Belagavi marks Mother's sainthood with special prayers
THE GOAN NETWORK
BELAGAVI
As Mother Teresa was declared a Saint in Rome, special prayer services and public functions offering tributes to the mother were organised in Belagavi for two days.
At special prayer service in Our Lady of Fatima Cathedral, Belgaum Bishop Dr Peter Machado urged people to follow in the footsteps of Mother Teresa by way of her teachings and her deeds towards the poor.
Highlighting the teachings of Mother Teresa, Bishop Machado said she was deeply concerned about the poor, marginalised and destitute in whose service she sacrificed her life.
Speaking on the virtues of Mother Teresa, Bishop Machado said the saint taught us to accept human beings the way they are.
“Mother Teresa always humbly said that whatever she had done is just like a drop in the ocean and that if we start judging the people we will stop loving them,” Bishop Machado said.
He also emphasised that Mother Teresa always respected every religion and wanted a good Christian to be Christian, a Hindu a good Hindu, a Muslim a good Muslim and so on.
Stating that Mother Teresa visited Belagavi in 1981, he also urged the authorities to name a road or a circle after the great saint.
At a public function that was organised in the Bishop's house in Camp, people from different faiths paid tributes to Mother Teresa on attaining sainthood. Floral tributes were also offered at the portrait of Mother Teresa.
MP Dr Prabhakar Kore, MP Suresh Anagdi, MLA Feroze Sait, Police Commissioner T G Krishna Bhatt among others paid rich tributes to the newly-canonised saint.
A special issue of Uzwaad devoted to Mother Teresa was also published on the occasion.
Dignitaries from Prague in Czek Republic, Fr Msgr Lucio Mascarenhas, Fr Allwyn Sudhir and others were present.
Special masses were offered in all the churches of the city in honour of Mother Teresa on Monday.
