Renovated Vettucaud church in Kerala consecrated

Mangalore Today News Network

Thiruvananthapuram,  Feb 01, 2018 : The renovated Vettucaud Madre de Deus church, a major Christian pilgrim centre in south Kerala,  consecrated on january 31, Wednesday.

 

Archbishop of Latin archdiocese Soosa Pakiam  dedicate the church to the public at a function. Major Archbishop of Syro-Malankara Catholic Church Baselios Cleemis will deliver the gospel homily.

A procession, which will be attended by 13 bishops and around 100 priests will be held. At the flag pole, Bishop Christudas blessed the flag pole and parish priest Monsignor Nicolas hoists the flag marking the beginning of the Mother Mary’s festival. Representatives of believers, workers and carpenters  hand over the key of the new church to the bishop, the church priest opened the door.

The renovated church building was sanctified in a three hour ceremony where the idols and pictures of Jesus Christ, saints and Mother Mary were blessed by the sacred holy water.

According to church representatives, the renovated church is an architectural marvel. The newly constructed three-dimensional church dome is designed based on Michelangelo’s painting “The Last Judgment’ and is modelled on the dome of Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. The entire structure is made of fibreglass. The dome is placed 60 feet above the base of the church. The artwork was done by a team led by Alex Chandy and took around 18 months to complete. The interior of the church was done in Roman, Gothic, Byzantine and Indian style.

The main entrance of the church depicts Christ’s Jerusalem entry. The floor is made of Italian marble and furnishing is done using teak wood. Glass paintings illustrating Jesus Christ’s miracles and Mother Mary’s idols will decorate the interior of the church. Fans exported from the US and Belgium bells are other highlights of the new church. M A Sebastain from Kochi is the architect.