Bangalore, November 13: Sporting a white cap and a cricket jersey, Archbishop Peter Machado knocked - the first ball off at a cricket tournament (Priests Premier League) of his Archdiocesan priests. The cricket tournament organized for the Priests of the Archdiocese of Bangalore since 2015 by Fr. A. Benedict Rajesh and Fr. Vinoo Fabian.
The Holy Ghost Church ground (Redemptorists) was filled with priests, both young and old. Some played, some cheered. Players clad in Green, Red, Blue and orange were seen warming-up. Delegates of the sponsors were also present. It is a wonderful occasion for priests to come together for recreation. It promotes love and unity which should not be limited to the ground but rather be carried over in our priestly ministry. PPL comprises of four teams such as Lions of Judah (Blue Jersey), Sons of Thunder (Green Jersey), Bulls of Bashan (Orange Jersey) and Mighty warriors (Red Jersey).
While inaugurating the tournament, the Prelate, Archbishop Peter Machado said 'it feels so good to see priests come together for recreation' 'Togetherness on these occasions spells unity and love. Let's work in this direction'. The Archbishop greeted the players and launched the game. "As we are united as teams here, we also should exhibit the same unity in all our endeavors in the Archdiocese... Nobody is a loser here, we all are winners,” he added.
There were four teams of priests namely Sons of Thunder, Mighty Warriors, Lions of Judah and Bulls of Bashan. The teams looked colorful as they wore orange, red, blue and green jerseys respectively. Fr. Adolf Washington and Fr. Devadas entertained the spectators with their hilarious commentary as the crowd reciprocated with cheerful applause.
Archbishop was also a team member and opening batsmen of Lions of Judah. The 4 teams battled with each other to enter the final. Lions of Judah and the Bulls of Bashan played the final match. Bulls of Bashan were the Winners of PPL Season 3- 2019.The sponsors of this Season 3 PPL were Yahweh Software Solutions, Infant Private Limited, Chrizanta Caterers and Reliance foundation. Trophies were awarded for the Winners, Runners Up, Player of the Tournament, Batsmen of the Tournament, Bowler of the Tournament and also for all the Participants.
Comments of the Few Fathers who participated: Fr. Amarnath, # “Congratulations to winners. Bad luck to my team, thank my team members for giving their best. Thank you dear vino and Ben for successfully organizing the event….. Three cheer to all.”; Fr. Francis Christopher, #“It was a great day…. thanks to Organisers… its not the matte of wins n looses…its coming together… how we respect & appreciate each other.”; Fr. Divya Paul, #“Thanks you Ben and Vinoo for such an awesome day. Truly appreciate your effort and goodness to make this event…a day to remember and look forward to each year. God bless your generous hearts.” Fr. Arun Santosh, #“… thanks for making it a memorable day with lots of fun and joy…. thanks to all brother priests for coming together… Lets keep this spirit alive.”
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Fr. Adolf Washington
Mr. Ajay Raj
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