Christians observe All Souls’ Day in Dibrugarh with solemn prayers and candlelight tribute

A CORRESPONDENT

DIBRUGARH: Members of the Dibrugarh Inter Church Forum (DICF) congregated at the historic Christian Cemetery near India Club on Sunday to commemorate All Souls’ Day, offering prayers and lighting candles on tombs in remembrance of departed souls. The solemn observance reflects the Christian tradition of honouring the dead and praying for those believed to be in purgatory.

DICF, an umbrella organization encompassing various Christian denominations such as Catholics, Baptists, Church of North India (CNI), Church of Jesus Christ, and Kuki Fellowship, coordinated the event. All Souls’ Day is observed annually by Christians worldwide as a day of prayer and reflection, strengthening spiritual connections with the deceased through acts of devotion and mercy.

Denis Bird, President of DICF, led the prayer service. Fr Gabriel Kujur, Assistant Parish Priest of Sacred Heart Cathedral, Dibrugarh, offered the opening prayer, followed by Rev Noeldeep Swargiary of CNI Church who delivered reflections based on Biblical scripture.

“Today we reaffirm our spiritual bond with those who have departed from us and fulfil our sacred responsibility to intercede for their souls through prayer,” said Fr Joy Pallikunel, senior priest of the Catholic Diocese of Dibrugarh, who conducted prayers for all departed faithful. After the service, participants lit candles on various tombs at the cemetery, despite many graves being obscured by overgrown creepers, vegetation, and shrubs. Another prayer session was planned for the Paltan Bazar Cemetery at 2 pm on Sunday.

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