VIJAYAWADA: The three-day annual Gunadala Mary Matha festivities began on a grand note at Mary Matha shrine in the city on Thursday. Vijayawada Catholic Diocese Bishop Rev Thelagathoti Joseph Raja Rao along with Rev Fr Pasala Thomas, Rev Fr George Puthenpura and several other priests, offered the holy mass and delivered the gospel on the Bishop Grassi High School. Elaborate arrangements were made by the police department and the shrine authorities for the smooth conduct of the three-day festival.
Hundreds of devotees thronged the shrine to take the blessings of Mother Mary from early hours and offered special prayers on Thursday. The festival marks the beginning of the centenary celebrations of the shrine. Officials said that a centenary church will be constructed at ITI compound adjacent to Bishop Grassi High School on the premises of Gunadala shrine.
Vijayawada Catholic Diocese Bishop Rev Dr Thelagathoti Joseph Raja Rao said that the Gunadala mother Mary church is considered the second biggest worship place of Mother Mary after Velankanni church at Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu.
“We are expecting a huge turnout of devotees from various places,” said Raja Rao. As a part of rituals, nuns, priests, deacons, brothers, seminary and convent students from across Andhra and neighbouring states attended the prayers. “In addition, special cultural programmes and prayer will be organised on the school ground during the festivities,” the shrine representatives said. On the other hand, traffic police imposed restrictions on Eluru Road by closing the stretch between Machavaram Down and ESI hospital junction for the convenience of the devotees visiting the shrine.