KOCHI: As part of celebrating the canonisation of Mother Mariam Thresia, a national-level thanksgiving celebration will be held at Kuzhikattussery where she died on Saturday. The event includes a thanksgiving Mass led by Cardinal Mar George Alencherry followed by a public meeting in the evening. “Around 30,000 people are slated to attend the event. Cardinal Baselios Mar Cleemis will deliver the homily. Over 100 bishops and several priests are to be concelebrants at the Mass,” Irinjalakuda Bishop Pauly Kannookadan told media persons at the Pastoral Orientation Centre here on Tuesday.
He also said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan would launch a C5 crore charity project by the Congregation of Holy Family (CHF) at the event. Further, Irinjalakuda diocese would launch a C 2 crore charity project apart from a Rs 15-lakh project by the Mankidiyan family to which the saint belonged.
The public meeting is to be inaugurated by Cardinal Oswald Gracias, president, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI). Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Giambattista Diquattro will address the gathering. Union Minister of State V Muraleedharan, Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala, former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Ministers C Raveendranath, V S Sunilkumar, A C Moideen, MPs Benny Behanan, Hibi Eden and T N Prathapan, MLAs V R Sunilkumar, B D Devassy, K U Arunan, E T Taison, Roji M John, V D Satheeshan and other political leaders and senior bureaucrats are scheduled to attend the event.