Good Friday observed with prayers, sermons

Good Friday was observed by hundreds of Christians in the City on Friday.  Thousands of followers of the Our Lady of Lourdes church in Whitefield thronged the church to perform the 14-step of Catholic devotion to mark Christ's last day on Earth as a man, while hundreds offered prayers at the St Mary's Basilica in Shivajinagar.

While a majority of believers like Seraphim, a media professional observed the day by visiting the church, there were others who had to go to work. “I had to take leave from my work today. My family had come from my home town in Andhra Pradesh and we all went to church. We heard a sermon there and the day was well spent,” he said.  

Although Friday was a government holiday, many private companies functioned as usual, as a result many people had to make separate arrangements to observe the day. “There was too much of work load and I could not take off. However there is a sermon in the church in the evening and I am planning to go for it after work,” said Jency James, who works in the retail sector.

Special sermons
A number of other churches in the city organised special sermons to commemorate the day. The church of the Apostle Fellowship Tabernacle at Chandapura, Electronics City organised three services. “The day is more important to us than Christmas. Sermons in Kannada, Tamil and English were organised and around 700 people attended,” said Pastor Joseph Stephen of the church.