By Matters India Reporter
Mahe, Feb 26, 2024: Thousands of people were present when the Vatican raised an 18th century shrine in Mahe as a basilica, marking a historic milestone in Kerala’s northern region.
During a Mass on February 24, Bishop Varghese Chakkalakal of Calicut on February 24 announced that the Vatican has given the new status to St. Teresa’s Church in Mahe that comes under his Latin rite diocese.
The formal decree of the declaration from the Vatican Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments was read in Latin by Father Vincent Pulicken, the rector of the new basilica, with its translation into Malayalam presented by Father Sajeev Varghese, the chancellor of the diocese of Calicut.
The Mass was presided over by Archbishop Joseph Kalathiparambil of Verapoly.
Syro-Malabar Archbishop Joseph Pamplany of Tellicherry, who delivered the homily, thanked the shrine for playing a significant role in fostering the faith of Catholics from central Travancore who had settled in the Malabar region since the 1930s.
He commended the Calicut diocese for nurturing and supporting those people and serving as guiding other dioceses in northern Kerala as their mother diocese. He highlighted the outstanding leadership of past prelates of the Calicut diocese, especially Italian Jesuit Bishop Aldo Maria Patroni (1904-1988) for the Catholics in the Malabar region.
Father Stephen Alathara, deputy secretary general of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India, explained the significance of a basilica and the process involved in the elevation of a church to that status.
The Mahe church’s proposal to be recognized as a basilica was first approved by the CCBI Boundary Commission and later ratified during the CCBI Plenary Assembly in 2022. The official approval from the Vatican was received on November 21, 2023, Father Alathara said.
Mass was followed by a public meeting that was opened by A. N. Shamseer, the speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly and chaired by Bishop Chakkalakal.
The chief guest was Malayalam writer M. Mukundan, a native of Mahe who wrote a novel named “Mayyazhipuzhayude Theerangalil” (on the banks of Mayyazhi (Mahe) River.”
The Mahe stands as one of the renowned pilgrimage destinations in southern India. Established in 1736, the church holds a significant place in the religious landscape, symbolizing unity and faith, Father Alathara said.
The church is widely recognized as a beacon of religious harmony. Its annual feast is dedicated to St. Teresa of Avila, whom the local people call “Amma Theresa” (Mother Theresa).
People from all religions attend the festival. The Mahe administration, recognizing its cultural significance, celebrates it as the territory’s primary festival.
Mahe is part of the federally-ruled territory of Pondicherry that lies between Kerala’s Tellicherry and Vadakara towns. Situated in what was formerly part of French India, Mahe now serves as a municipality within the Mahé district, one of the four districts of Puducherry.