Mumbai (AsiaNews) - Fr Lino Fernandes SFX, parish priest at the Church of the Blessed Mother Teresa in Siadih (Diocese of Jamshedpur, Jharkhand), told AsiaNews that the procession by tribal Mundari celebrating the feast day of Christ the King on Sunday was a "powerful show of faith".
For the clergyman, the social dimension of the event was proof that "people of different religions can live in respect, love, unity and harmony."
The parish community includes 45 families, scattered among 25 villages. Scores of these live some 15-20 kilometres from the church.
At 9 am, the Sacrament left the convent and was taken in procession through the main streets and hidden alleys of the parish.
Dressed in traditional Mundari costumes, children from the Catholic hostel led the way, throwing flowers along the path and carrying banners dedicated to Christ the King.
"The procession lasted about 90 minutes, with four stops for short liturgical celebrations," the priest told AsiaNews.
"At each stop," added the Pilar missionary (Society of the Missionaries of Saint Francis Xavier, founded in Goa in 1887), "the faithful laid a carpet and set up an altar, to host the Sacrament. Before the prayer, children performed some traditional dances."
The group "passed in front of shops owned by Christians and non-Christians," he explained.
"We stopped in front of the homes of Catholic families, who had lit the lamps out of respect for Christ, who was standing in front of their homes. Almost all shop owners, including those owned by non-Christians, came out to watch the liturgy."
After an hour and a half, the procession reached the Church of the Blessed Mother Teresa for the final blessing.
"This celebration renewed enthusiasm for the faith in our Catholics," Father Lino said.
"For me, as a Pilar missionary, it revived the missionary zeal in this community and reminded me that Christian life is constantly moving towards God."
"For our children," he added, the celebration "might seem a simple devotional practice, but it actually creates in them a deep emotion, which helps them make the celebration more real and meaningful."