A sea of devotees at the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health in Velankanni, Nagapattinam, where the annual festival began with the flag-hoisting ceremony on Friday.
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement
The annual festival of the renowned Our Lady of Health Basilica at Velankanni commenced with the ceremonial flag hoisting on Friday in the presence of lakhs of devotees from across the country.
The celebrations began with a chariot procession followed by the hoisting of the festival flag, bearing the image of Our Lady of Health, on the church premises. Bishop of Thanjavur Diocese Rev. T. Sagayaraj sanctified the flag before it was hoisted at 6.40 p.m. Amid chants of “Ave Maria, Maria Vazhga”, devotees filled the air with fervent cries of faith. Fireworks lit up the sky and the Basilica towers were illuminated.
Tamil Nadu Dairy Development Minister Mano Thangaraj, Nagapattinam MP Selvaraj, Tiruchi (East) MLA Inigo Irudayaraj, senior clergy of the Thanjavur Diocese, parish priests, and Basilica Rector Rev. Fr. C. Irudayaraj were present.
Thousands of pilgrims arrived on foot from neighbouring districts while devotees from other parts of India thronged the shrine, causing heavy traffic congestion along the Nagapattinam–Vailankanni East Coast Road and the Nagapattinam–Velankanni–Thirupoondi Road.
Tiruchi Range IG K. Joshi Nirmal Kumar made tight security arrangements with the help of four SPs, 23 DSPs, six Additional SPs, 54 Inspectors, and over 3,250 police personnel. Surveillance was enhanced with 15 watchtowers, five drone cameras, and 360 CCTV cameras.
A large number of pilgrims from across the country thronged the Basilica to attend the 11-day festival. The litany that began after the flag-hoisting was followed by benediction and Holy Mass in Tamil in the Shrine auditorium.
On September 7, the rosary, litany, and novena prayer will be followed by concelebrated Holy Mass and Our Lady’s car procession to be presided over by the Most Rev. Francis Kalist, Archbishop, Puducherry – Cuddalore.
A special feast mass will be conducted on September 8 in the Morning Star church to commemorate the birth anniversary of Mother Mary. The feast will conclude with the lowering of Our Lady’s flag in the evening.
During the festival days, services will be held in Tamil, English, Marathi, Konkani, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi. The car procession of Our Lady of Health will be taken out on all novena days at 8 p.m.
Published – August 29, 2025 09:41 pm IST
