Christians observe Good Friday with prayers and fasting

For Christians across the City, Good Friday passed in a chorus of hymns and prayers and fasting.

As Brother Anthony Raj, a seminarian from Magadi Road, explained, Good Friday is an important occasion for Christians to renew their faith by observing a fast and remembering the sufferings Jesus Christ went through some 2,000 years ago.

The day also offers a refreshing combination of brotherly love and communion.
For 30-year-old Ashwini Sainath, a recent convert visiting St Mary’s Basilica, the day proved a thrilling introduction to her new faith.

“This is the first time I have visited the church and it was perhaps fortunate that my visit happened to coincide with Good Friday,” she said.

“It was a delight to watch people from all walks of life coming together and observing the day. Attending mass prayers and listening to the readings from the Holy Bible were an enlightening experience.”

St Mary’s Basilica, one of the oldest churches in the City, teemed with thousands of people on Friday. Like in previous years, there were special prayers held from 8 am to 10 pm.

Large gatherings were also seen at other churches, including St Vincent Pallotti, Our Lady of Lourdes and Don Bosco.

Laxmi Mary, an employee of a private company at Jeevan Bhima Nagar, explained she eagerly anticipated Good Friday every year as it affords her an opportunity to meet all her cousins and relatives.

“All my relatives take part in the mass prayers at a church in the city, followed by a simple lunch. It has become a tradition of ours.”

The Full Gospel Assembly of God Church arranged the ‘Extra mile for an extra soul’ event at the Palace Grounds, which was attended by more than 40,000 people of all age groups. Worship ceremonies and a play on Christ’s death and suffering were also held.