By Nirmala Carvalho
Fr Pascal Sinor, parish priest of the Mary of Nazareth Church in Alibaug (Raighad district), in the Archdiocese of Bombay, is organising outreach activities for the upcoming Christmas which will include non-Christians.
His initiative comes amid the health crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which has increased the needs, especially among the poorest, while weakening ties and hindering relations between people.
At present, it is even more important to boost “the social apostolate of the Church” by taking care of about a thousand tribal families, the clergyman said.
Local Church organisations have adopted 11 villages, cared for by as many teachers and two supervisors, as part of a project funded by the Centre for Social Action of the local archdiocese.
by Nirmala Carvalho
Fr Pascal Sinor, pastor at the Mary of Nazareth Church in Alibaug, is behind the initiative. Thanks to the social apostolate of the Church, a thousand tribal families will receive assistance for the celebration. To encourage the flow of worshippers, a large nativity scene was set up outside the church. Many Hindus are also praying before the baby Jesus.
Mumbai (AsiaNews) – Fr Pascal Sinor, parish priest of the Mary of Nazareth Church in Alibaug (Raighad district), in the Archdiocese of Bombay, is organising outreach activities for the upcoming Christmas which will include non-Christians.
His initiative comes amid the health crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which has increased the needs, especially among the poorest, while weakening ties and hindering relations between people.
First published in the Daily Maverick 168 weekly newspaper.
Ten days after South Africans got the December party started, Minister of Health Dr Zweli Mkhize announced that a second wave of Covid-19 infections was sweeping the country with a worrying rate of infections among young people.
With more than 8,000 new cases confirmed on Thursday, outbreaks in four provinces are driving the current wave of coronavirus infections, with the majority of new cases from the Western Cape (30%), followed by the Eastern Cape (24%), KwaZulu-Natal (23%) and Gauteng (17%).
The National Department of Health (DOH) has set an incidence rate of five per 100,000 people as the measurement for a hotspot. All four provinces had exceeded this rate, Mkhize said. While his announcement was accompanied by strong words of caution, he did not specify further restrictions.