Mary @ Vallarpadam: Kerala catholics

Showing posts with label Kerala catholics. Show all posts

Sunday, 1 July 2018

Sunday Grace

Trolling ban during the month of June & July are keeping the boats idle.

It was a beautiful Sunday in our Monsoon. Sunny and warm. The world Cup 2018 FIFA foot ball cup is on in Russia and last night was the match between Argentina and France. Since we had grown watching Maradona and his men winning the 1986 world cup for his country we are sentimentally attached to the Argentinian team. They lost to France 3-4 in a tense last 16 knock-out round match.

The late night had got me late in waking up and when I reached Vallarpadam eventually it was nearing 2' o clock. I saw these beautiful boats all neatly tied up near the jetty by the flag post. Surprisingly, the air was so still, none of the boats moved at all.

Beata Teresa Manganiello

Last Sunday a last minute call to work took me away for most of the day and I couldn't come to Vallarpadam. I missed the bliss the whole week and had slowed down quite a bit during the middle of the week. I was hoping to come in between during the week, but couldn't, some of the days it was raining very hard. So today, I was very focused and attentive with my meditative thanks giving and weekly breakups of events. I did that very earnestly. After the quite time, I was looking around when I came across this beautiful box with the picture of Teresa Manganiello by the window sill. My curiosity made me open the box and I found a light colored wooden cross inside. Someone's parents safe keep which they have left here, perhaps after the dear one died.

The Italian nun is a very popular saint, even movies are made after her; you can read more about her at Beata Teresa Manganiello (click the name).

After the vegetarian lunch at Meenakshi Restaurant I came back and sat in the portico converted prayer hall. The Sunlight was perfect and the statue of Meenakshi Amma offering herself and her child to Mary came out well in the picture I took. Since the statue deck has been cleared recently there were hardly any thanks giving note.

Just before the 4pm Tamil mass started I sat outside in the courtyard enjoying the afternoon breeze from the Arabian Sea which was very calming and soothing to the soul and body. The Vallarpadam special.

It was a beautiful day, the time of the year when the Monsoon regulates the crowd, the church looked spacious and meditative with limited devotees in and around who greeted each other very warmly.

Thank you Lord, for making me grateful for the week and work that went by and helping me look forward hopefully to the coming one by making me organize in thought what to do. Dear Jesus, the Sunday blessing is graciously appreciated.

Monday, 9 October 2017

8th day of the Feast

I couldn't, due to my work, come to the church on the feast day. As usual, the church was crowded on the feast day and the week preceding and following it. Pilgrims & devotees from far and wide and all religious background continued to visit the church on these days. As we all know, Lady of Ransom has a special place in the hearts of those who work in the sea. Such communities make their annual pilgrimage to Vallarpadam on these days. This year too, many of them were there on the day I went to the church.

The procession after the 11.30 am mass. It went around the Rosary Park and returned to the church.

Though it looks like ants on the church during day time, the lights were beautiful at night.

My blessing this year was to know more about the Saint Peter Nolasco. An year earlier I had a dream in which I saw Saint Peter Nolasco standing at the altar of the church. I didn't know the saint then, on enquiry the church staff had told me that we have a statue of the saint in the church. On this feast day, I found the statue beautifully decorated and his name written in bold letters at the bottom. More about the saint in a later post.

The best drink to have at any time of the day. Sugar Cane Juice are nutritious and very organic, unless the vendor contaminates it. The latest machine and technology make the juice maker's job easy and the waiting less for the thirsty.

The feast of Our Lady falls in the month of "Kanni" which is called the best month in our Malayalam Calendar. Neither rainy nor summer, just the mild weather of Kerala.

The Unmistakeable icons of the feast, the status quo accompaniments of the Church and the feast.

One more year, My Lord, I have come to the feast with my grand mother, that is the first visit I could remember and to all the feasts after that when I was home and here in Kerala.

My Lord and My God, I pray bless all those who seek you with the grace and knowledge to live by You and live in your peace and Joy.

Amen.