A November Sunday

Kneeling in gratitude after a long week at Lady of Ransom, Vallarpadam. The peace and joy one feels while being there inspite of life and circumstances are priceless and for that one travels miles. 

Candles. The few on the  lower right is mine. I was not particular in lighting candles at Vallarpadam till a few months ago. I thought lighting oil lamps at home was good enough. Then I got an advice from a spiritually elderly person, when one is specific about certain intentions one has to follow certain rituals and tune the mind and prayers accordingly.

Thanks giving for being able to build a house. Expressiin of gratitude and thanks for the blessings received is a great motivation for others who are in difficult situations to stay strong in their prayers. 

"There is no better prayer than having a grateful mind."

 A note of gratefulness. The best I have read on this Sunday. These are always left by the devotees in front of the Sub Altar of the church. They are deeply enriching and brings peace and joy to mind. It is also a social history of how families grow and how noble some of them are in their aspirations. I found this note very enlightening, their request for peace and harmony in the family and general well being of everyone finishing off with a request to be able to to write a note of gratitude every time they visit the Basilica. The writer probably is a piligrims who might have come from far. 

May the blessings of the Lord be with you...

The Basilica glowing in the mild January Sun. The weather has been really cool around this December and continues to be so in our Coastal town which is usually warm.

I was visiting The Vallarpadam Basilica after a few months. The quiet time today there at the church was not so quiet at heart. Thoughts came up without any discipline disrupting the usual joyous mode of order and neatness which one enjoy during worship in good days.



My Christmas was away and lonely. I was happy to see the remains of the celebration at my favourite church.

Psalms 129 was the Verse on display in the Church Bible which gave me a very good insight for my meditations even though it was ransacked by emotions. It was the power of the verse and the thoughts that generated which made me restless with the aspects of life which I have to deal more closely.



A silent night, a holy night...

A young family was enjoying the remains of the decorations and the crib when I passed by. To see the comradeship of the father with his very young children was very heart warming. While exchanging greetings with the happy family, I couldn't help thinking of those children and their parents who do not have a happy family. My dear Joseph and Mary, during Christmas what we are made aware of is the love and happiness you both shared and the lesson it is teaching us. I pray my God, may everyone be deserving to enjoy your peace and joy.



Calm and quiet, there were not many pilgrims on the first Sunday of the Year.

No matter whatever be the circumstances that our lives have taken us to, may we never be alone that there is no one to wish us, "The blessings of the Lord be with you" or "We bless you in the name of the Lord"

Wish you all a happy week ahead. May the blessings of the Lord be with you.

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. 

The Pentecost

I was looking forward to the day since Easter. I like the big candle they used to light in every church from Easter and wanted to photograph as many as possible in different churches I go to before  Pentecost. I did take some, but not many. 

They have a new flyover infront of the Basilica on the highway. Now, if we are coming from Ernakulam we have to go much forward and take the U-Turn from under the flyover and drive back to the church. Safe, though many who come to the church continue to take a right turn infront of the church the way they used to do earlier before the flyover. Unsafe and causes traffic block. 

The feast of the Holy Ghost was on at the Church. As we know when the Portuguese Missionaries started this church in 1524 it was dedicated to the Holy Ghost. It could be the first church in Asia dedicated to the Holy Spirit according to the church notification. Naturally, Pentecost, which is the beginning of the history of the church should be a big celebration at our church. But somehow the celebrations are there but not as big as the Mary's feast in September. 

In Jewish traditions there are three compulsory pilgrimages to Jerusalem temple the Jews have to undertake no matter where ever they are settled. "Shavout" or The Pentecost is one of them which is the fiftieth day from Passover. Galileans like Jesus and disciples had come to Jerusalem for the Pessach and it was during one of those pilgrimages when Jesus was caught and killed. After The Resurrection Jesus had instructed the disciples to be in Jerusalem. So when the Shavout arrived the disciples and Mary was in Jerusalem preparing for the festival. Mostly Shavout is a two day festival which celebrates the receiving of ten commandments by Moses from God nearly 3300 years ago. Women and children light candles and lamps at home while men will stay over at night awake in the synagogue and study Torah and read the book of Ruth. Since Shavout is also coinciding with the harvest of wheat its also a harvest festival when the Israelites offered the first fruit of their harvest to the temple. The offering included the first born of men and cattle also. 

