THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The 74th annual Feast of Christ the King at the Madre de Deus Church at Vettukad near here will be celebrated from November 11 to 20. Vicar-General of the Latin Archdiocese Eugene H Pereira, will preside over the holy mass to be held in the church at 4.15 pm on November 11.
The parish vicar will carry the festival flag in a procession and hoist it heralding the beginning of the festival. The church choir wing, along with students from schools and colleges, will present choir music and chant prayers.
The ten-day festival will be marked by prayer meetings and other rituals. From November 12 to 18, holy mass will be held at 6.15 am, 11 a.m, and 5.30 pm. On November 19, holy mass according to Syro Malankara rites will be held at 3.30 pm. The evening prayers at 5.30 pm will be presided over by Monsignor George Paul. Fr Joy Joseph will deliver the sermon.
The idol of Christ the King will then be taken out for a colourful procession in which thousands of devotees are expected to participate.
On the final day on November 20, Pontifical Holy Mass will be held at 9.30 am which will be presided over by Latin Archdiocese Auxiliary Bishop Christudas R. This will be followed by a feast for the devotees.
Latin Archbishop of Thiruvananthapuram Dr Soosa Pakiam will preside over the evening Pontifical Holy Mass to be held at 5.30 pm on November 20. The holy mass will be followed by a procession. In order to spread the message of the annual feast, a proclamation rally comprising of youth and devotees will be held in various parts of Thiruvananthapuram on November 10.
Arrangements for the feast
The church expects around five lakh devotees, including those from abroad, to congregate for the ten-day feast. A meeting, presided over by Power Minister Kadakampally Surendran and attended by Thiruvananthapuram Mayor V K Prasanth and officials of various government departments, was held on Wednesday to assess the preparedness for the feast