How Can they RIP in Such a Mess? Bejai Church Cemetery in Pathetic Condition

How Could They Rest In Peace (RIP) in Such a Mess? Pathetic Condition of Bejai Church Cemetery

Mangaluru: OMG! The St Francis Xavier Church- Bejai cemetery is no doubt in a deplorable condition with many parts of the cemetery littered with rubbish, dog poop, wild grass grown quite high, stray dogs etc. Being a parishioner of this Church, and also where my parents are resting in peace, I felt totally disgusted, upset and guilt-ridden when I saw the pathetic condition of this cemetery. Last year during the All Souls Day, when I went there to pray for the departed souls of my parents, the cemetery looked quite okay, with grass being cut, area cleaned- but since that November 2, 2016, no one has ever bothered to clean this cemetery, I suppose! It is just like when CM visits the City, the whole vicinity is cleaned and beautified, where as in the same manner here, the cemetery gets an extreme makeover only during when its nearing ‘All Souls Day! It appears to be a collective blindness or “It’s okay/No problem” kind of attitude on the part of the church and the management.

I am not sure how the cemeteries look like at Churches in the City, but the one at my parish looks horrible. I happened to be at Bejai church this morning, to oblige Michael Lobo, also a parishioner of Bejai Church to click a few photos to be incorporated into his report which is already published on our website. According to Michael Lobo, five years ago, the parish of Bejai celebrated its centenary. To mark the occasion the parish council sanctioned funds for the erection of a thick cemetery wall that in fact badly disfigured the appearance of this beautiful cemetery. The parish of Bejai was quite unique in that its cemetery formed part of the approach to the church – and parishioners on their way to mass, or on their return, would pause along the pathway at the tombstones of their loved ones, with a few words of silent prayer. These tombstones, once directly in the line of sight of the church (as was virtually required by Catholic practice), are now blocked by the ugly wall that is more appropriate for a jail than a place of prayer. And the cemetery as a whole, once very meticulously maintained, is now overgrown with wild plants, and garbage continually accumulates especially on the inner side of the wall. After all, what cannot be seen from the church requires no maintenance, added Lobo.

Yes, inside the cemetery at few corners that is unkempt, there is rubbish lying around, such as decayed flowers, newspapers and plastic bags, old flower pots and stands, candle boxes, buckets, and so on. Added to these there are a bunch of stray dogs, some even relaxing on the tombs. They even urinate and shit, on and around the tombs- Is that a respect our dear and near departed family members/relatives/friends deserve? You need to watch and walk inside the cemetery-because chance are that you may step on “fresh dog poop”. Lazy, selfish and inconsiderate people have designated some unoccupied plots as a convenient dumping ground for their trash, which is totally ignorant on their part.

All around, the cemetery has a sad and neglected look. There is not even any attempt at landscaping, there are broken signboards not been replaced and the periphery is overgrown with bushes. Just wondering why the church cemetery committee had allowed its so-called sacred place to be treated like a rubbish dump, and also filled with grass grown wildly. Even the Vatican had declared that the ashes of cremated Catholics must be buried in cemeteries or other sacred places. So, isn’t cleanliness supposed to be next to Godliness? I would rather have my ashes scattered on a pristine mountain and face the wrath of God than being buried in a place surrounded by rubbish, stray dogs, wild bushes etc etc

My dear mother was a fastidious and dignified woman when she was alive and I am mortified and heartbroken that both my dad and mom’s earthly remains are surrounded by rubbish every day. I somehow feel guilty for having consigned them to this ignominy. I cringe with shame that I have to walk right past the rubbish/wild grass/filth to get to my parents’ plots. At least their graves are some distance away from the piles of trash, but this is one pathetic consolation. And as a Good Samaritan and being very courteous, spending from his own pockets-my brother, Joe D’souza couple of years ago took the initiative with the help of his workers cleaned the cemetery area/also did some maintenance work around the cemetery- and that was history-because since then it seems like no one had voluntarily come forward to help in cleaning this place.

They should carry out some simple landscaping and regular maintenance work. Other cemeteries I have visited look neat and clean. How difficult is it to tidy up the place so that families can feel some peace about the resting place of their loved ones? Cemeteries are supposed to be tranquil and serene, but this one is just a disgraceful eyesore. The occupants of cemeteries may be voiceless, dead and gone, but their remains deserve to be treated with respect and reverence. I hope the church will take immediate action to restore some dignity to this ‘sacred place’. My humble request to the Parish Priest, Church Pastoral committee members and Church Associated Organizations to look into this issue very seriously, and kindly do the needful at the earliest. Pardon me if this article has hurt anyone! Anyways, the article is all about FACTS and not Fiction?