Hi,
The Parish of St. John the Baptist at Thane in Mumbai actively reccomends and
supports burial in a shroud, quite akin to the shroud used to cover the body of
Christ,despite the riches of Joseph of Arimatea --a friend of Jesus. This
Parish provides a Coffin service for those who would still prefer to be in a
Box. The shrouded body is then removed, placed in the grave, and the Coffin is
cleaned and used again and again.This is a factual report as I had occassion to
recently be in Thane Mumbai.
Another pioneering effort of the Archdiocesan Board of Education (ABE) of
Mumbai is their outreach to prevent suicides by children. All teachers Iin
ABE SCHOOLS are rostered to undergo TRAINING IN SUICIDE PREVENTION. Perhaps
the Archdiocese of Goa, Daman and Diu could take a leaf out of the initiatives
of the Archdiocese of Mumbai.Or are local conditions in Goa as assessed by the
Clergy in Goa, not yet ready for such initiatives? Can we in Goa match
preaching with action. I believe that Christ rolled up his sleeves and took a
whip to the moneylenders and vendors in the Temple at Jerusalem in his times,
content and context.
Gerry..
