Media Release

Mangaluru, Dec 26: The staff and students of SAPUC gathered as a family to spread the joy and spirit of Christmas. The ‘Christmassy’ backdrop with red, green and white colours, the crib and the Christmas tree transformed the campus of SAPUC into a festive arena.

The formal programme began, invoking the blessings of the Almighty through a meaningful prayer. Delilah D’Souza and Joshal D’Souza, students of II PU welcomed the gathering and spoke about the significance of Christmas.

Fr Clifford Sequeira SJ, principal of SAPUC in his address to the gathering gave the significance of Christmas. He stated “God is born as a humane person; the divine becomes humane so that we humans can become divine. Christmas reminds us that everyone has chances to become divine, to become like God himself. In fact the whole creation is graced by the presence of God. Hence, each one of us has the responsibility of taking care of this world. The goodness of Christmas is that God connects with everyone and everything”.

Fr Principal further added that it was Jesus who replaced the Law of Retribution with Law of Love. and through love, Jesus broke down the barriers and boundaries that divided people. He concluded that the message of Christmas is to connect and reconnect with each other, build bonds of friendship, to reach out to one another, to put aside our anger and strive for understanding and to adopt the path of kindness and generosity.

The formal programme was followed by a cultural programme. In keeping with the Christmas spirit, there was a skit portraying the true meaning of Christmas and the joy of giving. The arrival of Santa Claus on the dais created much excitement to the celebrations.

The carol singing by the choir members and a dance by the students added to the festive atmosphere and brought in the year end with gusto. Fr Pradeep Sequeira SJ, the finance officer, Fr Sujay Daniel SJ, the campus minister, vice principals Charlotte D’Souza and Muralikrishna G M, deans, Dr Pradeep M and Kiran Shetty were also present on the occasion.

A prize distribution ceremony was organized to honour the winners of various competitions held during the Christmas season like Star Making, Greeting Card, Poetry Writing, Christmas Decoration, Carol Singing, Dance Competition, Wreath Making, Notice Board Decoration, Christmas E-Star and Christmas E-Card.

After the students programme, the day called for the festivities organized for the staff by the SAPUC management followed by a sumptuous feast. A dance drama depicting the birth of Jesus, with the message of love, peace and harmony was enacted. The staff put up a wonderful show replete with fun-filled games, songs and dance.

Fr Pradeep Sequeira SJ, finance officer in his Christmas message highlighted the significance of giving. He quoted the Letter of St John: 'God so loved the world, that he sent his only son to the world. He stated that, Where there is love, there is giving. And we have to become divine, by giving to others. It is not only materialistic things that God gave. He gave his own love, forgiveness, mercy, kindness, friendship and company'. Together, all the events set the mood for the festive season.