By Louis Rodrigues –
Belagavi: Paying rich tributes to the martyrs of Pulawama terrorist attack and seeking solace to their bereaving families Catholics in Belagavi on Tuesday evening took part in a candle-light peace march. The march was held at the campus of St. Anthony’s Church at Camp here in presence of large number of priests, nuns and Christians coming from different parts of the city. The candle-light march was organised on behalf of the Diocese of Belagavi.
The services commenced with a special mass that was offered for the souls of the 49 martyrs who lost their lives in the deceitful terrorist attack. In his sermon administrator of the Diocese of Belagavi, Rev Fr Eusebio Fernandes asked for God’s blessings to the souls of the deceased. “We offer special prayers to the martyrs who laid their lives for the nation. While we ask God to offer eternal peace to the souls of all the 49 brave soldiers we also pray for the unity of the nation. Let us also pray to God for the families who are left in grief,” Fr Eusebio said.
“We are deeply saddened by the recent terrorist attack on the CRPF jawans. We extend our solidarity to the families of those who were killed and the injured,” he added further.
Soon after the prayer services, everyone took part in the procession with the candles in their hands. Singing religious hymns and reciting prayers a procession was taken around the campus of St. Anthony’s Church with placards and banners.
Rev Fr Lucio Mascarenhas, Rev Fr Philip Kutty, Rev Fr Franky Lobo, Fr Cajetan D’souza, Fr Arul Ashirvad, Fr Francis D’souza and other priests and nuns were present.