Vijayawada:The centenary church at the Our Lady of Lourdes shrine in Gunadala will be consecrated on February 2, ahead of the 103rd annual feast scheduled from February 9 to 11, 2027, Vijayawada Catholic Diocese Bishop Most Rev. Telagathoti Joseph Raja Rao announced on Thursday.
Addressing a meeting of the festival committee at the shrine, he said around 90 per cent of the construction work on the church, which had been under construction for the past six years, had been completed. He said the annual feast would be celebrated on a grand scale.
Bishops from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and other states, along with cardinals and archbishops from various countries, are expected to attend the consecration. Thousands of devotees are also expected to take part.
The bishop appreciated the efforts of shrine rector Rev. Fr. Yelleti William Jayaraju, priests and lay Christians in completing the church.
He also announced that the Vijayawada Diocese would soon launch Radio Maria web broadcasts, describing it as the first such initiative by a diocese in India. The network reaches millions of Christians across 86 European countries in 131 languages.
Monsignor Rev. Fr. Muvvala Prasad described the new church as one of India’s remarkable religious structures. Fr. Jayaraju said nine-day novena prayers would begin on Gunadala hill on January 31, ahead of the annual feast.
Vicar General Rev. Fr. Meshapam Gabriel called for collective efforts by priests, nuns and lay Christians to make both events successful. Several priests and festival committee members attended the meeting.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
