive and to approach the doctor at the first instance where one could be treated effectively and healed.

All the families were given handbills on Sparsha. Fr Oswald gave a 'Laxman phal' sapling to Fr Varghese, the parish priest of Pavur so that he could plant it in the church campus leading by example for the parishioners to see and learn. He also gave a free book called 'Parisara -Devara Vara' on environment protection.

This awareness was given during two of the Sunday masses, the total number of participants being around 150 people.