By Verghese V Joseph
Twelve Catholic schools in the Country’s capital pledged for a cracker-less and pollution free Diwali this year. Taking the initiative begun by Don Bosco Delhi, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) Office for Education and Culture reached out to its thousands of schools across the country to opt for a similar decision in celebrating Diwali.
In a statement, Fr. Joseph Manipadam, Secretary, CBCI Office for Education and Culture said, “More than 20,000 students from the leading 12 catholic schools in New Delhi have courageously taken the initiative that they prefer to enjoy less this year by way of bursting crackers in order to save the children and the elderly from lung disorders and gift them a longer span of life”. It is a small sacrifice to show love and compassion to the people of our own country. The joy and satisfaction in sacrificing a short lived and temporary enjoyment is far more rewarding when it is for the welfare and good health of the vulnerable section of our society.
“We congratulate the following schools that have taken the initiatives – the students, teachers and the management,” Fr. Manipadam said.
- Don Bosco Aleknanda with 2288 students;
- St. Xavier’s School, Raj Nivas Marg with 3856 students;
- Holy Child School, Tagore garden with 2424 students;
- Convent of Jesus and Mary School with 2408 students;
- Notre Dame School Badarpur with 2093 students;
- Presentation School, Old Delhi with 1800 students;
- Loreto Convent School with 1470 students;
- St. Michael’s School Pusa Road with 1200 students;
- Notre Dame School Najafgarh with 1015 students;
- St. Charles School, Najafgarh with 958 students;
- Mater Dei School, Tilak Nagar with 600 students and
- Holy Cross School Najafgarh with more than 500 students have become the trend setters.
“These students and teachers have set an example to all and give us the hope for a better tomorrow,” added Fr. Manipadam.
CBCI Greets People
The CBCI also joined millions of fellow Indians cutting across religions and regions, traversing cultural and geographical boundaries to celebrate Deepavali, or Diwali the festival of lights.
In a press release, Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas, SFX, Secretary General, CBCI, said, “Today more than ever before our world and our country needs light: the light of love, the luminosity of justice, the torch of charity, the flame of truthfulness and the proper use of religion enlightened by true faith. May this Diwali be an occasion for all of us to light up our inner lamps of truth and integrity, justice and peace. As we celebrate this great Indian Festival, we pray for our country, our leaders and our people. May God bless us with prosperity, tranquility, peace and harmony. Let each diya we light bring a glow of happiness on our face, enlighten our soul and bring goodness to those around us. Happy Diwali! God bless India.”
Bangalore Archbishop Extends Deepavali Greetings
In his Deepavali greetings, Dr Peter Machado, Archbishop of Bangalore, said, “On this great festival, I along with the Bishops and the Christian community of Karnataka wish you a “Happy Deepavali!”. May the divine light come upon you and every member of your families and instil in you the peace, happiness and Joy. My personal greetings at the celebration of this great feast will reach out to all people of Karnataka as they spend their time in preparing their homes for the memorable celebration. Neighbours, family members, and friends come together to celebrate this event forgetting all differences and expressing the feeling of oneness.”
“Our task today is to build the nation which considers strongly building our young people. Pope Francis in his Apostolic Exhortation “Joy of Love” says that providing a formation and education in hope is a great task of paramount importance for families as it reflects the divine nature of mercy which embraces the disheartened and gives them purpose. Such an education in hope encourages the young themselves to reach out, in charity and service, to others in need, and so become a light for those in darkness,” the Archbishop said.
Quoting Pope Francis’ message on how both Hindus and Christians can be inspired by this celebration in order to defend those who are vulnerable in society, the Archbishop said that this stemmed from “shared belief that we are all God’s” children who share an equal dignity. “Furthermore, we are responsible for one another, and everyone is vulnerable at times looking to others “to offer a helping hand”. The result is “doing all we can to alleviate” suffering, defend rights and restore dignity,” the Dr Machado added.
During this festival of Deepavali which is indeed a feast of the family, Dr Machado invoked the Almighty to shower his immense Blessings to enlighten each one and bring in the family peace and harmony. “As Christians and Hindus, let us join with all people of good will in supporting marriage and family life, and inspiring families to be schools of hope. May we bring hope’s light to every corner of our world, offering consolation and strength to all in need”.