Naturally Jerusalem and the temple was crowded when the incidents of The Pentecost occurred. The arrival of  Holy Spirit with the sound of storm and the disciples beginning to speak in many tongues. Many scholars comments that was the beginning of the church history too. 

An old offering box at the church. I like the simple, yet creatively crafted wooden box, still very well taken care of. 

Wish you all the blessing and grace of the Pentecost. May the breath Jesus breathed upon the disciples continue to live through us and help us carry our crosses and follow the One who came in the name of the Father. 

Bless you Adonai, Bless you Jesus, Thank you Mary & Apostles. 

November 5, Sunday

Mission Sunday ventures. 

Remains of the All Souls day. November continues to be a special month of Remembrance of the dear departed.. 

North East Monsoon eventually drench the November evenings. 

Today, the dark clouds hovering behind the church in the east. 

The Marian towers standing majestic in the grey back ground, I couldn't help stopping to take pictures of the awesome sight. 

Church Neighbourhood

Student pilgrims

The Basilica altar on a week day during last week

The Rector of the National Shrine and Pilgrimage centre addressing a group of students who were visiting churches in the locality during the month of Rosary. 

A group photo. Keep sake, memories forever. 

I was lucky to be around when these college students and their Professors came. The Rector gave a sweet little inspiring message telling them briefly about the history of the Basilica, the Lady of Ransom intervention in the life of Meenakshi Amma and the ritual offering of Adima. He encouraged the students to continue in their walk in The Way seeking Mary's help.

Mission Congress & Basic Christian Community Convention

View of the church from the East on 8th October, 2017

Mission Congress and the Basic Christian Community Convention was conducted at Vallarpadam on 6th, 7th & 8th. Nearly 4000 members participated in the congress and convention representing the communities from all over Kerala. The event is without precedence in the history of the Latin Catholic Church of Kerala. There could not be a better venue than Our Lady of Ransom's Basilica at Vallarpadam for such a big gathering. 

After the lunch everybody who had come from the different diocese of Kerala, spent some time quietly, inside the old Basilica. Up in the front in the red waist band is the secretary of Congregation for Evangelisation of people from Vatican Arch Bishop Protase Rugambwa and sitting along side His Excellency is our Archbishop Kalathiparambil.

Their humility and grace was such a blessing to see and experience. 

RLCC's publication stall at the venue. They had some very good books to sell at a very discounted rate. 

Convention & Congress concluded with a high mass celebrated by the Archbishops and the Bishops of the church. 

Mary's statue which was taken out for display during the two weeks of celebration of the feast was back inside the church in its usual place. 

Starting from the Marian Pilgrimage its been a month of celebration at Vallarpadam, with the retreat then the feast and now the convention and congress. The Diocesan administrators, the Rector, church members and the staff and a team of volunteers worked very hard to make everything a success.

May God Bless you all. May the light at Our Lady of Ransom at Vallarpadam burn ever brightly and those who seek her blessing find Peace and Joy of our Jesus in life.

The brooms

Following the tradition of Meenakshi Amma, visitors to the Basilica cleans the church yard with a broom. Today the evening sun had been just great. The spring equinox has changed the sun's position which is far more to the north now.

Hand notes

Beautiful hand notes found at Vallarpadam on Sunday.

Our Lord is good. He is forever merciful. His faithfullness lasts for generations. (Psalm 100:5).

May the author of the hand note find mercy of our Lord and enjoy His faithfulness in life.

