Annual fair of St Lawrence shrine, Attur commences

Mangalore Today News Network

Karkala, Jan 29, 2013: The annual  festival of the famous St Lawrence shrine at Attur in Karkala has commenced on January 29, Tuesday. The first mass was held on Tuesday morning  and was celebrated by Fr John Barboza, the Vicar  of Karkala Deanery. Fr Arthur Pereira, the Shrine Director honoured the ‘pirjent’ and said the theme of the three day annual festival of the shrine is ‘‘Lord, increase our faith.’ It may be recalled here that  the Pope Benedict XVI had declared the period from October 2012 to November 2013 at the year of Faith.

Devotees in large numbers, not only from various parts of DK and Udupi districts, but from all over the state and also the neighbouring states have descended to  Attur, to be a part of the festivities and seek the blessings of St Lawrence.

 

There  will be 30 masses in Kannada and Hindi during the festival and after every Mass there will be a  special prayer for the sick in Konkani as well as Kannada languages.The last day  of the festival  is celebrated as the ‘Guiding Mother Festival’ (Giadh Mayechi Porob).

Mangalore Bishop Rev. Dr Aloysius Paul D’Souza,  will celebrate the Special Mass in Kannada at 6 pm on January 29, Tuesday. The main festival mass to be held at 10 am on January 30 will be celebrated by  Udupi Bishop  Dr Gerald Isaac Lobo. On January 31, the  festival mass of ‘Giyadh Mai’ would be celebrated by Very Rev. Msgr Baptist Menezes, the Vicar General of the Udupi Diocese. This is the first festival at the St Lawrence Shrine after Udupi Diocese was formed.