Annual feast of St. Lawrence Church draws thousands of devotees

Mangalore Today News Network

UDUPI, January 31, 2014: Thousands of devotees are participating in the three-day annual feast of St. Lawrence Church, at Attur near Karkala in Udupi district, which began on Tuesday.

John R. D’Silva, vice-president of St. Lawrence Church Attur Parish Council told The Hindu over the telephone on Tuesday that as many as 34 masses were being held during the three-day feast. Besides thousands of devotees, nearly 600 priests and 1,500 sisters from the State and the neighbouring States were visiting the church. Many devotees were lighting candles in front of the statue of St. Lawrence here, he said.

The church has made all arrangements for the devotees coming to the feast. Since a large number of people came in vehicles, arrangements had been made for the parking of 6,000 four-wheelers and over 4,000 two-wheelers. An additional area of 45,000 square feet had been provided this time for parking and other purposes. The road leading to the church had been widened. Besides this, drinking water and toilet facilities had been provided.

Mass

The Bishop of Udupi Catholic Diocese Gerald Isaac Lobo had offered the mass at 6 p.m. on Tuesday. “A special feature this time is that masses would be offered in four languages – Konkani, Kannada, English and Malayalam,” he said.

The Bishop of Belthangady Diocese Lawrence Mukkuzhy offered mass in Malayalam at 8.30 a.m. on Wednesday. The Bishop of Mangalore Catholic Aloysius Paul D’Souza offered the mass at 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday. Dr. Lobo offered the mass again at 10.30 a.m. on Thursday.

Beggars Day

Beggars Day will be celebrated on Friday (January 31). Two hundis (money collection boxes) were placed near the two entrance gates to collect money for the relief of beggars. The beggars would be given meals at 12 noon on January 31. The money from these two boxes would be distributed among beggars based on their needs.

Tight security

Tight security arrangements have been made for the feast. As many as 48 CCTV cameras had been installed at various vital points including the amusement park. Over 600 police personnel were taking care of the security. As many as 450 volunteers of the Catholic Sabha and 500 volunteers of the church and church school were looking after various aspects of the feast, Mr. D’ Silva said.

History

St. Lawrence Church is said to have been in existence since 1759. The three-day annual festival of the Church is a popular event in the district. It is held on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of the last week of January every year. It attracts devotees not just from the State but from across the country.

St. Lawrence Church is located in the serene surroundings at the base of “Parpale Hill” in Attur village, about 5km from Karkala. The “Attur Jatre” is popular among the local people.

 

Courtesy: The Hindu