FIRST Time in History of ‘Rome of The East’ Easter Mass Celebrated by Bishop without Faithful Participation
FIRST Time in History of ‘Rome of The East’ (Mangaluru) Easter Mass Celebrated by Bishop without Faithful Participation at Rosario Cathedral, on Saturday, 11 April 2020 at 7 pm- and was telecasted LIVE on TV Channel. Due to Covid-19 lockdown, no Easter Vigil masses were held at any of the churches in Mangaluru, and they all looked deserted without the parishioners in attendance.
Mangaluru: With Mangaluru called as the “Rome of the East”, with a large Christian/Catholic population and an avid holiday vibe, festivals like Christmas and Easter have always been celebrated with great enthusiasm and collective happiness. With families venturing out to have a good time over the long weekend, restaurants and bakeries in the city put on some of their finer colours and to serve a more elegant fare. With the sad days after Good Friday getting over, the joyful celebration of Christ being Risen called “Easter” which is celebrated on a following Sunday, Mangaluru always geared up to host some fanciful culinary and bakery/cakes extravaganzas, and the Christian/Catholic faithful would all get ready for the big shopping spree, buying the Easter goodies, meat items like Dukra Mass (Pork) , Mutton, Chicken and B….?, and all other necessities to make the “Easter Sunday” a ” Happy Day”!
But unfortunately, NOT this year, because of the Coronavirus Lockdown, and with the guidelines from the government not to have any religious celebrations, and also a message from the Bishop of Mangaluru Diocese, Rev Dr Peter Paul Saldanha, to abstain from religious ceremony inside a Church in a large gathering, the Easter Mass was celebrated by the Bishop without the participation of the Faithful. The Easter Vigil Mass was celebrated by Bishop Peter Paul Saldanha, along with Fr J B Crasta-the Parish Priest and Fr Flavian Lobo, Assistant Parish Priest respectively, of Rosario Cathedral, on Saturday, 11 April 2020 at Rosario Cathedral, Mangaluru at 7 pm, and it was telecast live on Divine World TV Channel. Also at other churches in Mangaluru, where Easter Vigil mass would have been a grand celebration, never happened due to the lockdown- and the church venues/pews were empty- and the only option for the faithful to watch the Easter Mas was on Television, YouTube or mobile phones.
Easter is more than just a long weekend. It’s also the perfect time to celebrate the ‘goodness’ of Easter and by that we mean the ‘goodies’ of Easter, and for those having a major sweet tooth, you can’t resist a good Easter treat from various bakeries & pastry shops in the City, which will be open from 7 am until 12 noon, and one among them being Vas Bakery, Bendore managed by Bryan Vas, where he speaking to team Mangalorean said, “Unlike earlier, this year we have cut down on Easter eggs, due to the lockdown. And for tradition sake, we will be selling the ‘Easter Buns with Cross on it’ named as “Hot Cross Buns, since it is very popular item during Easter, among Catholic families. There has also been a huge demand for home-made wine and rum/raisin cakes”.
Easter, or Resurrection Sunday, is a festival and holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day after his burial following his crucifixion by the Romans at Calvary c. 30 AD. It is the culmination of the Passion of Jesus, preceded by Lent (or Great Lent), a 40-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance. Most Christians refer to the week before Easter as “Holy Week”, which contains the days of the Easter Triduum, including Maundy Thursday, commemorating the Maundy and Last Supper, as well as Good Friday, commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus. Easter customs vary across the Christian world, and include sunrise services, exclaiming the Paschal greeting, clipping the church, and decorating Easter eggs (symbols of the empty tomb). The Easter lily, a symbol of the resurrection, traditionally decorates the chancel area of churches on this day and for the rest of Easter-tide.
Team Mangalorean wishes our readers Easter greetings – “Happy Easter to you and your family. May you enjoy a joyful and lovely Easter holiday filled with the Lord’s contentment”.
