Photo: Rev Fr Pedro Rodrigues accompanied by Fr Ronnie and other priests holding the Crucifix during the Good Friday prayers at Fatima Cathedral.
Belgaum: Good Friday, the day of commemoration of Crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death on the Cross was observed amid prayers, fasting and penance. Also observed as the day of celebration of God’s bountiful Love for the people, all the day long, Christians in the city and neighboring areas belonging to all the denominations were engaged in prayer services throughout the day.
Seeking special blessings of the Crucified Jesus Christ, the Christians prayed for the peace, harmony and well being of all the mankind, especially for our nation.
The day commenced with the offering of the ‘Way of the Cross’ where sufferings of Jesus Christ on the way of his Crucifixion were either reminisced . In some churches, live way of the cross was observed.
Later in the afternoon, special mass was offered in Fatima Cathedral, Camp, the main Roman Catholic Church of the Diocese of Belagavi, where Fr Ronnie D’souza accompanied by Fr Jack Menezes, Fr Pedro Rodrigues and other priests offered Good Friday prayers.
In his Good Friday message administrator of the Diocese of Belgaum Rev Fr Eusebio Fernandes while thanking God for for His unconditional and limitless love for humankind said that Jesus had the mission of initiating a revolution of love and the mission that his Father had entrusted him – the founding of a new society where everyone accepts God as a loving Father and one another as brothers and sisters. He also appealed all to be instruments of peace and forgiveness and spread the message of love and tenderness which flows from the Crucified Saviour Jesus Christ.
Soon after the prayer services, a procession of the statue of Jesus Christ was held at the Immaculate Conception Church near Union Gymkhana. Prayer services were also held in the St John the Baptist Church, Ganeshpur; St Anthony’s Church, Camp, St Joseph the Worker Church, Bauxite Road, Mount Carmel and other churches where Christians were present in large number.
The sorrowful time will continue till Saturday midnight till the Easter Mass services that will be held in all the churches at around 11 pm, marking the end of the 40 days Lenten Season.