Salesian Parish Inaugurates Year of Poor on Archbishop’s Directive
Bengaluru: Keeping the directives of the Archbishop’s circular (The Archdiocese of Bangalore had declared the year 2020 as the Year of the Poor in a recent circular), Don Bosco Church, a Salesian parish, Bangalore, inaugurated the same recently during a concelebrated High Mass presided over by the parish priest, Fr. Aloysius Santiago sdb.
The poster for the year of the poor was inaugurated by lighting of the lamp by the Parish Priest, the assistants Frs Stanley George, James Sundar, Arun and Christina representing the laypeople and Moses representing the youth and children. Fr. James read out the action plan containing 10 commandments as proposed by the Archbishop. They include Simple Lifestyle, Avoid Culture of Waste, Education of the Poor Children: Feed the Hungry, Heal the Sick, Support to the Imprisoned, Welcoming the Immigrants, Provide Shelter/House to the Homeless, Concern for the Differently-Abled and the Marginalized, Employment Opportunities for the Poor.
The Parish Priest in his homily called on the people to follow the directives of the Archbishop to alleviate poverty in and around the parish. The Parish Priest urged the people to help him to educate girl children from the new academic year. He said the presence of the Catholic community in the slums nearby the parish is to radiate God’s goodness to the people. He said children should not be deprived of quality education because they are poor. The inauguration ended with the recitation of the prayer for the Year of the poor as given in the circular.
Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore, in his recent circular, exhorted all to imbibe the spirit of St Joseph as the Feast of St Joseph falls on March 19. He hoped the life and image of St. Joseph would “certainly inspire us to reach out to the poor and marginalized, especially in this Year of the Poor in our Archdiocese.” St. Joseph is referred to as the Patron of the Poor and in this Year of the Poor in the Archdiocese, the title is very apt, he added. Though poor, St Joseph is referred to in the Bible as a “just man”, a man who did justice to everybody, both in his role as the head of the Holy Family and as a man of dignity who was proud of his poor profession.
As a small gesture of being on the side of the poor, sick and suffering, the Archdiocesan Health Commission, in collaboration with the Medical Mission Sisters had planned to inaugurate a small Clinic (outpatient department) at KGF (Kolar Gold Field). The date and time would be made known later, the circular mentioned. It is a known fact that abject poverty abounds in KGF, especially after the closure of the Gold Mines. The Archbishop further said health and hygiene is a great concern and in this year of the poor, the archdiocese would do the best to reach out to the sick and suffering.
