Sr. Rani Maria

A board announcing the beatification of Sr. Rani Maria and the celebration at her home parish St. Thomas church at Pullavazhi. 

My late mother had talked about her a lot and had told me the incident that led to her death which was shared by a priest at the Potta Ashram. Since it happened so far away, the newspapers did not had much details about it then.  We were quite taken aback by the brutal killing and the disastrous impact it had on our thoughts about the fate of all those involved in the mission work in the Tribal areas. I had meditated over her life very deeply and was touched by the mission life of this humble and simple sister from a small village of Kerala with whom I could connect very well as we knew some sisters personally who had dedicated their lives for similar missions. 

The last few years, after her beatification process was started I haven't thought much about Sister Rani Maria. 

Last Friday afternoon,  on 3rd November, while I was taking a nap after a long forenoon work, I dreamed of Sr. Rani Maria, coming to me and sitting by my bedside and asking me about a very personal issue which was bothering me and she put a cross on my forehead while looking deeply into my eyes, my soul. 

I didn't knew which sister it was, but the next day when I went to my parish there was a picture put outside the church announcing the beatification of Sr. Rani Maria. You could imagine my surprise, when I realised it was the same sister who had visited me on the previous day. 

Dear Sister, thank you very much for visiting me, you certainly know how much we have thought and remembered you in our prayers immediately after your death , when your death was just a small letter news item in the National page of our local dailies. But for us your life mattered even then as it is now. We were truly elated when your sister visited the man who killed you and tied "Rakhee" on his hand.  There were many who thought about you then, I am sure, I pray they too might have had a similar beautiful experience. 

Incidentally, my mother's seventh death anniversary was today, a day after Sister's beatification. 

So long, darlings...till we see again!

Sent from my Windows Phone

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.

Tomorrow never dies

The month of Rosary. At vallarapdam, the chant of Rosary is the background score at any time of the day. 

A new car being blessed at the church. For such events they let the vehicles in through the East Gate. 

The pandhal is still on after the festivities of the last month. 

The north gate to the Rosary Park

But today certainly does.

I do not know how many tomorrows I have.
These pictures are from Sunday before the last. I couldn't post them all through last week as the work got me tight and didn't gave me much time for anything else.

I didn't want to let go of these pictures, its the todays of my life and it's what I saw at Vallarpadam.
So here its my friends.

Lady of Ransom, deliver me from all bondages that is holding me back from living the way and enjoying the true happiness.

Thank you Lord for the work in the week and the bread it brought.

May everyone have work and the mind and health to do it well.

Never alone!

A beautiful card found at the church today.
Wishing everyone a blessed Sunday.
Refreshing and spiritually rejuvenating!

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.

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.