JOIN USDevotees across the district celebrated the resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ, three days after the agonising crucifixion, in various churches on Saturday night.
Though the Lent started on Ash Wednesday (March 1), Easter rituals began with the Palm Sunday (April 9), followed by Maundy Thursday (Last Supper) and Good Friday (Crucifixion of Jesus Christ).
Mangalore diocesan Bishop Rev Dr Aloysius Paul D’Souza celebrated the Easter Mass at Rosario Cathedral and Udupi diocesan Bishop Rev Dr Gerald Isaac Lobo celebrated the Easter Mass at Milagres Cathedral in Kallianpur.
The celebrations started with the Easter Vigil at the grounds of respective churches. Fire, blessed by the priests from which the Paschal candle was lit, was carried inside the respective churches. It was followed by the chanting the Exsultet, also called the “Easter Proclamation”. It was followed by the readings from Old Testament as well as the New Testament.
The priests also blessed the water (the same holy water is used for all rituals in respective churches till the next Easter). Devotees also renewed the Baptismal Vows and the priests sprinkled newly blessed Holy Water on the congregation.
Though most of the churches were celebrating Easter mass at midnight earlier, hardly a few celebrate it at midnight since a decade.
Most of the churches started Easter celebrations in both Mangalore as well as Udupi diocese at 7 pm.
In Mangaluru, most of the churches - Milagres Church, Holy Cross Church at Kulshekar, St Francis Xavier Church at Bejai, St Sebastian Church at Bendoor and Urwa Church among others celebrated the mass at 7 pm.
In Udupi too, most of the churches had the holy mass at 7 pm.
Some churches had organised entertainment programmes soon after the mass for the parishioners.