Moodubelle: Seventh Annual ‘Padayatre’ leaves to the Shrine of St. Lawrence, Attur-Karkala

By Eugene DSouza, Moodubelle
Bellevision Media Network

Moodubelle, 24 January 2012:  The seventh annual pilgrimage on foot (Padayatre) to the  Shrine of St. Lawrence at Attur, Karkala was flagged off from the Shrine of St. Lawrence at Moodubelle on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at 4 pm.  Over one hundred devotees of St. Lawrence had gathered in the church premises including quite a number of women and children. Even Hindu brothers and sisters joined the pilgrimage. 

 

At four pm, Rev. Fr. Joswey Fernandes, parish priest of Belle invoked the prayers in front of the Shrine of St. Lawrence for the safe pilgrimage to and back from Attur. He also blessed the group of pilgrims and sprinkled holy water on them. 

 

It was six years back that the pilgrimage to the Shrine of St. Lawrence at Attur-Karkala was initiated under the leadership of Gerald Fernandes, who since then has been leading the ‘Padayatre’ evey year on the eve of the annual feast of St. Lawrence at Attur.

 

 

Before the start of the pilgrimage, the pilgrims were served melon juice sponsored by Antony Martis of Edmeru.  As the pilgrims reached  the residence of Sadnanda Shenoy on the road to Attur, they were served cold drinks at 6pm.  As this report is being filed, the pilgrims reached  Kuntadi where they rested a while and had light dinner at the residence of  Mrs. Rashmi Shetty, member of the Karkala Taluk Panchayat at around 7.30 pm.  According to Gerald Fernandes around 140 pilgrims including 15 from Shirva are part of the ‘Padayatre’. The pilgrims are expected to reach St. Lawrence Shrine at 9.30 pm. After attending mass/services in the shrine, the pilgrims will be leaving back to Moodubelle at 12 midnight in King of Kings bus. 

 

Around 20 pilgrims from Padubelle are also on ‘Padayatre’ to Attur. According to Prof. Vincent Alva, it was in 2010 that he and Remos D’Souza had  gone on ‘Padayatre’ to Attur. In 2011, two more persons-Ramesh Poojary and Jitesh Shetty joined them on this pilgrimage making the number four.  This year  the group of pilgrims from Padubelle is 20 strong including four women. Incidentally, Harish Shetty, memebr of the Belle Grama Panchayat has joined the pilgrimage aloong with Prpof. Vincent Alva, Remos D’Souza, Valerian Alva, Rony Alva, who has come all the way from Valsad in Gujarat and others.

 

 

The pilgrim group from Padubelle started their “Padayatre’ at 3.30 pm from the Geleyara Balaga stage and reached Modubelle at around 4.10 pm soon after the pilgrims from Moodubelle had hit the road. Some of them posed for the picture in front of  St. Lawrence Church, Moodubelle.