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Happy New Year Twenty-Ten --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Happy New Year to all Let us write to the PM, CMs, President, Governors, Parliamentarians, MPs, MLAs, Trade Unions, etc to see to it that from next year (2011) the 1st of January is declared a National Holiday because the 1st of January is not only celebrated by Christians but in recent years even Hindus are celebrating. In most countries around the world including atheist China the 1st of January is a national holiday. New Year is celebrated all over the globe with full energy and enthusiasm. The date has been decided after the Gregorian calendar. The Gregorian calendar is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582. Community Leaders of goan christians, mangalorean christians, marathi christians, gujrati christians, etc should ensure that their community members have reservations in government jobs in their respective states and also ensure that community members are adequately represented in the defence force, police force and the corridors of power i.e. parliament , state assemblys, collectors office, municipalities, etc. A Bad Parish Priest is the one who simply offers Mass in a routine style, who preach uncontroversial piety or popular psychology, hear Confessions passively, answer the phone and door, pay the diocesan assessment (the tax on parish income) and misuses church assets,wealth,resources,properties for his personal benefit. A Good Parish priest is the one who is an excellent homilist, thoughtful, wise, theologically and liturgically astute, intellectually sound and of the highest integrity, who asks thoughtful and probing questions, who expects truthful and accountable behavior, who wrestles with the complicated challenges of life, who behaves in a principled manner, who is NOT shallow, silly, insecure, self absorbed, fiscally irresponsible, rude or greedy, who uses church assets,wealth,resources, properties for the benefit of poor Christian parishioners. If a Bad Priest has been deputed to a parish, the parishioners will suffer. If a Good Priest has been deputed to a Parish, the parishioners will prosper. Those Christians who are operating with Hindu names are doing it to deceive Hindus. Just as those Hindus who are operating with Christian names in call centers are doing it to deceive christians in the west. Let those christians who have hindu names, change their names to a suitable christian name and prove they are True Christians. Missionaries are most welcome to preach the Gospel of Christ but in the last two decades some of the missionaries who have been receiving tons of foreign donations are indulging in Allurement based conversions this is very sad. Let the Clergy and Missionaries not ignore the opinions of the laity on matters related to church or conversion activities. In Europe the vatican, clergy, missionaries did not bother about the opinions of the laity as a result Christianity has died in Europe. Europe without Christianity is equal to Europe without God. Look at the past of Europe when smaller countries like portugual or spain which were able to conquer bigger lands in Asia, Africa, Americas and look at the present day European Union which is struggling to defeat Taliban and look how the european population is graying. Even the Vatican can’t do anything to revive Christianity in Europe. Check http://www.catholic.org for information on world catholic news. The Bible played an essential role in the creation of the United States, and it continues to provide the moral compass for America. There is much adversity in America, but this nation is blessed because it is predominantly a Christian nation. Brian D'souza Bombay.