RSSA new cathedral has opened in the eastern city of Baruipur, thanks to contributions from Christians, Muslims and Hindus in the region.
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People throng the newly opened cathedral |
“It was a sign of goodwill that helped promote harmony among various faiths,” Bishop Salvadore Lobo of Baruipur told UCA News.
Sister Mary Prema, superior general of the Missionaries of Charity, opened the Immaculate Heart of Mary Cathedral, located 40 kilometers south of Kolkata, on Nov. 12.
Blessed Teresa of Kolkata has been declared a patron of the cathedral as well, and it was “appropriate” that the nun´s successor should open it, said Bishop Lobo.
Archbishop Lucas Sirkar of Calcutta blessed the new church before a congregation of some 2,000 people and five bishops.
Mohammed Inul Khan, a Muslim who manages a stationery shop near the new cathedral, donated toward the building costs as a symbol of unity. “God is the same although he is called by different names, and God will bless me and my family,” he told UCA News.
Ranjit Ghosh, a Hindu, said he had contributed to the building fund as a goodwill gesture to show how people of different religions can support each other.
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Sister Mary Prema inaugurating the opening of the cathedral |
He said many local Christians donate money during popular Hindu festivals and he was keen to reciprocate.
The cathedral cost 10 million rupees (US$218,000) to build, and features 24 paintings and 32 stained glass windows produced by local artists.
Bishop Lobo said the artworks help explain various aspects of the Catholic faith.
Paul D´Rozario, a Catholic lay leader, said he found the paintings “simple and appealing.”
“They help visitors journey through the history of salvation” in their depictions of the parables and miracles of Jesus, he said.
Bishop Lobo, who took over the diocese in 1994, said the diocese has grown with the establishment of eight parishes in the past 15 years.
“Now is the opportune time for the diocese to have a cathedral,” he said.
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