NewsKarnataka – Karkala
Karkala: The annual feast of the Shrine of St Lawrence in Attur, Karkala began with devotion on Tuesday January 28. The feast will continue till the Thursday January 30.
The first Mass of the annual festival was celebrated at 7.30 am by Fr Norbert D’Souza, Capuchin Priest serving in Srilanka. Fr Patrick Rodrigues, Director of Father Muller Hospital, Dr Gerald Isaac Lobo, Bishop of Udupi together with Fr George D’Souza, the new Rector of the Shrine are guiding the festive celebrations.
‘Family is the cradle of faith’ is the theme of the feast this year. A number of devotees from different corners of Karnataka and neighbouring states are visiting the shrine for the feast and are partaking in the Holy Masses with great devotion. The visitors are seen devoutly visiting the relic of St Lawrence, confessing their sins, visiting the pool at the shrine and receiving flowers and holy water in the shrine.
Altogether there are 33 Masses during the festival this year in Kannada, English, Malayalam and Konkani languages including three masses which were held on Monday January 27. The second day of Feast will have 12 masses and 7 masses on the last day which is celebrated as the ‘Guiding Mother Festival’ (Giadh Mayechi Porob). The last mass would be at 5.30 pm on Thursday.
Dr Gerald Isaac Lobo will be celebrating the festival Mass on Thursday January 30 at 10 am. The main festival Mass was organized on Wednesday, January 29 which was celebrated by Dr Aloysius Paul D’Souza, Bishop of Mangalore at 10.30 am.
This is the second annual feast of the shrine after the establishment of the new Diocese of Udupi. The campus has been extended by leveling the ground for the devotees and confessions have been arranged near the shrine. Several CCTV cameras have been installed for the safety of the devotees.
Arrangements have been made systematically to cater to the needs of the devotees. The rector, the chaplain, parish vice-president John D’Silva, local panchayat administration, police and administrative services, Attur parishioners, Karkala Deanery Catholic Sabha, diocesan as well as religious priests, sisters and lay leaders have joined hands with spiritual enthusiasm to make the festival a great success.
