Prayer Service will be conducted from the tombs of St. Thomas, St. Francis Xavier and St. Teresa of Kolkata and from major Marian Basilicas of India
Bangalore 21 July 2021: The Latin Catholic Church in India will hold a one-hour National Prayer Service on Saturday 7 August, 2021, from 8.30 to 9.30 pm, in view of the difficult times that the people of our nation are going through on account of Covid 19 and to pray as one family for the health of the world.
The prayer will be conducted from the tombs of St. Thomas, St. Francis Xavier and St. Teresa of Kolkata and from the Marian Basilicas of Bandra (Mumbai), Sardhana (Meerut), Hyderabad, Shivajinagar (Bangalore) and Vailankanni.
This special Prayer Service with a Eucharistic Benediction will be telecast on Catholic satellite television channels like Shalom TV, Goodness TV, Madha TV, Divyavani TV, Atmadarshan TV, Ishvani TV, CCR TV and Prarthana Bhawan TV; it will also be streamed through leading Catholic YouTube channels.
Most Rev. John Rodrigues, Auxiliary Bishop of Bombay, along with the choir members, will sing the opening hymn from the Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount, Bandra, Mumbai. The initial part of the prayer will be recited from the tomb of St. Thomas, Santhome Cathedral Basilica, Chennai by Most Rev. George Antonysamy, Vice President, CCBI and Archbishop of Madras-Mylapore.
The Gospel will be proclaimed from St. Mary’s Basilica, Shivajinagar, Bangalore, by Rev. Dr. Raymond Joseph, Secretary, CCBI Commission for Vocations. His Eminence Oswald Cardinal Gracias, the Archbishop of Bombay, will give a reflection from the Holy Name Cathedral, Colaba, Mumbai.
The Prayers of the Faithful will be recited in seven languages from the Basilica of Our Lady of Graces, Sardhana, Uttar Pradesh. Fr. Chetan Machado, Secretary CCBI Commission for Youth will lead the intercessory prayers. Ms. Jyotsna D’Souza, President, ICYM; Bro. Alex Diamond Raj, SG, Director, Montfort Bhavan, Meerut; Ms. Valentia Nongtdu, Finance Secretary, Jowai Diocese; Mr. John Paul, Member, ICYM; Sr. Sudeepti, FSLG, Staff Nurse, Our Lady of Graces Hospital, Sardhana, Bro. Prem Murmu, Assistant Director, Montfort Bhavan, Meerut and Sr. Dr. Lisa, FSLG, Our Lady of Graces Hospital, Sardhana will recite the prayers in Hindi, Tamil, Khasi, Telugu, Kannada, Santali and Malayalam.
Most Rev. Anthony Poola, Archbishop of Hyderabad, will recite the prayer for the control of Coronavirus from the Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption, Hyderabad. Most Rev. Thomas D’Souza, Archbishop of Calcutta and Very Rev. Mary Prema Pierick, M.C., Superior General, Missionaries of Charity, will lead the Litany of Supplications from the tomb of Mother Teresa, Kolkata.
There will be special prayers for all deceased bishops, priests, religious and lay faithful, to whom the Church was not able to give a decent funeral due to the pandemic restrictions. Most Rev. Vincent Aind, Bishop of Bagdogra, West Bengal will lead the prayer for the departed souls.
All people in India will be consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Most Rev. Anil Joseph Thomas Couto, Secretary General, CCBI and Archbishop of Delhi, will recite the consecration prayer from the Sacred Heart Cathedral, New Delhi.
Most Rev. Filipe Neri Ferrão, President, CCBI and Archbishop of Goa and Daman, will give the Eucharistic Benediction from the Basilica of Bom Jesus, Goa (Tomb of St. Francis Xavier). The concluding prayer song will be delivered from the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health, Vailankanni. Most Rev. Devadass Ambrose, Bishop of Thanjavur and Rev. Fr. M. Prabakar, the Rector of Shrine Basilica, along with the choir members, will sing the famous Marian prayer “Salve Regina” (Hail Holy Queen) in Latin.
The Circular, issued by the President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India, requests everyone, particularly families and religious communities, to join in the prayer service and asks that this event be shared also with those whose family and community members are abroad, so that they too may join in as one family.
All the faithful in India will spend this one hour as one family, thus giving witness to the Catholicity and cultural and linguistic diversity of the Church. There are 132 dioceses and 18 million faithful in the Latin Catholic Church in India.
Rev. Dr. Stephen Alathara
Deputy Secretary General
Conference of Catholic Bishops of India