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A beautiful Christ The King (Raj Rajeshvar) Church was inaugurated in Don Bosco - Dakor on 08-11-2015
Special Thanks to all the Don Bosco fathers for giving us a beautiful church for Gujarat Church. Special thanks to Rev. Fr. Issac (Parish priest of Dakor) and Rev. Fr. Alex
After a long wait of many years, Gujarat’s Dakor can finally boast of a proper place of worship for its Catholic faithful. On November 8, 2015, the “Christ the King” Church was
consecrated by His Grace Archbishop Thomas Macwan of the Gandhinagar Diocese, in the presence of nearly 1,500 people. Built by the Salesians of Don Bosco and located within their Dakor campus, the church building is the culmination of ceaseless efforts by the Salesian community. They were determined that the faithful in the area, whom the Salesians had ministered to for over 35 years, should have more than a school hall in which to worship the Lord.
The octagonal structure, built on stilts because of the propensity of flooding in the area during the monsoons, can be spotted from afar thanks to a magnificent statue of Christ the King placed at the top of the building.
The beautiful church was erected and consecrated barely one year after the foundation stone was laid, thanks to the passion and hard work of scores of people including the architect, the civil contractor, construction workers, carpenters, electricians, painters, interior designers and artisans. And of course, nothing would have been possible without the generous support of financial benefactors from India and around the world.
The morning of November 8 saw the residents of two adjoining Salesian compounds - the religious priests, brothers and nuns and their boarding schools’ wards - awake to a day of much excitement and anticipation. Even though they had not had much sleep the previous night thanks to rehearsals and last minute preparations, everyone was buzzing with energy.The members of the organising committees also arrived early and everyone went about their tasks with gusto.
Guests from outstation started arriving in the morning itself and visitors from around Gujarat joined them in large numbers as the function began at 14:30. The whole place was a riot of colour as men, women and children turned out in their festive best. Added to that was the colour from the decorated outdoor makeshift cloth-covered hall and the floral arrangements. Devotional music was broadcast and the atmosphere was set for a day of celebration.
First there was a procession to the school ground. It was led by gaily dressed women in traditional Gujarati attire, bearing pots adorned with marigolds and leaves. They were followed by the altar servers and volunteers holding a statue of a seated Christ the King which had been blessed by the archbishop. Then, there came a great many priests and the main celebrants along with the archbishop. Other religious participants and the lay people followed them to the ground. Here, the parishioners of Christ the King Church and invitees from other parishes in the Ahmedabad diocese performed the traditional Gujarati dance ‘garba’. It started out with a few people and gradually swelled into a large circle. It was a beautiful sight. No-one needed an invitation to join. They were dancing with joy, in step with each other.
The procession then resumed and headed to the main celebration area, to the makeshift hall outside the church building. There, on the landing between the steps leading to the church, Archbishop Macwan celebrated mass and consecrated the church. He cut the ribbon and opened the doors of the church. Later, the altar,which was placed outside the church, was blessed with incense and anointed with holy oil and then the walls of the church were also incensed and anointed.
When mass was over, the celebrants placed the consecrated hosts in the tabernacle for the very first time and the blessed altar was also taken into the church. And then the crowds moved to see the interior of the church, leaving their footwear outside as is the Indian tradition in places of worship. It was a joyful scene. People looked about in awe at the beautiful interiors – the stained glass over the windows and in the ceiling, the textured wall of the sanctuary, the Risen Christ on the Cross, the aesthetic tabernacle, baptismal font, lectern and altar,the beautiful ‘Indian’ Holy Family and Don Bosco statues. They clicked photos everywhere and congratulated their priests.
This was followed by a felicitation of the priests, artisans and workers, whosework had made the church structure a reality. And then, after the sun had set and the stars started to adorn the night sky, the children of the boys’ and girls’ boarding schools put up a splendid musical play depicting Jesus’ works of preaching and healing in his public ministry. It was an absolute treat to watch them act, sing and dance to lovely Gujarati singing by a children’s choir.
Archbishop Thomas Macwan described the church as a ‘masterpiece’, and Salesian Mumbai Vice-Provincial Fr Savio Silveria said it was a gift from God. Both congratulated the Salesian community of Dakor, particularly Fr Alex Fernandes, the previous parish priest, and Fr Isaac Arackaparambil, the present parish priest, for their vision, determination and hard work to build the Church.
Archbishop Macwan told the gathering to remember that the church was named after Christ the King who said that he had not come to be served, but to serve; and he called upon the faithful to follow the same.
Finally, everyone participated in a fellowship meal, and then dispersed.
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