Thanksgiving ceremony in Dibrugarh Church

DIBRUGARH: The passage to sainthood of Mother Teresa was celebrated by the Christian community here on Sunday with special thanksgiving ceremonies and prayers across churches and homes.
Bishop Joseph Aind led a thanksgiving prayer in the morning at the Sacred Heart Cathedral of the Catholic Church located at Khalihamari. The prayer was attended by around 500 parishioners from across the city.People came and lit candles in front of a huge portrait of Mother Teresa which was placed inside the cathedral. The church choir group kept the congregation entertained by singing songs and carols.
At the Catholic Church, the anticipation for the big day had begun 9-days earlier with the parishioners participating in 'Novena' prayer. Novena, which comes from the Latin word novem meaning nine, consists of public or private prayers repeated for nine successive days. The Catholic Church was set up in 1931 and is one of the oldest churches in northeast India.
The nuns at the Missionaries of Charity at Boiragimoth, too, organized a special thanksgiving prayer on Sunday. Fruits and sweets were distributed among the inmates of the home. Special prayers were also held at the Baptist Church at Jail Road, Church of Jesus Christ at Kadamoni, Presbyterian Church of India at Paltan Bazar, Church of North India at South Khalihamari. In the Christian neighbourhoods, people were seen rejoicing the special moment as they watched the event live from the Vatican City.
Twenty-three years ago, on August 2, 1993, Mother Teresa had set foot in Dibrugarh on her way to Borduria village in Arunachal Pradesh's Tirap district to participate in a consecration ceremony of the local parish church.