Christmas came early to inmates of Parappana Agrahara on Monday when Prison Ministry of India took inside the high walls the message of love, peace and forgiveness that this season calls for.
Prison ministry India is a National Voluntary Organization working for release, reformation and rehabilitation of the prisoners, woman in distress and juvenile delinquent.
The President of today’s Christmas programme was Rev. Dr. Bernard Moras, the Chief Guest Chief Superintendent Shri. Lakhsmi Narayan, the rest of the dignitaries on stage were namely, the Assistant National Co-ordinator of Prison Ministry India Rev. Fr. Mathew Joseph MI, the State Co-ordinator Mrs. Aida Margaret D’Cunha, Guest of Honours Jail Superintendent Shri. Krishna Kumar, CMO Vijaya Kumar, Rev.Fr. Anthony D’Souza, Sr. Adele, Mr. Manoj George.
As with Birthday Celebrations, this one too began with the cutting of the cake. As Chief Guest Rev Dr. Bernard Moras, the Archbishop of Bangalore, put it in his message, “No matter how difficult our circumstances, we still celebrate the birthday of our children.” It was the same on Monday. He in his message shared about the aspect of seeing God in the nature and in the Life of people we meet. The God we believe is a universal God who is being honored in different names by different persons but we are all created by one God.
We are all prone to commit mistakes in our life big or small but what is absolutely important is to realize our faults and turn back to God. Our God is a loving God who is not born in a raging whirlwind nor in a devouring fire but he is a humble God who came down on earth and became human.
He exemplified the message of love through the example of Blessed Mother Theresa who envisioned the countenance of God in the people she served. Similarly the voluntaries of prison ministry India today has brought us God’s countenance in to the lives of prison inmates, central prison, Bangalore.
He challenged them about the need to live a quality life like the others, as they are served they should be ready to responsibly serve the people who require their help.
But perhaps the greatest treat of the morning was when Mr. Manoj George, music composer, and a violinist who played for Mungaru Male, took to the stage along with Renju George, a pianist. The two played hits like A R Rahman’s Chinna Chinna Aase and Uyira, and from Mungaru Male. As they say, music has no boundaries and this was the music that touched all those who heard it and healed the emotionally broken – even if it was for a short time. There were cheers and claps and whistles that even the stern authorities couldn’t quell. And by the time they played jingle bells, Christmas had truly arrived.
The Chief Superintendent expressed his heartfelt happiness on the occasion of the Christmas celebration by the voluntaries of prison ministry India on 19-12-2011. He said all the programmes were well done specially the dances performed by the children of the prisoners, the girls of Jeevodaya (rehabilitation centre for women in distress and released prisoners), Children of premodaya, Socare (a centre for the prisoners children), and the Sisters of St. Charles convent displayed a very powerful message of Christmas through dramatic dance presentation. He expressed gratitude to all the volunteers of prison ministry India for their relentless and collective effort to make this day a memorable one. He honored Archbishop Bernard Moras’ presence on this auspicious day and spoke very exuberantly about the message of Christmas that is love and forgiveness and never retaliation or regret.
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