ROD News: Pilgrims pay tribute to Virgin Marry.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Pilgrims pay tribute to Virgin Marry.

Written By: Jawad Mazhar (ROD)

Sargodha, Pakistan, Oct 21^st (ROD): Pilgrims from all across Pakistan flocked up at St Francis Xavier Catholic Church at Sargodha, Pakistan, to pay their respects and tribute to Virgin Marry. This Christian gathering has become the third most important Christian festival, which is celebrated annually with great religious fervor and devotion after the Christmas & Easter. This Holy event is called ‘Mela’ (Punjabi Word)

Some enthusiastic and dedicated youths arrived after covering long distances on Bicycles to pray to Saint Marry other came walking bare feet from

His Grace Bishop Anthony Theodore Lobo addressed the convention and explained the motive behind this great Congregational Gathering and underscored on the need of Interfaith Peace and Harmony. In his sermon he said that followers of all faiths including Christians, Muslims, Shiite, Ahamadis, Bhais, Hindus, Sikhs and Parsis must learn to co-exist peacefully in Pakistan. He condemned all kinds of terrorism in Pakistan. He also prayed for the progress and prosperity of Pakistan.

Enthusiastic Christian youth from all across the Pakistan participated in the Mela with great zeal and religious devotion and dedication.

Sister Lillian, a visitor from Italy told ROD that root purpose of the gathering is to deepen the faith of Christians.

Fr Mukhtar Alam said that people should come and pray for the Christianity in Pakistan. He also said that we should pray to Virgin Marry to bless Pakistan.

Fr William from Nowshehra, a small city of conservative North West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan apprised ROD that reason of this Christian gathering is to glorify Virgin Marry. Catholics come here to receive the blessings of the Virgin Mother.

A choir from the Fatima Catholic Church, Jehlum participated in the Mela, and glorified the Lord Jesus Christ and Virgin Marry by hymns. A member of the choir Ms Huma Nasir told ROD that she is very happy to come and praise the Lord at Sargodha.

Chairman of Rays of Development Organization (ROD), Sargodha Mr Ferhan Mazher said that objective of this Christian gathering is to create mutual understanding and tolerance. He appealed to the followers of all the faiths and sects living in Pakistan to forget the past’s bitter experiences, leave parochialism far behind, and embrace each other with love.

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An introduction to Rays of Development Organization

Vision

Rays of Development Organization (ROD) loves and respects every human being as loved and respected by God, regardless of their color, creed, sect, race, gender or dialect. It speaks up for those who can not speak for themselves.

Rays of Development Organization wishes to build a society with Justice, Peace, harmony, health & education for all, democracy without any sort of discrimination, happy and healthy people enjoying equal rights and greener mother earth.

Ambitions of the ROD

It is Rays of Development’s utmost effort to facilitate, educate and forge understanding among the underprivileged and uncared residents of the most neglected, undeveloped and far off bucolic areas, about;

Health care
Education
Rights of Women and Children
Interfaith peace and harmony
Protecting the environment

Moreover

1) ROD highlights violation of human rights and atrocities in the local, national and international media. ROD points out muggers and tries to eradicate the motives/elements behind such atrocities, through peaceful means.

2) Rays of Development Organization conducts seminars, symposia, dialogues, lectures, rallies, walks and study circles to evoke awareness

about the human rights and social issues at the grass root level in the society.

3) As majority of the Pakistani people are illiterate, therefore Street theater is one of the most successful techniques implemented by ROD to convey messages of mass interest very easily and effectively such as protection of women and children’s rights.

Registration

Rays of Development Organization is a registered non-government, non-political, no-religious charitable organization. Its registration number is 243 under Societies’ Act 1860, since Dec. 2006.

Area of work

Pakistan is a developing country with four provinces namely Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and North West Frontier province (NWFP), a huge majority of the Pakistani populace live in villages. Residents of these villages and ghettos are illiterate and they depend entirely on the crop growing for the bread and butter of their families. The wages of these villagers are very, very low (equivalent or less than 1.5 $) and most often in the form of fruits, vegetables or wheat. For this reason they are in an appalling socio-economic condition. Unlike the land lords or elite of the country, they are incapable of

educating their children or providing better facilities to themselves or their children.

Thus the lack of education, consciousness and prosperity, consequences in to the terrorism, usage of drugs, violation of the rights and abuse of women, interfaith intolerance, child abuse and labor, exploitation and usurping the privileges of common man, ignorance about environment and health.

Rays of Development Organization has accepted the challenge and it has been operating in the most rustic and remote areas of Pakistan. At present ROD is focused in the villages, slums and other backward localities.

Area of Operation

ROD has reached to these places and conducted seminars, rallies, study circles, street theater plays and media coverage. Hitherto, ROD has worked hard pertaining to the protection of women’s rights, civil liberties, health care, vocational training, children’s rights and reduction/prevention of drugs.

In the future ROD plans to keep up and expand its efforts in the best interest of deprived humankind. ROD desires to eliminate all sorts of discrimination on the basis of gender, religion, sect, race, language, social status or color. ROD is significantly toiling to establish educational & vocational training centers in the future, so that people might be able to generate more income in a respectable manner. ROD wants to provide health facilities to every individual, living any where in Pakistan and wishes to see a better and greener mother earth in the future.

ROD News

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Pilgrims pay tribute to Virgin Marry.

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