"Mother of the Word which became flesh, please do not reject, but mercifully hear my prayers. I plead"

May everyone be blessed in their job and in their family, may everyone have the grace to live every moment of their life with the companionship of our Lord.

"Enter His house singing His praise, When you walk through His doors, hum His praise. "
There is always a reason for thanks giving. Do not ever loose heart. We will be heard.

Strength and Grace my friends.

The windows..

to a beautiful world.

Karkidakam - Monsoon Month

It rained like  it used to in the monsoon month of Karkidakam. Smashing, thrashing, torrents, non-stop. We had classes on Sunday at college till noon. I came to Vallarpadam in that brief break in the rain and had lunch at Meenakshi's. Ate a little too much of rice with the sambar and the awesome omelette they make there. A mistake, felt little heavy and sleepy after that.

4pm Tamil mass. Wonderful celebration.

I could not gather up whole of my mind today. Streams of thoughts were running parallel. Some days are like that. Thoughts cross over, mind not so stable and balanced. Yet, being there calmed me. Last week, with some artist friends we had made some pictorial study of the historical times of Vallarpadam. A very intersting and captivating conversation.

Meenakshi Amma's Story

An inspiring story. I often think about her as my Meenakshi Amma.

Feast of Corpus Christi

Feast of the Body of Christ. 11.30am mass at Vallarpadam. 

Vasco Da Gamma

Last month we celebrated the 525th anniversary of the arrival of Vasco Da Gamma. Without the Portuguese influence, there would not have been the Church at Vallarpadam and also many other churches in and around Kochi.

It make one wonder why Portuguese had such a strong faith in Mother Mary.  They had built a church and honored the faith and celebrated their resort in Mary in all the lands they have shored. 

It was one heck of a sailing which Vasco Da Gamma in his ship Sao Gabriel undertook along with the fleet he lead to reach India. The turks  have blocked the other route to India, and the Europeans were desperate to find another sea route to the East for trade. That is why he took the risk upon the command of his King John II of Portugal to find the spice route. 

To sail around of Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa was a nightmare. Only the severest of faith can help a man from despair and destruction. Such was the bad weather in the channel of Mozambique. It was the faith of Vasco Da Gamma and the other sailors and their resort to Mother Mary which helped them survive the ordeal and let them sail through the coasts of Mozambique, Mambosa and Milindi, from there all the way across the ocean to Calicut favoured by the current and the Monsoon. 

On May 28th, 1498, Vasco Da Gamma, stood in front of Zamudiri (Zamorin) not as a conqueror but with all the humility of a trader asking permission to trade in the King Zamorin's land. 

Rest is history.

Humbling experience

I had an invitation last evening, to a tenth marriage anniversary. I was hoping I would drop in and come back quickly. But the folks I went with stayed over the night there, so I had no choice but to stay the night at their outhouse near the backwaters. It was a beautiful, clean, cool night with gentle breeze and a lot of fresh air. 

Since I had an accounting class scheduled early morning on Sunday, I woke up early and decided to walk an hour's distance to my home so as to get ready and go for the lecture on time. It was about 5 in the morning. 

Half way through that village road, I heard some quick footsteps approaching in that morning silence. It was an elderly woman, around 7o, walking quickly for the 5.30 am mass. Inspite of her old age, she was committed to reach the church before the mass starts and was literally running all the way.  We walked together talking, rest of the way.

It was an humbling experience for me. I was never so committed in attending a full mass each time I attended the mass. What more to say, I missed my Sunday mass today. 

I am so glad, that old woman stands more justified before our God, for her simple, yet strong faith rather than anybody else's grasp or understanding of the theological concepts or spiritual gravitation. 

Thank you, My Lord, for this wonderful experience. How much more our simple Mother Mary would have been committed to her faith, and our very own Meenakshi Amma, Vallarpadam Mary's slave, in the way of practice of her faith. 

Very inspiring thoughts for me...