Lowestoft church provides home to rare Kittiwakes
May 12, 2016
Fire of Holy Spirit paints a Lowestoft church red
May 21, 2016
Nearly 500 members of Syro-Malabar communities, Fr Philip John, clergy and friends, gathered together at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Peterborough, to celebrate the Marian month on Saturday May 14.
The celebration started at 10am with flag hosting in the church grounds, followed by the solemn Holy Qurbana and a procession along the roads in the Dogsthorpe area.
Canon John Minh, said: "The organisation of the festivities was fabulous. There were chosen men in high visibility vests to guide the participants, including many children, along the roads through the residential areas and the traffic along the main roads.
"Though the procession was about two miles long, there was no disruption to traffic or movement of local people. Actually, some residents came out of their houses to have a look at the procession; some of them even made the sign of the cross when they saw the statues of Our Lady of Lourdes and St Sebastian being carried across their houses.
"The participants of the procession sang religious hymns and said their prayers in the Malyalam language. From time to time a dozen of drummers, in traditional costumes, added their liturgical performance to the solemnity of the feast. It was very orderly and impressive, replete with Malayali banners, flags, and umbrellas," said Canon John.
After the procession, people re-entered Our Lady of Lourdes Church for the final prayers and blessing with the relics. Fr Adam Sowa, the Parish Priest of All Souls & Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, was also present. He said he whole-heartedly enjoyed the Sneha Virunnu and had a long chat with people in the newly-refurbished hall.
