St. Antony’s Church festival to be held at Katchatheevu on March 14 and 15

Parish priest of Rameswaram Fr. Ashok Vino along with fishermen leaders at the Collectorate in Ramanathapuram on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: L. BALACHANDAR

 

The annual celebrations at the famous St. Antony’s Church in Katchatheevu will held on March 14 and 15. 

According to a communication received from P. Josephdas Jebaratnam, Vicar General, Diocese of Jaffna, priests, public and laymen have been invited to participate in the unique festival that attracts devotees from Sri Lanka and India. 

The festival, organised in the season of Lent, attracts over 1,000 pilgrims from India. Parish priest of Rameswaram Fr. Ashok Vino has said that interested people may submit their names and other details in the form that will be distributed from February 6 to 15. The filled forms should be returned by February 25.  

Further, boat owners shall submit the details with the RC and other norms on three days – February 2,3 and 4. The boats carrying the pilgrims from Rameswaram take about two-and-a-half hours to cross the 12 nautical miles. The organisers will permit those over 5 years and up to 70 years to take part in the festival.

Government employees, devotees from other districts and other States should submit sufficient documents such as NOC from their organisations. 

In this regard, a letter from Parish priest of Rameswaram has been submitted to Ramanathapuram Collector Simranjeet Singh Kahlon requesting him to make arrangements for people willing to participate in the festival.