St. Lawrence returns to the Church after journeying through all twenty-two wards of the parish

Report by Dr. Eugene D’Souza
Pictures by Anil Alva
Bellevision Media Network

Moodubelle, 31 July 2010: The spiritual journey of St. Lawrence that had begun on Sunday, 21 February 2010 to the wards of his parish beginning with his visit to the Fatima Ward finally came to a successful conclusion when he triumphantly returned to the church with full glory after completing his spiritual and social mission on Saturday, 31 July 2010 at 4 pm.

The return journey of St. Lawrence began at 3.30 pm from the residence of the Gurkar of the Sacred Heart II Ward, Jerome D’Souza at Gokal. Fr. Joswey Fernandes, after a brief prayer gave the signal for the procession to move towards the church. Though it was raining throughout the day, miraculously there was respite from the rain throughout his journey back to the church which took around half an hour. 

The band played the tunes of hymns right in front with a large number of  parishioners following and singing hymns. The choir was seated in a van giving lead to the singing with loud speakers. There was continuous burst of fire crackers ahead of the procession. The statue of St. Lawrence mounted on the decorated van was right at the end of the procession. Fr. Joswey Fernandes and Henry Fernandes, the Vice President of the Parish Council walked in front of the van. 

As the procession came to an end with people entering the church and occupying their seats, Fr. Joswey Fernandes  and Fr. Lancy Saldanha along with Henry Fernandes and Mrs.  Meera Lobo, Secretary of the Parish Council received the statue of St. Lawrence from the hands of Jerome D’Souza, the Gurkar of the Sacred Heart I Ward to which St. Lawrence visited the last. Fr. Joswey carried the statue inside the church and placed it reverently on the decorated pedestal. Thus, St. Lawrence came back to the church after five and a half months of journey through the wards of the parish. 

Fr. Lancy Saldanha offered the usual Saturday Mass and at the end of the Mass the novena prayers in honour of St. Lawrence in preparation of the calendar feast was recited for the benefit of those who attended the Mass, though the actual novena will start from Sunday, 1 August 2010. The calendar feast (Thrikechem Festh) of St. Lawrence will be celebrated on 10 August 2010.

The spiritual journey of the ‘Pilgrim Statue’ of St. Lawrence to different Wards was launched on Sunday, 21 February 2010 at 4pm in the church. Fatima Ward of Padubettu who’s Gurkar,  Henry Fernandes is also the Vice President of the Parish Council was chosen as the first ward for the journey of the ’Pilgrim Statue’. Thereafter, every Sunday the statue was transferred to the next ward and the process went on without any break till Sunday, 25 July 2010 when the Gurkar of the 22nd and last the Sacred Heart I Ward-Jerome D’Souza received the statue of St. Lawrence from the hands of Mrs. Jacintha D’Souza-Gurkarn of the Sacred Heart II Ward. 

Thus, after the completion of the journey of St. Lawrence to all the families of the parish he has returned to the church with a sense of contentment that he was honoured in each and every ward and his journey has helped in bringing spiritual revival in the parish, a well thought programme that was initiated and well executed by the parish priest, Fr. Joswey Fernandes.