Karkala: Food packets and alms were distributed to the destitute at the St. Lawrence Basilica on Friday, January 27, after five days of the annual feast of the Saint of Miracles.
The annual feast was observed from Sunday to Thursday which was attended by more than 15 lakh devotees breaking the barriers of relegions.
Since seventeen years the alms giving tradition has been going on at the shrine. Prior to this practice, the destitute and large beggars used to have a free run during the annual feast at Attur due to which most of the pilgrims had to face inconvenience and harassment from them for alms. Later, in line with the government policy of discouraging begging in public places and to avoid inconvenience to the pilgrims, the Shrine Committee with the help of police decided to put an end to begging during the annual feast of Attur.
Instead the pilgrims were asked to deposit their alms meant for the destitute in separate boxes. The same was distributed to the destitute at the end of five days of the feast along with packets of cooked food. The children were denied alms packets as a matter of policy in order to discourage begging among them.
The alms were distributed in the presence of Rev Fr. George D’Souza Rector of Basilica, Rev Fr. Vijay D’Souza, Assistant Parish Priest and John D’Silva, elected Vice President of Basilica Parish Pastoral Council. The beggars were divided into three categories depending on their problems and state of their health. Around 2500 destitute received alms totaling Rs. 10.32 lakh.
The five days annual feast ended with distribution of alms and packets to the destitute at the St. Lawrence Basilica, Attur Karkala.
According to the life history of St Lawrence, the emperor of Rome had demanded that St Lawrence turned over the riches of the Church. St Ambrose is the earliest source for the tale of St Lawrence who says that he had requested for three days’ time to gather all the wealth. St Lawrence worked swiftly to distribute as much church property to the poor as possible, so as to prevent it from being seized. On the third day, as the head of a small delegation, he presented himself to the emperor and when the king ordered to give the treasure of the church he presented the poor, the crippled, the blind and the suffering and said these were the true treasures of the Church. The emperor was so angry that he pronounced the death sentence on St Lawrence. As a remembrance of this event, every year, alms are being distributed to the beggars and the destitute at St Lawrence Shrine Attur.
