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from team dirs
INTERFAITH PRAYER SERVICE: BE THE VOICE OF MOTHER EARTH Every year, the 3rd of December marks the feast of St. Francis Xavier. On this day, Xavierites assemble in their Indian traditional raiment for Mass in the morning and DJ, later in the day. This year, the tradition was broken -- instead of having a Mass, an InterFaith Prayer Service was organized at St. Xavier's College, led by Fr. Prashant Olalekar and his team. Both Fr. Prashant, who gave a brief background to the theme: Be The Voice of Mother Earth, as well as Fr. Tony J. D’Souza, the rector, challenged us to explore new frontiers following in the footsteps of Xavier and the contemporary Jesuit mission. The intercessory prayers on the burning issues of communal harmony and climate change, both new frontiers, were led by Gulshan Shaikh. The hall was enthralled by the evocative ‘Heal the World’ sung by Frs. Terry and Roy and an enchanting fusion Indian dance on climate change by Labdhi and Anoushka. The provocative song ‘BOL’ by Sonam Kalra and the Sufi Gospel Project, encouraged us to speak out on issues at a time when prophetic voices are being silenced. Susanne Rodrigues shared her heart-rending experience of the visit to the coal mines at Ranchi as part of the National Jesuit Tribal festival. This raised questions about India's insistence at the Paris talks on continuing with use of coal for energy. ‘Prayers for Creation' -- prayers from various faith traditions were read out during the Prayer Service. The AICUF choir created a devotional mood of interfaith harmony and peace by singing 'Be Faithful'. Anoushka Dutta, the compere, enthused the crowd and got all of us moving together to “Sing for the Climate". This new venture was highly appreciated by those staff and students who actively participated in it. What do you think about this initiative? Let us know in the comments box below.
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