More than 4,000 Catholics on Sept 2 assembled in the remote Jamboni jungle to mark the 25-year observance of the death of 33-year-old Father Arul Das of the Balasore Diocese, who was shot and pierced with arrows in his thatched chapel-house during the early hours of Sept 2, 1999.
“Father Arul very closely followed the life of Jesus. Like Jesus as a good shepherd, Father Arul too tried to be a good shepherd for the people of this locality,” said Balasore Bishop Varghese Thottamkara in his sermon at the jubilee Mass.
Along with the bishop, over 50 priests and hundreds of nuns from different parts of the sprawling diocese and beyond were present at the celebration at which the clergyman was hailed as a martyr.
“Father Arul was a priest of Christ. He came to serve the faithful of Balasore, especially of the Ho tribe people,” Thottamkara said.
“Through his life-giving witness he gives the best example for us. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church,” the prelate added.
“While only 18 Ho families had embraced Christian faith in Jamboni at the death of Father Arul in 1999, the number has swelled to over 400 in Jamboni mission area now,” Father Varghese Puthumattam, who has compiled the biography of the missionary, told CNA.
Related Posts:
News category: News Shorts, World.
