Udupi diocese Bishop Dr Gerald Isaac Lobo had written to the Pope in Vatican, making a case for the St Lawrence Church of Karkal to be declared a Basilica.
Reacting to this letter written on February 4, Pope Francis’s Disciplinary Committee had given a positive report, agreeing to declare the Karkal church as a minor Basilica. The order was sent on April 26.
More than 12,000 devotees took part in the grand event conducted at the church in Karkal. Thiruvananthapuram Syro-Malankara Catholic Church Major Archbishop and Catholic Bishop Conference (CBCI) president Cardinal Baselious Climis announced the declaration in Latin. Udupi Bishop Dr Gerald Isaac Lobo read out the declaration in Konkani.
Henceforth, the priest of this church will be known as a Rector.
St Lawrence Shrine or Attur Church is a Roman Catholic church in Karkal. It came into existence in 1759 and has a history of claimed miracles. It is characterised by its Attur Jatre or Attur Fest, where people from all castes, creed and religion pay their respects and put forth their wishes and demands in front of God through St Lawrence.
This three-day annual festival, usually conducted in January, is a major event where lakhs of people visit the church. The Church administration also runs a school and an orphanage in Karkal.
Tippu connection
From 1784-1799, Tipu Sultan held Christians in the area as captives. The original parish, situated seven km from the current church, was demolished by Tipu’s men. But after his death, a new church was built with a thatched roof under the guidance of a Goan priest in 1801.
The first miracle
When this church became too old for use, people from the parish started searching for a suitable place to build a proper church. The story goes that they had the foot-long wooden statue of St Lawrence with them and were walking through Parpare Hills and reached Attur.
They were all tired and were happy to see a spring of water and ran to it, placing the statue on the ground.
When they decided to resume their search and tried to lift the statue, to their surprise, they couldn’t move it. Thus it was decided to build a church there in 1839.
Soon it became a place of pilgrimage. In 1900, Rev Frank Pereira renovated the present church, facing north, which was inaugurated a year later. The place continues to be popular for those seeking boons.
