Kundukulam May/June 2017 Report

EASTER CELEBRATION: People consider the Holy week as the most important week of the year. The three days triduums Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday celebrations were conducted in the open stage formed in front of the Parish Church. A considerable number of faithful from the substations participated in the Triduums irrespective of the distance and the time. On Maundy Thursday after the mass many people remained in the church quietly  until midnight for the adoration. During Good Friday the elders and the school children enacted the Way of the cross on the stage which was highly appreciated by the participants. The resurrection event was the climax of the Easter. The village committee organized it in a creative way.

A TOUR OF GOA: Seventy people including a few children went on a 4 day trip to Goa crossing three states of the Country where St. Francis Xavier’s body is kept. It was a long train journey for the elders and they were happy despite some inconveniences. The highlight of this trip was the celebration of the mass in the main altar with the group. The novena prayer and the litany were recited. It is interesting to note that many elders had never travelled or undertaken any long journeys in their life. They all thanked the Parish Priest providing such an opportunity visiting the Shrine of St. Francis Xavier.
 
SUB-STATION FEASTS: Month of May is the season of feasts for Kundukulam. St. Joseph’s feast was celebrated in the first week of May at Suravanthi village. It was a grand celebration. The faithful and their relatives from various places and the nearby villagers graced the occasion. The car procession was the main attraction with colourful crackers and the fireworks which illuminated the whole village. The native priests who came for their holidays helped the villagers to organize the feast in a grand manner. OUR LADY OF HEALTH feast was celebrated in Nagamugunthangudi village in the second week of May. As usual the villagers celebrated the feast with a car procession in which the neighbouring villagers extended their support through their participation. OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HEALTH was solemnly celebrated in Sathamangalam village near Kundukulam during the last week end of May. The car procession was the highlight of this year as well the mass participation of the entire substation people added to the beauty of the Feast. The car carried the statue of Our Lady decorated full of flowers attracted the Hindu neighbours and they all came to respect our Lady with flowers. THE FEAST OF ST. ANTONY was celebrated on the 13 ^th of June in a small village called Odaikulam. The feast mass was headed by Fr. Moyeesan S.J. The other two priests who are the sons of the soil concelebrated in the high mass. Fr. Moyeesan was ordained last year from the same village and he is presently working in North India Jesuit province. Food was distributed to all the participants who are the devotees of St. Antony.
 
ST. VINCENT DE PAUL: The members of St. Vincent de Paul engage themselves in their usual activities like visiting the sick, helping the poor and helping the priest in masses and spiritual activities. Few members joined the trip to Goa along with their families. The children enjoyed bathing in the Goan Sea and did some useful shopping.
 
SCHOOLS REOPENED: Both the High school and the Primary school children and the teachers started going to school after a month long summer holidays. Everybody is busy getting lesson books, note books and the uniform. The schools reopened on 7 ^th of June, 2017. The children helped cleaning the school campus and kept the ground neat and tidy.
 
ST. SEBASTIAN’S CHURCH CONSTRUCTION AT KODIMANGALAM: The church construction at Kodimangalam, a substation is progressing well with the generous and extraordinary help of our Sister parish, St. Joseph’s, Moorhead. The engineer who constructs the Church gives stage by stage construction reports to the diocese periodically. It takes a little time as the prices of constructing materials have gone up very heavily. But the work continues as usual. The villagers of Kodimangalam are extremely happy as the construction work is in progress and they thank Shawn who personally visited the spot and initiating many ways to draw helps from St. Joseph’s community.
 
On the whole we the sister parish at Kundukulam extend our heartfelt thanks to you all St. Joseph’s Moorhead parish community, the staff and the children of the school and all the well wishers. We are all very grateful to you and expecting your continuous prayers, rosary for our welfare. You are always in our daily prayers and thoughts.
 
Requesting your prayers and love,
 
Fr. Dr. M. John Britto