Christmas celebration at Our Lady of Assumption Church, Hiriyur, Chitradurga District, Diocese of Shimoga
Chitradurga, December 25, 2023: Our Lady of Assumption Church, Hiriyur, Chitradurga District, Diocese of Shimoga, celebrated Christmas in a grand manner.
The Christmas celebration was unveiled by hoisting the star on December 10th.
Parishioners, together with their parish priest, Fr Franklin D’Souza, organised Carols from December 11th to 16th.
The youth of the parish prepared a beautiful crib in front of the church.
On the 24th of December, at 10:30 p.m., the faithful gathered and prayed the Rosary. Carols were led by the choir at 11 p.m. At 11:45 p.m., parish priest Fr Franklin D’Souza celebrated the Holy Eucharist. He blessed the crib, kept the baby Jesus in the crib, and paid homage.
In his homily, he explained the meaning of incarnation. Jesus, the Son of God, became a human being to save us from our sins. He said the manger is the symbol of simplicity and humility. To attain divinity, we must be simple and humble.
After the Holy Eucharist at 2 a.m., the faithful gathered in front of the church to celebrate Christmas by cutting the Christmas cake. The Minister of Government of Karnataka and MLA of Hiriyur Constituency, Sri. D. Sudhakar, sponsored the cake.
On December 25th, at 9 a.m., the Holy Eucharist was celebrated by Fr Franklin D’Souza, and in the evening, people from the town visited the church and prayed with lighted candles. A cultural evening was organised by the youth of the parish as part of the Christmas celebration. Faithful presented 20 programmes with the message of Christmas. Parish Priest Fr Franklin D’Souza was the chief guest, and Councillor Mrs. Madala Maria was the guest. They inaugurated the cultural evening by pouring water on the plant.
Fr Franklin D’Souza, in his inaugural speech, wished everyone the blessings of Christmas. He said that Christmas is salvation, and everyone needs to experience the salvation offered by God freely. The poverty of Jesus reminds us that God loves the poor and downtrodden. Christmas is hope amidst a hopeless situation. We need to put our trust in Jesus, and we will overcome the hurdles in life.
Sr. D. Sudhakar, He is currently serving as Cabinet Minister in the Government of Karnataka and a member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. Hiriyur, Minister of Planning and Statistics of Karnataka, visited the church, and he celebrated Christmas with the people by cutting the cake. He was welcomed by the parish priest, Fr Franklin D’Souza.
In his speech, he upheld the meaning and importance of Christmas. He said that Christmas brings joy and peace. We need to defeat violence and terrorism, and we have to pray for the peace that Jesus brought to this world. We need to live as brothers and sisters, understanding each other and striving to propagate peace through our lives. He was honoured by Councillor Mrs. Madala Maria, and Fr Franklin D’Souza garlanded him and presented a Christmas cake on behalf of the Parish.
Cultural programmes continued till p.m. Mr. Stanley Lawrence thanked the guests, as well as all those who gathered.
Ms. Femina and Ms. Lissanie compered the program.
