Some 10,000 students celebrate Mother Teresa with a "peace march" in Guwahati
The students, including many non-Christians, come from 30 schools. The event was enlivened with posters, as well as white and blue balloons. About a thousand teachers took part in a seminar on the ‘Joy of giving’. People are “mostly non-Christian,” but everyone is “grateful for the work of the Missionaries of Charity,” archbishop says.
Guwahati (AsiaNews) – More than 10,000 students in the province of Guwahati, in the Indian state of Assam, undertook a "peace march" on 9 September to celebrate the canonisation of Mother Teresa.
Students from 30 different schools enlivened the rally with posters and white and blue balloons in tribute to the colours of the dress of the Missionaries of Charity.
"With this event we wanted to present Saint Teresa of Calcutta to people, who are mostly non-Christian,” said Mgr John Moolachira, archbishop of Guwahati. “Mother Teresa was an example of Christian charity, and we hope that people will appreciate her and follow in her footsteps. "
The Salesian provincial, the archdiocese, and the Catholic Religious of India (CRI) organised the march, which started from Judges Field to the Don Bosco school in Pan Bazaar, Guwahati.
Upon arrival, famous violinist Sunita K. Bhuyan, a former Don Bosco student, played "Maa Tujhe Salaam" ("Hail, Mother India"), a patriotic song by Oscar-winning composer Allah Rakha Rahman. The musical tribute was followed by a competition between students.
Inaugurating the celebration, Fr VM Thomas, Provincial of Guwahati, said that "Mother Teresa was a face of service and love. She was an icon of compassion for everyone. Mother restored dignity to those who were marginalised by society, giving them a 'shock of love' in the moment of death."
In addition to the student march, the archdiocese held a solemn Mass attended by Church leaders and local Catholics.
“The governor of Assam, several ministers and political representatives were also present,” Mgr Moolachira said. “The whole atmosphere was one of joy and prayer to God for the great saint."
The archbishop stressed that people participated en masse to the celebrations, which ended the next day with a seminar for teachers on the "Joy of giving", which was attended by about a thousand educators.
“Everyone is grateful for the work of the Missionaries of Charity,” he said. “The archdiocese has six monasteries, five active in outreach and one that is contemplative."
"The sisters take care of the needy, orphans, the disabled, the elderly, persons with physical and mental problems, regardless of their caste or religious affiliation,” he noted. “They also visit poor families and the sick."
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21/06/2021 09:43
