Bandel (WB), Dec 24 (PTI) The 418-year-old BandelChurch here, one of the oldest in eastern India, has pickedthe novel cause of caring for Mother Earth as its Christmastheme this year.
Bandel Church prior, Salesian Fr T L Francis, said agiant Christmas crib made of bio-degradable andenvironment-friendly materials depicting the birth of Jesushas been put up for Christmas.
A newly erected 20-feet mural of The Last Supper wouldbe another attraction for thousands of visitors at thecenturies-old Marian shrine on the banks of the Hooghly river,about 40 km from Kolkata.
Visitors this year would also get to see a rarerepresentation of Jesus as Good Shepherd juxtaposed withMother Mary holding Jesus in one hand and a lamp in the other,he said.
"Let us give and share with a view of building a newheaven and new earth, where nature is taken care of and welive in peace," Father Francis said in his Christmas message.
This year, the Bandel Church, founded in 1599 by theAugustinian monks, is expecting record number of visitors asthe X-mas eve is on a Sunday, followed by Christmas on Monday.
"Each year, over a lakh visitors cutting acrossreligious beliefs visit the Bandel Church during the Christmasseason. It has larger-than-life statues of popular Christiansaints like Mother Mary, Mother Teresa, Don Bosco, St Joseph,St Augustine, St Francis Xavier and others.
"There is also the life-size Station of The Crossdepicting 14 scenes from the final hours of Jesus' life, and54 statues and a Christmas crib depicting the birth of Jesus,"he said.
Natural materials like bamboo, jute and moss have beenused to construct the crib this year, said Subrata Ganguly ofKolkata-based firm 'Church Art', specialising in designing artwork for churches, museums and schools in India and abroad.
"We wanted to convey the Christmas spirit throughMother Mary who nurtures and cares for Jesus. The Mother alsotakes care of the weak and helpless in the creation," he said.
The Bandel Church has recently restored and put backon display a historical 'mast', which was damaged during astorm in 2010.
The mast was a votive offering to the Church from thecaptain of a Portuguese ship that was miraculously saved in atempest in the Bay of Bengal in 1655.
The Archaeological Survey of India has declared themast a heritage item. PTI AKB KKRBT.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.
