Bishop Francis Serrao SJ leads rituals at St. Philomena’s Church

Mysore/Mysuru:  Special prayers were offered at Churches across the city to mark the birth of Jesus Christ, celebrated worldwide as Christmas, last midnight.

More than 40 Churches, particularly St. Philomena’s Church on Ashoka Road in Lashkar Mohalla, wore a festive look as a huge congregation of Christians gathered to participate in ‘Bali Puja’ and other traditional rituals associated with the festival.

Most Rev. Dr. Francis Serrao SJ, Bishop of Mysuru, placed the idol of the Infant Jesus in a specially prepared crib in the Church premises at around 11.30 pm amid the rendition of Carols by singing troupes. The event was witnessed by thousands of devotees.

New Year greetings: Delivering a special Christmas message, Bishop Serrao extended greetings to faithful and conveyed his wishes for New Year.

Parish Priest Rev. Fr. Alex Prashanth Sequeira, Assistant Procurator Fr. Yesu Prasad, and Assistant Parish Priests Rev. Fr. Jeevan Preeth and Rev. Fr. Albert Bhaskar were present. The Priests read from the Bible, followed by special prayers.

Rev. Fr. Alex Prashanth Sequeira said, special prayers were held in Tamil, Kannada and English today. A series of programmes has been planned throughout the day and the public has been invited to visit the Church. Homes, shops and offices belonging to members of the Christian community were illuminated with colourful lights and adorned with Christmas trees, Santa Claus figurines, stars, wreaths and gifts, creating a festive ambience across the city.

The olfactory of the festival was felt with an assortment of sweet delicacies prepared for the occasion, including rose cake, halwa and kajjaya.

Members of the Christian community, including natives of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Goa and other States who have made Mysuru their second home, shared the joy of the festival by distributing sweets among devotees at St. Philomena’s Church.

People cutting across faiths thronged churches, especially St. Philomena’s Church, this morning. The interiors of the church were decorated with flowers, colourful lighting and buntings. Apart from offering prayers, devotees paid floral tributes to the idol of Jesus Christ.

Tourists among visitors

Tourists were also among the visitors, with St. Philomena’s Church being a major attraction. The Christmas carnival that began on Dec. 19 has turned out to be a hit, with makeshift stalls at the Church premises doing brisk business.

The X-mas Carnival concludes on Dec. 26.

A huge star-shaped artefact bearing Christmas & New Year greetings in Kannada welcomed visitors at St. Philomena’s Church. Replicas of the Eiffel Tower, a large cut-out of Santa Claus and floral decorations added to the festive appeal.

A similar festive mood prevailed at Sawday Memorial Church on Pulikeshi Road, Wesley Church and St. Bartholomew Church on Mother Teresa Road, CSI Hardwicke Church on Vani Vilas Road, Infant Jesus Church at R.S. Naidu Nagar, Sacred Heart Church at Yadavagiri, St. Joseph’s Church at Jayalakshmipuram, St. Thomas Church & St. Mary’s Church at Vishweshwaranagar and Infant Jesus Cathedral at Hinkal, among others.