Bishop & SAC Students Share the Joy & Spirit of Christmas with ‘Parivarthan Transgenders’
- Bishop of Mangaluru Diocese Rev Dr Peter Paul Saldanha & St Aloysius College (Autonomous) (SAC) Students Share the Joy & Spirit of Christmas with ‘Parivarthan Charitable Trust-Transgenders’ at the “Christmas Chimes”- a celebration held on Friday, 21 December 2018 at 3 pm in Mother Teresa Park, SAC, Mangaluru
Mangaluru: Once in a Royal David’s City stood a lowly cattle shed, Where a Mother laid her baby in a manger for His bed, Mary was that Mother mild, and Jesus Christ Her little Child – and yes, the management, staff and students all gathered to celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ, and be a part of the Christmas Chimes, which was held on Friday, 21 December at the Mother Teresa Park, SAC-Mangaluru at 3 pm. The programme began with a prayer since prayer outlives the lives of those who utter them; outlive a generation, outlive an age, and outlive a world- and thanks to the college choir for their melodious prayer song.
Campus minister Fr Felix Victor SJ welcomed the gathering, which was followed by a bunch of Christmas carols sung by the college students. It was now time to rock with the modern Santa Claus to a dance performed by the college SWAT dance team, which led the crowd into a joyful and cheerful Christmas dance moves! Christmas celebration is incomplete without cutting a delicious Christmas cake, and for that matter, the chief guest of the evening Bishop of Mangaluru Diocese Rev Dr Peter Paul Saldanha, along with Rector Fr Dionysius Vaz SJ; Fr Praveen Martis Sj- Principal of College; Ms Violet Pereira-Founder of Parivarthan Charitable Trust and Ms Sanjanna- the president of the Trust were escorted to the dais to cut the Christmas cake.
In His Christmas message to the crowd, Bishop Peter Paul Saldanha said, “More than all the luxurious gifts that we get for Christmas, the biggest gift is the arrival of Jesus Christ. Still, the real message of Christmas is not the gifts that we give to each other. Rather, it is a reminder of the gift that God has given to each of us. It is the only gift that truly keeps on giving. When Christmas rolls around, you often try to figure out if certain people have bought that gift you really wanted. Maybe you already know what they bought, because they didn’t hide it very well. Or maybe you uncovered it by accident or maybe not. But when the day comes and you open the present, you have to pretend you’re surprised. Yet all along, you knew what it was”.
“God’s gift to us, however, was a complete surprise. It was not expected, and as you examine it more carefully, you realize how great a gift it actually was. God’s gift came to us in the humblest of wrappings. What would you think if you saw a gift under your Christmas tree that was wrapped in newspaper and tied up with string? At first, you would probably assume that a guy wrapped it. But think about God’s gift to us. Jesus was not born in a palace of gold; He was born in a stable. He was clothed with rags. He was laid in a feeding trough. Yet these things do not, in any way, diminish the story of Christ’s birth. If anything, they help us realize the great sacrifice God made for us. God’s gift to humanity, the ultimate gift of eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ, came in the simplest and humblest of wrappings” added Bishop. .
Concluding Bishop Peter Paul Saldanha said, “At Christmas, we give gifts to those whom we care about, who have been kind to us over the past year, or who have given us a gift first. We don’t give gifts to the person who has been slandering our name or to the angry neighbor who never has a kind word to say. Yet God gave us His gift when we were His enemies. He didn’t give this gift to us because we deserved it. In fact, it was just the opposite. The Bible tells us, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8 NKJV). So Christmas isn’t about those gifts that you have your tree right now. All of those things will be gone one day. All that will be left after this life is the human soul, and that will live forever. Life is about what happens beyond the grave. Life is about knowing the God who made you and who gave you the greatest gift you will ever receive. And this Christmas share some of your wealth with the needy after all Christmas is all about giving. Merry Christmas!”
Rector Fr Dionysius Vaz SJ in his presidential address said, “Christmas is the celebration of a joyous occasion with human beings, and not particularly with a community or religion/caste- Christmas is for everyone. And we are glad to have one of our very own human beings, the Transgenders belonging to Parivarthan Charitable Trust. We should know that Christmas is a feast of everyone irrespective of caste, creed, or gender and it is celebrated all over the globe, bringing joy and peace during the blessed season. It is a good initiative by Parivarthan Trust, which caters to the needs of the Transgenders, and also trying to bring them to the mainstream in the society. As human beings we should not discriminate the Transgenders, because they too are human beings just like us- so we should try to include them in our society and make a difference in their lives. Certainly, Christmas is a time of giving and sharing with those around us, but that sharing is not
limited to those that we love and care for. It is also for the person that we have never met and will never see. Those that are not so fortunate in their lives as we are and that could use a helping hand”.
SAC Principal Fr Praveen Martis SJ also spoke and delivered the message that Christmas is all about sharing and giving and that students should think of the less fortunate during this season and make a difference in the lives of the needy and the destitute. The guest appearance was the arrival of Santa Claus aka Vincent Menezes hailing from Nelliyady, on his Honda Activa scooter, who rode around the campus distributing sweets to the boys and girls and then making his grand appearance on the stage with the Choir members. Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul- and it was SAC Professor Anup Veigas who expressed his gratitude as a note of vote of thanks. The programme was professionally compered by Miss Smitha Fernandes IIIrd B Com and Miss Sweedal Pais- IInd B Com of SAC. Ho..ho..ho..it was indeed a joyful Christmas spent uniquely with the Transgenders by the youthful SAC students, both boys and girls!
In conclusion in my perspective, it was indeed a kind gesture of Fr Felix Victor SJ and his team to think of these Transgenders, and include them in this Christmas Celebration, which brought joy and smile on their faces. It also showed that the Transgenders too are not neglected, and also showed that they have someone who really cares for them. Yes, Christmas is just around the corner. For many, gathering together in our anticipation of the coming of the Christ Child, praying and worshiping as a body of believers, offers us space for a deep, collective sigh of spiritual relief. But in the meantime, during all this fun and celebration, it’s unlikely that we think of the most neglected people in the society. How many of us have ever thought of celebrating this Christmas with the marginalized, neglected and the most deprived in the society?”
Even for those in our midst who may struggle at this time of year, Christmas season can still offer the community, sustaining spirit, and loving accompaniment. But for many TRANSGENDER persons, this Christmas Season has made them happy that someone cares and wants them to be part of the Christmas celebration. . Many of them suffer various forms of dislocation, isolation, grief, and loneliness, with no friends to communicate or socialize with. Many of them also have limited resources for caring for themselves during times of increased loneliness. Many of them have limited means for bodily health and safety, year round, but we should all know that Transgenders are also humans just like other us. Thank You, Fr Felix and the bevy of young Aloysians for making a difference in the life of these Transgenders!
