Bangalore: The lawns at the Archbishop's House campus donned with red carpets all over for a special evening to celebrate Christmas hosted by the Archdiocese of Bangalore for the high profile dignitaries.
B.S. Yediyurappa, honourable Chief Minister of Karnataka along with Deputy Chief Minister Dr. C. N. Ashwath Narayanan was present at the program. Former Union Minister and Governer Margaret Alva, Shanthinagar MLA N.A. Harris, Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad, MLC Ivan D"souza, Jayanagar MLA Soumya Reddy and many other IPS officers took part in the celebration.
Most Rev. Dr. Peter Machado, Archbishop of Bangalore in his address briefly explained the meaning and purpose of Christmas. "Christmas is nothing but sharing the joy of the Birth of Christ with our brothers. Angels first appeared to the shepherds to tell the good news. As we know shepherds are poor and thus we should extend our helping hands to uplift the poor in society," said the Archbishop. He expressed his gratitude to the Chief Minister for accepting the invitation to be part of the celebration and appealed to him regarding the Christian Development Council.
He also shed light on how the Archdiocese of Bangalore and the faithful reached out to flood affected people of Karnataka. "We have built over 60 houses for people who have lost their homes due to floods and more than 1 crore rupees we collected from the Archdiocese and have given to the afflicted families," the prelate added.
Yediyurappa, the CHief Minister of Karnataka hailed the service and massive contribution of Christians and Christian institutions in the field of health and education. He said, "Prince of peace Jesus Christ spread the message of Love to the universe. Christians are a peace loving community. Their contribution in the fields of health and education is invaluable... In the coming days, I'll form a Christian Development Council and provide necessary grants to it."
Earlier, Msgr. C. Francis, Vicar General of the Archdiocese welcomed the gathering and Archbishop Emeritus Most Rev. Dr. Bernard Moras invoked God's blessing on all those gathered for the Christmas celebration.
The CM along with Archbishops and other dignitaries cut the Christmas cake, while Msgr. Jayanathan S. thanked the gathered. Several police and civil officers added color to the festive celebration.