BIS #2888 PILGRIMS STAMP "THE FOOTPRINTS OF JESUS" IN AURANGABAD

Bento D'souza  
AURANGABAD, APRIL 03, 2012: On March 30, ninety pilgrims, parishioners of St JB Parish, Bhingar and villages around, in two buses made the traditional Way of the Cross by visiting neighboring churches in Godegaon and Aurangabad diocese.The churches visited did not see such a vast gathering of Catholics filling their pews.

The first few stations were made at Godegaon. The Parish Priest, Fr. Prakash Raut, gave a talk to the people and introduced the theme. The next stop was at the Aurangabad Cathedral, where Bishop Edwin Colaco himself explained the significance of Lent. He spoke about being a cube of ice. "Which side does an ice cube leak?" he asked, and compared it to the dynamic and living Christian leaking Christ from all side of his being. The next few stations were recited here.

Next, Fr. Leslie in St. Thomas parish showed the people the three institutions standing together in a forty seven acre property: the parish, the Aids project and the Mother Teresa home. Seeing the handicapped being cared for by the MC nuns brought profuse tears to everyone's eyes.

Bhajans, prayers and hymns carried the people from place to place while making the way of the cross. The last station was recited in the bus on arrival, making it a faith-filled journey of devotion and worship. Frs. Michael Bansode and Allwyn accompanied the pilgrims on their journey of faith.

On March 31, the Maha-Aradhana also helped the Bhingar people to make their annual confessions. On April 1, Fr. Richard D'Silva, from Kudal preached the people's Retreat in Bhingar church on the relevance of the Ten Commandments in their lives. Ten Brothers attending the Salesian Brothers training at BGVK also participated.