The St. Lawrence shrine at Attur near Karkala in Udupi diocese will be proclaimed as minor basilica on August 1.
Addressing presspersons here recently, Gerald Isaac Lobo, Bishop of Udupi Catholic Diocese, said that Pope Francis had elevated the shrine of St. Lawrence at Attur-Karkala to the status of a minor basilica. It will be the second minor basilica in Karnataka, the first being St. Mary’s Basilica at Shivajinagar in Bengaluru.
The official proclamation and dedication of the minor basilica would take place in Attur on August 1. The shrine would be declared as a sanctuary of blessings, favours, reconciliation, peace, and communal harmony.
Four cardinals from the country, many archbishops, bishops, priests and 10,000 people from the dioceses of Udupi, Mangaluru and neighbouring dioceses, would participate in the event. The Thanksgiving Eucharistic celebrations will begin at 10 a.m.
Proclamation of decree
The proclamation of the decree in Latin will be made by Baselios Cardinal Cleemis, Major Archbishop-Catholicos of the Syro Malankara Catholic Chruch, Thiruvananthapuram, while he (Dr. Gerald Isaac Lobo) would make the pronouncement in Konkani. Oswald Cardinal Gracias, Archbishop of Mumbai, would be the main celebrant. Bernard Moras, Archbishop of Bengaluru, will deliver the homily.
Mar George Cardinal Alencherry, Major Archbishop of Syro Malabar Catholic Church, Ernakulam, and Telesphore Cardinal Toppo, Archbishop of Ranchi, would be the concelebratans.
In the public function, which will start at 11.45 a.m., Pramod Madhwaraj, Minister of State for Fisheries, Youth Services and Sports, and B. Ramanath Rai, Minister for Forests, Environment and Ecology, Shobha Karandlaje, Oscar Fernandes, MPs, J.R. Lobo, V. Sunil Kumar, Vinay Kumar Sorake, MLAs, Ivan D’Souza, MLC, will participate.
