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   Stamps from across the world, viewed from a faith perspective   
      
   By Paul Fernandes   
      
   PILAR: A 40-year-old stamp from Iran depicts the Mother and Child. Another   
   rare one from Spain shows the circumcision ceremony of Jesus. And the Holy   
   Family's flight to Egypt is an artistic expression of the scene, released by   
   Katanga (now in Congo).   
      
   These are some of the eye-catching stamps at an exhibition organised by   
   Major Seminary, on Pilar hillock. Called `Faith Expression in Stamps', it   
   provides philatelists and others a rare opportunity to see and appreciate   
   the range of stamps depicting the life of Christ and some great religious   
   personalities under different sections.   
      
   `Baptism of Jesus'  is another touching scene captured in a stamp released   
   by Ethiopia. Some of our great religious personalities like Fr Jose Vaz find   
   a place in the section on `Tribute to Great Men'.   
      
   While most stamps on show had been released by Catholic nations, what is   
   equally interesting is that several Muslim nations have also released many   
   on various aspects of the life of Jesus and the Holy Family. "It showed   
   their true spirit of secularism," says Fr Cosme J Costa, well known writer   
   and priest at Pilar.   
      
   The Republique du Burundi had brought out stamps on the 14 stations of the   
   Cross. A stamp released by Ethiopia has a scene showing Jesus after he is   
   brought down from the Cross after his crucifixion.   
      
   Ras-al-Khaima, one of the seven states of United Arab Emirates (UAE), had   
   released a stamp of the Crib and this can be seen in the section on `Cribs   
   of the World'. The stamps shown in this section range from 1964 to 2001.   
      
   St Francis Xaveir used to sign with a flourish and this finds place in a   
   stamp released by the Portuguese government in Goa in 1931.   
      
   The Major Semfinary had participated in a philatelic exhibition of 1962 and   
   had won the second prize. From then on, the collection has grown and is   
   worthy of appreciation by stamp lovers and others.   
      
   The exhibition will continue till early January, 2005, according to sources   
   at Pilar.   
      
      
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