The church at Sainikwadi, inaugurated in June and built with public money, has organised many events to make the celebration special. Priyanka Naithani reports
This Christmas will be special for all the parishioners of Sainikwadi’s Christ the King Church for this will be the first Christmas for the newly established church.
Inaugurated in June this year, the church was built with public money. Later, it was blessed by the Bishop of Poona Diocese, Thomas Dabre. While the people raised Rs1.5 crore for the church, the Diocese of Poona made a contribution of Rs2 crore.
“There are around 3,500 Roman Catholics residing in this area. Earlier, they had to travel to Yerawada but now the birth of god has taken place in this area,” says Father Lawrence D’Almeida.
The moment you cross the entrance, you are greeted by a 12-ft high Cross and a tabernacle adorning the church’s sanctuary, with statues of the 12 apostles behind it. The birth and resurrection of Christ are depicted on stained glass on either sides of the Cross. Eight stained glass windows narrate the manifestation of Christ as the son of god.
Since inception, several events were organised at the church, attended by people from all creeds and religion. “In October, Our Lady of Fatima statue travelled all the way from Portugal. Apart from that we were blessed by the former Pope John Paul II. About 1,000 people gathered here to seek his blessings. Also, the cardinal from Rome, who is a representative of Pope visited us in November,” said Father Lawrence.
To obtain special graces, the church also had Novena prayers in September to celebrate the birth of Mary which falls on September 8.
As this is their first Christmas celebration, the preparations are in full swing. Father Lawrence along with other active members like Elias Bardeskar and Thomas Serrao are leaving no stones unturned to make this celebration a grand success.
On December 24, a midnight mass was held at 10.30 pm and the church authorities prepared for the crib outside the church. A lot of floral decoration were done and a Christmas tree with jingle bells and stars was placed especially for the tiny tots. The Parish youth group began carol singing and there were a few cultural programmes, which were presented by the children.
Christmas is a time to spread the festive spirit and share the happiness among the poor. “Our members made a donation to buy a day’s ration for the celebration. They also gave non-perishable food items like oil, sugar, wheat, rice, pulses, tea and coffee powder for the poor, so that the festival can be celebrated by rich and poor both without any difference,” adds the Father.
Apart from the regular celebrations, this church has come up with something special for the elderly. Father Almeida informs, “On December 26, we have decided to invite the elderly to our church. Those who have been bedridden will also be brought by their children and will be blessed with holy oil.”
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